Northside non-profit has community taking books by the bag load
Lesley De Paz, a former elementary teacher, holds up a book in the reading corner. She founded Story Orchard in 2017. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson
By Azalea Petry Towns, North High School
Stepping into a bookstore and finding a really good book is one of the best feelings in the world. Story Orchard is a non-profit located in North Minneapolis where community members can come to enjoy and have access to thousands of books. The best part is that they are all free.
Lesley De Paz, the owner, started the non-profit Story Orchard in 2017 and landed a storefront in 2021 at the corner of 39th and Thomas Avenue North. The Story Orchard has genres and books for all ages and is open Wednesdays from 2–6 pm.
De Paz was an elementary school teacher for 18 years, and it was then that she got the idea. De Paz needed books for her classroom. However, she realized books are expensive. So De Paz began collecting books to give to other teachers and fill out their libraries.
As De Paz’s book collection grew, she got the idea to start a bookmobile. Research on the positive aspects of reading inspired her to start the shop. She learned that the community had limited access to books and wanted to provide an efficient resource accessible to everyone. During the summers, De Paz would visit garden parties and farmers' markets or bike around the neighborhood with the bookmobile, giving out books. This bookmobile is still used today.
The shop is designed to allow patrons to linger over books. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson
“What really increases access to books is books in people’s homes,” De Paz said. “All people benefit from reading.”
De Paz sought to create a space where anyone could come in and delight in the space. The ultimate goal of Story Orchard is to give the community better access to literacy.
“People are just thrilled to have a space to go to that’s so welcoming and warm.”
Amy Bakken, a volunteer at Story Orchard, talks about the impact she’s already seen on the community. She loves watching over the store, seeing kids and adults excited and looking forward to returning. She’s seen firsthand the impact they’ve had on the community.
“I just see people getting excited about something, and, you know, there’s no barrier to the books. They’re free.” Bakken said. In the future, De Paz hopes to expand the shop and include more opportunities for the community, including book clubs, a family story hour, and writing classes for adults. Her biggest goal is to have a complete service community literacy center open to all different age demographics.
Customers can walk in, receive a bag, and take as many books as desired. Some books are bought new, but they also source them from donations. De Paz encourages everyone to stop by; anybody can donate, and they always accept books.
“Our hope is to bring our community together and provide people awesome opportunities to read and learn and just be together,” she said.