Congratulations to LaLa Books which had its grand opening last Friday (July 23) at 189 Market Street (next to Warp & Weft). I visited on Saturday and was impressed with what I saw. It’s spacious and well laid-out and from its appropriately-sized inventory of books on the shelf, I found many that were of interest to me. (I purchased “Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them” by Joseph M. Bagley which was of interest for upcoming visits to Boston but also a model, hopefully, for something similar I might do for Lowell). 

LaLa Books at 189 Market Street (next to Warp & Weft)

In the early 1990s, Paul Tsongas said that to be considered in the upper tier of U.S. cities, a place like Lowell needed a minor league sports franchise. Fast forward thirty years and an apt corollary might be that to be considered a successful city (never mind “upper tier”) Lowell needs a bookstore. Up until Friday, we didn’t have one. Now that we do, all of us should make the effort to support it. 

A bookstore is more than just another retail establishment. A bookstore helps nurture the soul of the community. With that in mind, I found it reassuring that LaLa has a prominent “local author” section and a large space in the back of the store for community events. In fact, this coming Friday (July 30) at 6 pm will be LaLa’s first author reading which will feature two local authors (and friends), Chath pierSath (“On Earth Beneath Sky”) and Paul Marion (“Lockdown Letters & Other Poems”). 

Please check out LaLa’s website, sign up for its newsletter, and most importantly, go there and buy some books.

LaLa is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 6pm; on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 8pm; on Sunday from 10am to 2pm; and is closed on Monday.