San Francisco’s Chinatown has a new independent Chinese-language bookstore, Unbound, which has been quietly open since December of last year. The store, located at 38 Waverly Pl. between Clay and Sacramento streets, is the brainchild of Lala Huo, who wanted to create a space that combined a bookstore, coffee bar, and community living room.
A Community Hub
Huo, 30, came to the United States for school in 2010 and has been active in the Bay Area’s Chinese community, attending events and panels hosted by local nonprofits. He wanted to organize more events for the Chinese community himself, but found it difficult to find a fixed space that was affordable, consistently available, and conveniently located.
Unbound aims to fill this gap, offering a mix of books from independent publishers in the United States, alongside books from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The store also hosts events, including a silent book club every Thursday, used-book exchanges, movie nights, and author talks.
A Grand Opening
Unbound’s grand opening at the end of June will feature a collaboration between Huo and Washington Post graphics journalist Youyou Zhou, creating a timeline of Chinese immigration to San Francisco. The celebration will also include firecrackers, a traditional ritual for newly-opening Chinese businesses.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
