Mixing new and old is one of the guiding principles at Stories Bookstore & Cafe, which recently opened in Echo Park. It applies not only to the books — a combination of new and used volumes – but the store’s design as well, which recycles and reuses materials found at the site and salvaged from elsewhere. Even the shelves themselves are a combination of new and old, with the dark wood cases from the recently closed Dutton’s Brentwood Books contrasting against new, custom furniture.
Designer Thomas Robertson of Ripple Design explains his approach in remaking the Sunset Boulevard storefront:
“These green strategies are hopefully not just about energy, re-use, and conservation. But [they are] also about a sort of socially green way of bringing people closer to each other. With the combination of the cafe and the bookstore, it set up an opportunity to have various types of activities happen at the same time. Natural light and air add to this, which ends up being good for not just the business, but additionally good for a more productive urban environment.”
Read more of Robertson’s comments and see more photos in the Eastside Design Gallery. You can also find more details on Dwell.
Photos by Marla Aufmuth and The Eastsider LA
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