Interview: 'Books Build Community' — A Conversation with Maia Ortiz, Independent Bookseller

Independent bookstores are more than retail spaces; they are civic hubs where reading communities form. We sat down with Maia Ortiz, owner of Harbor & Leaf Books, to learn how she cultivates readers, runs community programs, and adapts in a digital age. Below is an edited transcript of our conversation.

Q: How did Harbor & Leaf begin?

Maia Ortiz: Harbor & Leaf started as a pop-up in 2016. We noticed the neighborhood lacked a place for people to gather around ideas and literature. A successful crowdfunding campaign and a lot of volunteer labor later, we opened a small storefront. Our mission has always been to center local voices and to create space for conversation.

Q: What programming has worked best to build community?

Maia Ortiz: Book clubs are the obvious anchor, but our most successful programs have been themed salons — informal evenings that combine an author reading with a practical workshop, like letter-writing or zine-making. We also run a neighborhood youth reading hour and partner with the local library for outreach.

Q: How do you select inventory?

Maia Ortiz: Inventory is a careful balance of editorial intent and demand. We carry a core of classics, curated contemporary fiction, and a large non-fiction section that matches the intellectual interests of our neighborhood—urbanism, food studies, and social movements. We also prioritize titles by local and underrepresented authors. Curation is as much about values as sales.

Q: How has digital commerce changed your operations?

Maia Ortiz: We use our website to let customers reserve books and buy curated bundles. Digital tools have improved logistics, but the store’s magic still happens in person. We emphasize experiences that cannot be replicated online: tactile browsing, serendipitous discovery, and human recommendations.

Q: What advice would you give readers who want to support independent bookstores?

Maia Ortiz: Buy from us when you can, recommend books to friends, and attend events. If purchasing is difficult, borrowing from your library and returning with a five-star recommendation goes a long way. Also, introduce new readers to the store. Word-of-mouth matters more than discounts.

'A bookstore's most sustainable currency is attention and time, not just transactions.'

Q: What are the biggest challenges right now?

Maia Ortiz: Rising rent, supply chain disruptions, and competing attention from streaming and social media are ongoing pressures. But the greatest challenge is maintaining relevance: we must continually innovate programming while staying true to our curatorial identity.

Q: Any surprising joys you didn’t expect?

Maia Ortiz: The children’s reading hour surprised me. It started small and evolved into a neighborhood ritual. Parents return with older children who now volunteer as junior librarians. That intergenerational continuity is the most fulfilling part of this work.

Final words

Maia Ortiz: If you care about the texture of your community, invest in spaces that convene people around books. Books change minds, but bookstores change neighborhoods.

Editor's note: Harbor & Leaf offers an online events calendar and a membership that supports free youth programming. If you have a local bookstore story, email us and we'll consider it for our next feature.