CLARION – Clarion’s downtown business district recently got something it’s been missing for almost 11 years, when in late October Sarah Cummings officially opened Sparrow Books, filling a void left when the Book Nook closed its doors more than a decade ago.

“We sell new books. We’re probably going to have a used book collection once the back [of the store] is expanded, but right now the focus is new books,” said Cummings. “We have picture books, and middle grade and young adult [books], and we have fiction, nonfiction, poetry. We try to have a little bit of everything.”

For Cummings, who studied writing and publishing at Boston’s Emerson College, opening a bookstore was always something of a dream.

“I love reading, I always have. I kind of always dreamt of opening a bookstore, but it didn’t really feel like a possible thing. But I had been working at Michelle’s Café [also on Main Street in Clarion] for a while [and] the timing felt right to try it,” she relayed.

Though Cummings was intent on opening her bookstore on Main Street, the first attempt at doing so went, quite literally, up in smoke.

Reported Cummings, “We originally rented a space next to Bob’s Sub in January and then the fire happened in April,” she said of the fire that burned down the iconic sub shop and severely damaged some surrounding buildings. “Honestly, we had not gotten that far, we had bookshelves set up, so we lost those.

“We weren’t sure what we were going to do after that, because Main Street didn’t feel like a really good space to be. Then John Miller, who ran ArtFunkles [an arts and crafts store that also sold used books], let me know that the space was going to be available [when he closed his Main Street shop].”

She and Eric Krouse, an area-native with whom Cummings moved to Clarion during 2020, took their time refurbishing the space formerly occupied by ArtFunkles — painting, reflooring and rebuilding the bookshelves lost in the fire.

The name they gave the store, Sparrow Books, harkens a bit to its locality.

Noted Cummings, a native of Westchester County near New York City, “Honestly, I really like birds and I like the ‘nature scene.’ Clarion is something I really wanted to encompass [with the store’s name]. I was thinking of bird names and ‘sparrow’ felt like it fit.”

Cummings acknowledges that finding success with an independent bookstore in a small town might be challenging. She, however, is up to the task and prepared to experiment.

“I’m trying to offer different things. I have our membership program, which is a book trade — people can buy a book here and then trade it for another book. I definitely want to make reading and purchasing books as accessible as possible,” she commented.

“I think [having] workshops and events and readings when the backroom is open [will be successful]. For our grand opening we had an open mic. A bunch of local authors were here and read poetry or excerpts from novels or short stories they had written. It was a nice way to connect with writers in the area and give people a chance to showcase their work.”

Establishing and fostering relationships with local authors is something Cummings wants to continue — she’s even devoted a growing section of her store to their books.

Said Cummings, “I’m just excited to connect with more people. We are accepting work from local authors, people from the western Pennsylvania area. If anyone writes or has [written] work, I would love to connect with them. We’re just trying to connect with as many [local] authors who want their work displayed.”

Cummings ultimately hopes Sparrow Books becomes a space where the community feels welcome.

“We really want to make it a community space. We’re working on converting the back room into a reading room and workshop area. We really want to be another place in town where people can come and hang out and connect with other community members,” shared Cummings.

“I really want this to be a welcoming, inclusive space for people — to go into a bookstore and be met with different titles, things you might not know existed, different ideas. I want it to be a space where they can feel comfortable and excited to find new things.”

Sparrow Books, located at 623 Main Street, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Additional information can be found on Sparrow Books’ Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SparrowBooksClarion or Instagram (@sparrowbooksclarion).