Although many brick-and-mortar stores have been squeezed out by online buying, Sabrina Nishjima was convinced that her Sacramento, California, neighborhood could use a new bookstore. She envisioned a modern, inviting retail space, not one of the dark, musty warrens of yesteryear. She discovered that, despite a tight budget, a little bit of well-chosen décor can go a long way. She anchored her simple design on a wall mural, a conversation-piece countertop and a rich-looking but affordable ceiling of thermoformed coffer panels that crowns simplicity with a touch of grandeur.
Her inspiration was the empty store front vacated by the McKinley Park Hair Company. “I kept walking past it and thinking, ‘this would be great for a bookstore,’” Nishjima recalled. “And my husband kept saying, ‘You’re crazy. This is the worst space I’ve ever seen in my life.’ I definitely had a vision, but not a lot of people could see it.”