Today, buying a book may take just a click, but Frank Reiss’s A Cappella Books stands as testament to the printed page and the community that bookstores can foster. Opened in 1989 as an antiquarian dealer in Little Five Points, the shop has expanded. Reiss now sells contemporary books along with rare and out-of-print titles from an Inman Park storefront and hosts major literary events. To commemorate its longevity, A Cappella is releasing a collection of 25 essays on why bookstores matter, by authors such as Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Hank Klibanoff and memoirist Jessica Handler. Reiss is optimistic that his store can endure. “There’s a strong community of people who value things unique to their place,” he says. “The scale of life feels more human when you’re dealing with local people.”
On the calendar: The store celebrates 25 years and launches its book at the Jimmy Carter Library on December 5.
This article originally appeared in our December 2014 issue.
