Comma, a bookshop, is the new literary playground in Linden Hills. Featuring Minnesota authors, nationwide bestsellers, and sho owner Victoria Ford’s all-time favorite picks. The Minneapolis bookstore opened its doors in November, with its shelves stocked with must-reads for book people.
Ford, who has been an avid reader all her life, never thought her passion would eventually lead her to a career in reading. Up until 2020, she worked in a nonprofit sector tied to leadership, diversity, and equity inclusion that fostered community connections in the Twin Cities. That is, until she was laid off during the pandemic.
Comma opened a door for Ford that ties her passion and her experience together into a perfect bow. To her, the new bookshop is more than a place to come and find your new favorite graphic novel or cookbook. She sees the store as an extension of the work she was doing in the nonprofit world. It’s an opportunity to bring the community together through reading, authors, and ideas.
“The goal of opening Comma is not just to sell books,” Ford explained as she glanced around the store. “Everything we do—the books we choose, the style of the store, the music we play, my own kind of demeanor—it’s all oriented towards being a welcoming space where folks can come in, talk books, and connect with their neighbors.”
To Ford, small bookshops are so few and far between that she wants to keep her selection entirely independent and competition-less from her neighbors. Ford doesn’t sell children’s books and leaves that to her neighbor, Wild Rumpus, as one of the most popular children’s booksellers in the metro. Comma is one of a few general independent bookstore located in Southwest Minneapolis, along with Magers and Quinn and Paperback Exchange, which offer a mix of new and used books.
Comma’s location also has a special resonance with Ford. Growing up, she spent 20 years just across Lake Harriet in Kingfield. In fact, her first job was at Great Harvest, a bakery just up the road from where Comma stands. Through exploring and living in the area, Ford learned that the neighborhood homes multiple local authors who are just a walking distance from Comma’s front door, something she found appealing and important when she was considering the space.
“Local authors means lots of local love for reading,” she said. “That’s something I knew I wanted to have.”
This year, Comma will be hosting public author signings, readings, and meet-and-greets with several of the neighborhood’s nearby writers and even a few from over the river in St. Paul. She also hopes to begin a weekly book club where visitors are invited to come into the store, choose a book, and chat about it.
Everything about Comma—from its small interior to its “Minnesota Interest” section devoted exclusively to local authors, creators, and makers— offers a warm embrace as soon as you step in the door. Every book sitting on the shelf is hand-picked by Ford, a sitting area in the back of the shop welcomes visitors to stay and relax, while local art, literature, and gifts sneak their way into every nook and cranny of the shop.
“I love to help people find their way into reading and find the book that’s going to be the thing that keeps them up at night,” Ford said. “ There’s a special sort of magic that comes with it and I want to share it with our community.”