by Jenn Ngeth
Seattle’s first independent Asian American bookstore has arrived in the Chinatown-International District (CID). At mam’s books, the focus is to provide written works by Asian American authors and writers to the Seattle community — uplifting voices that are historically underrepresented.
“My hope is that this Asian American bookstore will be a liberating space for us to pass down our stories to the next generation,” said Sokha Danh, the owner of mam’s books.
Seattle has numerous independently owned bookstores, like Elliott Bay Book Company and Twice Sold Tales on Capitol Hill; Open Books: A Poem Emporium in Pioneer Square; Third Place Books in Seward Park — the list goes on. But the Chinatown-International District hasn’t seen one in decades. Danh, a Cambodian American who until recently worked for a nonprofit in the CID, recognized this need and decided to take matters into his own hands.
As I stepped into this special shop, I was greeted with a sense of familiarity — stumbling upon Danh’s family photos, which are carefully placed throughout the store, and an aluminum tiffin (a multitiered food container that’s synonymous with Khmer/Thai/Laos Buddhist temple visits) placed up high on a bookshelf. These touches are intimate glimpses into Danh’s inspiration for the bookstore: his parents. mam’s books is named after Danh’s father, and he explains how his parents played a huge role in his (and his six siblings’) love for reading by taking them on weekly bookstore adventures — roaming freely between the aisles toward their next discovery.
The shop itself is cozy, with a couch in front of a retro TV playing old home videos in the back, and red shelves of Asian snacks, like shrimp chips and Yan Yans and soft drinks, are sold to encourage book explorers to relax and enjoy their findings in this space. I couldn’t help but to browse through the…
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