For a tiny bookstore, Eric Whittington puts in long hours and grows tentacles to keep Bird and Beckett running in the heart of Glen Park. Breakfast cookouts, jazz nights, poetry readings, book clubs, and fundraising events are some of what he does beside selling books. When I first met Eric he was still at his old place on Diamond. After narrowly escaping a fire that broke out in the building next to his, he moved the store to the old public library location on Chenery Street.
With more room Eric builds a stage in the back of the store, elevating musicians and poets to their proper height. He has created and maintained a vibrant community, something that cannot be competed by internet businesses. People gather, touch, speak, listen, feel—all the essential human experiences are for the taking within this space. Eric’s tentacles bring the herd together. We buy books from bookstores.
