Best Bookstore: Literati

In the era of Kindles, online libraries, and fanfiction platforms like Archive of Our Own, Ann Arbor community members can find reprieve from digitized literature among the thousands of titles inside Literati Bookstore. With its continuously evolving selection of books, it’s clear Literati reflects the dynamic nature of the city it calls home. 

Voted as the best bookstore for the ninth year in a row, Literati is an independent bookstore founded by Hilary and Michael Gustafson in 2013. With books of all genres and for all tastes, you can disappear into the pages of well-read classics on the first floor, unearth a hidden gem in the basement’s nonfiction section, or rediscover childhood favorites on the second floor. 

Hilary Gustafson spoke with The Michigan Daily in an interview and discussed the many ways she caters Literati to the community. . 

“We wanted it to be very curated to Ann Arbor and to the people,” Hilary Gustafson said.

Literati is always bustling with community members animatedly discussing bestsellers or reading on the benches and chairs inside. Hilary Gustafson said Literati aims to always stay connected with the Ann Arbor community through events at the store, the Ann Arbor District Library and other locations. According to Hilary Gustafson, Literati offers three subscription services for customers to engage with curated literary selections such as Literati Insisto, which focuses on independent presses. 

“(We) have a small press subscription program for people who want a cheaper entry point to having a book subscription,” Hilary Gustafson said. “They’re all paperbacks, and they’re all small independent presses. We also like to lift up independent presses just like we’re an independent bookstore.”

When I first visited Literati as a high school senior in 2021, I knew I would always find a home inside its cozy, bookshelf-lined walls. Three years later, I am ecstatic to see that many community members feel the same way. 

“I feel really honored,” Hilary Gustafson said. “We aren’t really close to the (University of Michigan) campus, and sometimes, I feel like students don’t always venture down towards Main Street. It’s nice to hear that we have some sort of presence on the campus and that we’re heard of and people are coming by.”

Daily Staff Reporter Eilene Koo can be reached at ekoo@umich.edu.

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