Crazy Wisdom Bookstore: Ann Arbor’s ‘bookstore of consciousness’

In an exploration of Ann Arbor’s robust and diverse literary scene, The Michigan Daily’s Business beat spoke with seven downtown bookstores. Each article in ‘The literary culture of downtown Ann Arbor’ project aims to capture each store’s unique offerings and contribution to the community. Read the other articles here.

Located on South Main Street in the center of downtown Ann Arbor, Crazy Wisdom Bookstore serves the Ann Arbor community as a center for books about consciousness, ranging from holistic health and bodymind therapies to psychology and spiritual practices. Owners Bill Zirinsky and Ruth Schekter bought Crazy Wisdom from its founder Aura Glaser in 1989, who actively practiced Tibetan Buddhism and was deeply interested in women’s spirituality. 

Zirinsky wrote in an email to The Michigan Daily the store used to be a small shop on North Fourth Avenue until he and Schekter relocated to a building on Main Street in 1999. Under the new ownership, the Zirinsky and Schekter renovated the much larger space and won an award for their historical preservation efforts. He wrote the bookstore is well-known in the downtown area and houses a wide variety of books about spiritual traditions around the world, trinkets and more. 

“Crazy Wisdom’s tagline has always been a ‘bookstore of consciousness’,” Zirinsky wrote. “We specialize in books about all the spiritual traditions of the world, psychological growth, holistic/integrative medicine, sustainability, and conscious living. In addition to books, we also have lovely jewelry, statuary, cards, tarot decks, incense, and candles.” 

Zirinsky described the bookstore’s atmosphere as one of happiness and excitement, commenting on the positive feedback they receive from customers. 

“Our customers really love Crazy Wisdom,” Zirinsky wrote. “We get told that each and every day. From all over. When we announced we were going to close for a time, after the pandemic, the local Ann Arbor News put us on their front page, with the headline: ‘Iconic Bookstore Downtown to Close.’ That was lovely to be called iconic, to have grown from a tiny little ‘new age store in 1982’ to a unique and iconic institution in this city. That was a success story!” 

In an interview with The Daily, Chandra Mitchel, Crazy Wisdom’s general manager and merchandise buyer, said the bookstore is a part of the niche shopping selection that downtown Ann Arbor used to be known for.

“I feel like we are a throwback to how or what Ann Arbor was known for, which was more unusual, quirky, different shops, and a lot of that has gone away or just people have moved on,” Mitchel said. “So, we get a lot of that (from customers) that, ‘We’re so happy that you guys reopened because it just reminds us of how Ann Arbor used to be’.”

Mitchel said Crazy Wisdom has created a space for the Ann Arbor community to showcase local offerings.

“We’ve always been supportive of the community and helped in different ways to support community events and be involved in the community in whatever ways that might be,” Mitchel said. “We have a community bulletin board, so we allow people to come in and post their events in town. Right now, in our front window, we have the children’s artwork from Ann Arbor, so we do participate in community events as much as we can.”

Zirinsky wrote Crazy Wisdom’s recurring customers come from all across Ann Arbor and are often affiliated with the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Concordia College and Washtenaw Community College. In addition to college students, Zirinsky said Crazy Wisdom appeals to all age ranges, offering live music and more.

“For many years, we had a ‘fairy tea’ up in our Tea Room, and our customers were 3 and 4 year old girls for those teas,” Zirinsky wrote. “We closed the Tea Room during the pandemic, but we still have a really lovely space upstairs for events, meetings, classes. Plus, we have live music every Friday evening upstairs, plus drum circles, our ‘death café,’ and author events and talks.” 

LSA junior Avalon Ring, employee at Crazy Wisdom, said her time working at the store as an undergraduate student has been a rewarding experience.

“I liked the idea of Crazy Wisdom because my parents have always been into the metaphysical aspect of a bookstore,” Ring said. “They’ve always been into that sort of stuff, so it felt very familiar, and in a way, I was kind of at home in that sense.” 

Ring said the local community members she encounters at the bookstore are her favorite part about working there. 

“I really do like the sense of community at the store and I really do like my co-workers and my manager. They’re all very nice and accommodating, and it’s just been a very good experience working there,” Ring said. 

According to Zirinsky, Crazy Wisdom supports a welcoming community for not only their staff, but for their customers and the impact the store has on them. 

“We have gotten oodles and oodles of wonderful feedback through the years,” Zirinsky wrote. “Here’s one quote from a customer: ‘Your bookstore led me to some of the most deeply profound changes in my life and the best experiences of growth, as a result of the books I have bought in your store.’”

Daily Staff Reporter Alexis Spector can be reached at alexissp@umich.edu.

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