Love is in the air in Ferndale thanks to Erin and Max Cambron and their new book shop- Love & Other Books.
The front of this darling bookshop on 9 Mile Road is home to carefully-curated romance novels meant to lighten their readers’ days while the back of the bookshop is dedicated to children’s literature.
Because Max loves reading funny books to his children before bed, shoppers are guaranteed to find a collection of books that will elicit plenty of snuggly giggles from their little ones.
Max said that alongside those humorous picture books, one can also find old classics like Jamberry.
“Jamberry is just a fun book where the more you read it, especially when you read it as an adult, the more you notice all these silly, funny things, and then as the kids get older, they also start to notice those things. So it’s a fun way to connect- over a book.”
Connection is the name of the game at Love & Other Books where shoppers are invited to become part of a community of readers. Head over to the website to sign up for one of the monthly book clubs- Cozy Fantasy Book Club, Sweet and Swoony Book Club, or September Highlighter Book Club. The meetings are ticketed events, where the cost can go towards purchasing the book.
Q&A with Erin and Max Cambron of Love & Other Books
Tell me about your family.
Erin: So it is me and my husband, and we’ve been married for nine years now. And we have a daughter who is four and a half, about to go into Kindergarten, and a son who is two and a half.
Max: We also have a dog named Blue, and we have a cat named Nova.
Tell me about your bookshop.
Erin: I wanted to open a place mainly for parents and children. I was looking for a comfortable place to go to read books in a cozy environment. So Max and I came up with this idea. Ferndale did not have a community bookstore at the time, so we decided that this was the perfect place to open a community bookstore.
I read romance, so I knew that romance would be the main specialty. Romance is definitely having a moment in publishing, so it was easy for us to make that a specialty.
And then there are children’s books, too, because I love reading to my kids, and my kids love books. Children’s literature is just so much fun.
What book recommendations do you often find yourself giving to customers?
Erin: Okay, so, obviously, my first recommendation is romance, and I especially love romcoms. They’re light. They’re fluffy. They give you a good hit of dopamine. It’s nice to escape just reality a little bit with something light and fluffy. So, I usually recommend Abby Jimenez. She is my favorite author.
Max: For kids’ books, I like really funny stories. I’d say the one that I recommend the most is probably Wide Mouth Frog. It’s just a fun book that my kids love. It’s a pop-up book.
Are there any community events or partnerships you’re excited about?
Erin: I’m doing a local authors’ signing on National Bookstore Romance Day, so I have three local romance authors coming in for an author signing. We will have Hannah Jenkins, DK Marie and Maggie Elliott. They’re all independently published. I want to give a platform for independently published authors, especially if they’re Detroit locals. So yeah, we’re excited!
How do you envision your bookstore evolving over the next few years?
Max: I think time will tell. It’s just one of these things. It’s gonna be different six months from now. It’s probably gonna be different three months from now. I learned when we were talking to other bookstore owners in our research phase that the customers will tell you how to evolve. We want to listen to what the customers want, and they certainly want romances right now.
How does being in Ferndale influence your bookstore’s identity?
Max: We’ve been in Ferndale for 11 years. We moved here in our mid-20s and then started growing our family. Ferndale, as a whole, is kind of in the same place as we are right now, meaning that there are a lot of new families with young kids. That was one of the reasons why we saw a need for a place like this.
So it’s very community-based here. There are a lot of very small shops that do well.
Erin: We also have many Ferndale residents who are LGBTQ, and we believe in all love. So, in the name of our store, I wanted to honor that because Ferndale Pride is important to us, which is why we did Love and Other Books.
Fast Talk with Max and Erin
Your favorite word:
Erin: Community.
Max: I’d say wonky.
Your favorite place to read:
Max: Our porch.
Erin: My bed.
Your favorite bookstore besides your own:
Erin: Sidetrack Bookshop in Royal Oak.
Max: Barnes & Noble, because I like walking around and seeing all the different books. I know it’s the opposite of what you want me to say, but it’s awesome. There are so many different things.
Erin: Oh my god! You can’t say that!
Your secret obsession:
Erin: Queso.
Max: Cars.
Your personal tagline:
Erin: What if you turned your magic all the way up?
Max: Just go with it or let’s go.
One word that your kids would use to describe you as a parent.
Max: Funny, and, Erin, sweet.
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