I visited the only bookstore in Elk Grove, and it’s a vibe. What I sipped and read for $25
About the Writer
Brianna Taylor covers affordability on The Bee’s service journalism team.
Elk Grove has one bookstore and it’s not Barnes and Noble.
A Seat At The Table Books — located off of Highway 99 inside the Laguna Pointe shopping center — makes its mission of inclusivity clear with its queer rights and shop local messaging. It isn’t just a place to snag the Internet’s latest book obsession.
The family-owned bookstore and coffee shop hosts events and panel discussions, poetry and open mic nights, book drives, children’s music classes, story times, book clubs and boozy fairs. Sponsors who pay between $50 a month and $1,000 a year to help keep the business afloat receive additional perks like free books and coffee, and reserved seating to select events.
Inside, there’s a cafe, a conference room, a play area for children, a quiet room for people with sensory and nursing needs, and gender neutral restrooms.
A Seat At The Table exudes a strong sense of welcome.
This month marks one year since I started “Sacramento on a Budget” — where I try an activity per a reader’s suggestion all while on a $25 budget — and I’ve had an absolute blast discovering this city through the eyes of the people who know it best.
There’s fun to be had here, you just have to be willing to explore.
When Sacramento Bee reader Jenna Ritchie asked me to visit A Seat At The Table in Elk Grove, it reminded me why I started this series.
“I am a local but now as a gal in her mid twenties struggling to make ends meet, i’m looking for affordable ways to keep my social calendar thriving as I meet new girlfriends! (Whether it’s) brunch, coffee, self care, museums, parks/activities. I just want a well rounded abundant social life!,” the Sacramento native wrote me.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
My time at A Seat At The Table Books in Elk Grove
Location: 9257 Laguna Springs Drive Suite 130, Elk Grove
The bookstore was relatively busy on an early Sunday morning in late November.
I zigzagged my way around a crowded cafe to the books positioned in the back of the store organized by genre: fantasy/science fiction, adult fiction and nonfiction, young adult, middle grade, food and drink, new releases and bargains with prices as low as $1.
The QR codes taped on shelves will take customers to an online selection of 17 million titles, staff picks and an audiobook membership with a “better deal” than Audible.
If a book doesn’t catch your eye, a knickknack probably will.
Quirky $14.99 oven mitts, $9 lip balm, $15 to $25 candles, $2.50 buttons and $3.99 keychains are tucked in various corners around the store. There are also eccentric socks, shopping bags, totes and branded apparel.
The cafe takes up a considerable amount of space with its large selection of drinks and food, including macchiato, matcha and avocado toast.
How I spent my $25 budget at A Seat At The Table Books
I walked away with an $8.39 book titled “A Short, Hopeful Guide to Climate Change” By Irish writer and illustrator Oisín McGann,” a $2 sticker that reads “support your local bookstore” and a $9 “mango surprise” smoothie made with mango, carrots and orange juice.
My new book was 40% off of $13.99, saving me $5.60 at checkout.
My total came to $25.31, which included a $4.22 tip that will be split among the staff.
Is A Seat At The Table Books Affordable?
I was pleasantly surprised to see just how many deals A Seat At The Table Books offers the community.
Those who sign up for emailed updates from the bookstore get $5 off their next online purchase. Customers get a free coffee or tea Monday through Friday with a breakfast item.
Inside the store, there’s a bargain section with shelves stacked with reduced-priced literature ranging from 40% to 60% off. Other books range from $1 to $5 each.
There’s something for everyone here: children’s stories, cookbooks, memoirs as well as fiction, nonfiction and life guidance books.
FOOD AND DRINKS
Everything on the menu is under $10.
Coffee, espresso, hot chocolate, tea and fruit drinks range from $3.25 for two shots of espresso to $9 for a 16-ounce smoothie.
Food and dessert — sandwiches, avocado toast, yogurt and ice cream — range from a $3.50 for a cup of lemonade or ice cream to a $9.50 plate of avocado toast with tomatoes and cucumbers.
Thank you for the suggestion, Jenna. My new favorite sticker lives on my water bottle.
Regular hours: A Seat At The Table Books is from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday through Sunday.
