About Us
Who We are
Hi, I'm Cierra Cook, and my family and I are opening this bookstore!
I've spent the last 16 years in retail management, and have spent years volunteering in various roles in my community. I've been operating Spoke & Word Books as a pop-up for the last year, and my favorite part of selling books is hearing from people about what books they're looking for and why. I grew up reading voraciously- I got in trouble in 2nd grade for sneaking a Baby-Sitters Club under the desk during math class. (In case you're curious, I'm totally a Kristy).
Spoke & Word Books is a family effort- my husband Casey is the literal and metaphorical "muscle" behind the scenes, helping with everything from construction, ordering, and physical inventory management.
John (5) and CJ (2) are too young to help yet, but they do their best to crack into new book deliveries before they can make it to the shelf.
Our Mission and Vision
Spoke & Word Books exists to nurture and grow our community through shared stories.
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We believe books are a vital resource for knowledge and connection, and have the power to bring us together.
Our goal is to help everyone find themselves at the center of a joyful story.
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Spoke & Word Books is a place for the community to come together and share ideas. We share books that help us understand who we are, and to help us shape the future of who we will become.
Our Values
Community. We actively seek out ways to support our local community.
Growth and Innovation. We are committed to continually develop ourselves by seeking out new ideas and stories that challenge us and help us grow.
Balance. We care for each other and support a healthy balance between family, work, and play.
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Transformation and Resiliency. We value freedom of expression, and are committed to influencing positive change through good faith discourse.
Solidarity. We prioritize supporting other small businesses through mutually beneficial partnerships and doing trade with local small business whenever possible.
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Diversity. We celebrate diversity in our community and strive to offer books that reflect the diversity of our local community and our world.
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We believe Black and trans lives matter
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We are a safe place for the queer community
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Our books reflect our understanding that all bodies are good bodies, including fat and disabled bodies
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We understand that joy and self-love are revolutionary for our queer, Black, trans, disabled, fat, and Indigenous communities. We make space for stories that reflect our pleasure, our joy, and our remarkable lives.