Store opens weekend ‘J’way Café,’ expands events programming
JP CENTER—Jamaicaway Books & Gifts at 676 Centre St. is trying out some new directions in 2010, including opening a new weekend soul food eatery, the J’way Café, in its basement.
“You can’t just sell books. We need to do other things to sustain ourselves,” said Talia Whyte, who manages the multi-cultural book store.
So far, that means more educational events and author readings and a new basement café serving soul food on the weekends.
“We have been doing well so far,” Whyte said of the café, which opened the first weekend in February.
According to the bookstore web site (Jamaicawaybooks.com) the café serves a variety of offerings—including chili, jerk chicken, clam chowder and jambalaya—on Friday evenings and during the day on Saturdays and Sundays.
Whyte said the food—cooked off-site by store-owner Roslyn Elder—is often served in conjunction with weekend author talks and other events.
“We have had a diverse selection of poets, self-help writers, and fiction and non-fiction authors,’ Whyte said.
The bookstore is also planning other educational events, including a series of social media workshops that Whyte said she plans to run.