Celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Novel Neighbor, owner Holland Saltsman's story illustrates the transformative power of literature and community engagement. The Novel Neighbor is more than a bookstore; the shop is filled with new books of all genres, locally made art, and carefully curated gifts for avid readers of all ages. They facilitate in-store book clubs, host book-themed birthday parties, summer camps, and cocktail classes, and offer space for event rental. Its non-profit, The Noble Neighbor, seeks to amplify historically marginalized voices and engage with equity and inclusion work in the St. Louis area and beyond.
Celebrating a Decade of Novel Neighbor: #MoreThanABookstore
"It astounds me how incredibly supportive everyone has been," remarked founder Holland Saltsman as she discussed the store's 10th anniversary. "From the staff, which is unmatched anywhere, to our community of readers, to everyone who believes in supporting local businesses, I am amazed and humbled and excited for the next 10 years." Holland recalled, "When I started the store in 2014, I had no 1, 3, or 5-year plan. My business plan was a three-paragraph letter to the landlord stating a simple mission: to fill a gap in the community by creating a space that offers a diverse selection of new books for both adults and children, a retail space for local artists, and a welcoming place for community events."
"The next 10 years are as unexpected and unplanned as the last 10," Holland said, emphasizing that the store will continue to evolve in ways that reflect the community's needs.
The Novel Neighbor's hashtag, #MoreThanABookstore, perfectly encapsulates its mission. Whether attending a book-themed event, browsing unique local gifts, or simply soaking in the inviting atmosphere, visitors to Novel Neighbor leave with more than just books—they leave with an experience unlike anywhere else.
A Third Space for the Community
The Novel Neighbor is more than a beloved bookstore on the corner of Big Bend and Dale Avenue in Webster Groves' Old Orchard neighborhood. It's one of St. Louis' celebrated community icons. Holland explained, "People talk a lot about 'third spaces,' a concept that describes a place where people gather outside work and home to foster community connections. For many, The Novel Neighbor is exactly that." Over the years, the bookstore has hosted countless events, from book clubs and author signings to children's birthday parties and baby showers to off-site events that draw crowds in the hundreds.
Expanding into New Territory
One of the store's most exciting developments is the opening of Open Door Romance, a dedicated space that quadruples the store's inventory of romance novels—a genre that's rapidly growing in popularity. This expansion also allowed the store to increase its selection of sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and thriller titles, ensuring that everyone has more books to explore and more space to read.
Mystery Boxes and Subscriptions: The Perfect Gift for Any Person.
During the pandemic, the store launched mystery boxes, a creative idea born from a customer's request for a personalized selection of books based on her grandson's interests. "All I can tell you is he likes dragons, rainbows, and soccer," the grandmother said. "We've got you," responded Holland. From there, the mystery box idea took off. In fact, the boxes were so popular that they were featured in the Wall Street Journal.
In addition to mystery boxes, The Novel Neighbor offers curated subscription programs, which are also perfect for gifting. Customers can choose from an adult, romance, or picture book subscription, each carefully selected to ensure the newest books that readers are unlikely to have encountered yet.
Noble Neighbor: A Cause for Equity in Education
In addition to its bookstore operations, The Novel Neighbor is making a difference through its non-profit arm, The Noble Neighbor. The initiative was born out of a desire to bring authors to under-resourced schools and provide free books to students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to own a book. "The idea for our non-profit started when we were hosting Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. She was in town promoting her beautiful children's picture book. I approached her about visiting a local school," said Holland. Justice Sotomayor said that she would be interested in visiting schools that don't have the resources to bring in authors. "Publishers will send authors into schools as a way to amplify sales with the expectation that order forms will go home to the parents and books will be purchased for the school library," explained Holland. Justice Sotomayor wanted to go into under-resourced schools and wanted to ensure that each student received a free book. Holland asked a customer if they would underwrite that school visit for $2,500. Without hesitation, the customer said, "Absolutely." "There are phenomenal organizations that provide free books to under-resourced schools, but adding the author to the visit exponentially changes the child's experience with reading," said Holland. "Studies show that students who have had an author visit their school are more joyful, confident and proficient readers." To date, The Noble Neighbor has partnered with local businesses to sponsor 94 author visits and donated over 17,289 books to the kids who need them most. The impact has been profound, with students often holding onto their new books as prized possessions and, in some cases, sparking a newfound love of reading and writing. When students meet the author, they connect with the book more personally. "We talk about how books provide either a mirror or a window for a reader," said Holland. "Readers either see themselves in the story or they see an opportunity for themselves." One teacher whose class received a Noble Neighbor author visit said, "Meeting authors who look and sound like my students has helped them realize that they can be authors. Students I taught years ago are still sharing their writing with me. The Noble Neighbor did this."
This holiday season, if you are looking for a way for your family or business to give back to your community, The Noble Neighbor proves to be a practical, necessary, and common-sense way to truly change a child's life.
Learn more at thenobleneighbor.org
The Novel Neighbor is proud to be a place where people from all backgrounds come together to celebrate their love of books and community.
#MoreThanABookstore perfectly encapsulates its mission. Whether attending a book-themed event, browsing unique local gifts, or simply soaking in the inviting atmosphere, visitors leave with an experience unlike anywhere else.
To date, The Noble Neighbor has partnered with local businesses to sponsor 94 author visits and donated over 17,289 books to the kids who need them most.