Story originally published in The Sylva Herald, Feb. 19 edition
City Lights, Sylva’s independently owned used and new bookstore will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Sunday, Feb. 23, from 3 to 5 p.m.
It will be a proper birthday party with friends having fun with live music, refreshments and cake.
Because of corporate bookstores, such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble, small bookstores are often forced out of business. The ability of City Lights to not only survive for 40 years, but to thrive and be a large part of the community is amazing for Sylva, said employee Matt Sawyer.
While the exact date of the opening is unknown, February of 1985 is the closest that they can reach. That is why owner Chris Wilcox says they are celebrating their 40th anniversary all month long, with the main celebration on Sunday.
The welcoming environment at City Lights, including the very friendly Cedrick, the 13-year-old cat who greets customers all over the store, helps others explore Sylva and the surrounding areas, with the staff knowing local hiking trails, local landmarks and being able to recommend books from local authors and from local stories.
Wilcox started working at City Lights in 1997 after quitting his job as a paramedic. He bought the store in January 2010 from Joyce Moore who is credited to move the store to the present location to the corner of East Jackson Street.
Wilcox fondly remembers the store 30 years ago, especially the Appalachian Regional Room, which hosts local authors, artists, and all events that City Light hosts.
“It’s a fantastic display space for all the great books about the area, and maps and some videos and magazines, even of regional interest and journals,” Wilcox said. “This room is one of the most visited and loved room by visitors and regulars.”
Having local bookstores such as City Lights helps bring communities together and benefits the community more than Barnes & Noble or using Amazon, Sawyer said.
“When you share stories, you break down barriers, you know, you part the curtain towards other people, and you get to learn about new cultures and new things and curiosity is exciting,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer and Wilcox hold that the bookstore brings money back into the community, unlike large corporations whose profits and sales go towards headquarters.
Sawyer, the event and publicity coordinator at City Lights, showed off the event schedule for February, adding that this is how he got to know of City Lights back in 2021 when he moved in the region.
“We host events all the time to bring people together and we give a spotlight to authors from here, and we build connections and friendships and that’s what it’s really all about,” he said.
City Lights also provides a place for tourists and newcomers to Jackson County to learn about the area and discover new sights and the history of the town.
“I feel like City Lights is a representation of the best of our region and our county, and you can learn so much about this place because of the resources we have,” Sawyer said.
Many local authors also release their books at City Lights to “give them a chance to show their work to the community” according to Wilcox.
City Lights also hosts readings, such as Ron Amberg’s Little Worlds on March 5. This helps showcase little known talent from the region as well as helps foster community in Sylva and Jackson County, Wilcox said.
The story of the City Light’s cafe is not the same. Bernadette Peters who owned the cafe from 2011 to 2023 proposed to name the café, “City Lights Café.”
“Chris agreed right away, and that was the birth of a great partnership,” Peters said.
Peters shared that this experience working together “is like getting matched with a college roommate who ends up being your best friend.”
In an email she shared that community loves and supports local bookstores, not just City Lights but also Friends of the Library Used Bookstore, and Harry Alter’s Vintage Books.
“I love that you can get literally any book right from the store, or order from them just like you would from Amazon,” Peters said. “The staff are so knowledgeable and the author events they host really allow patrons to get the full experience intended by the writer.”
She shared some of her interesting finds and books.
“The Appalachian Room is full of unique local finds and even some cool bit of local history, like the ‘Steep Slope Ordinance’ story that includes all the shenanigans by the contractors who tried to stop it,” she said. “They also have a very robust used book selection. I can’t even remember how many copies of ‘The Four Agreements’ I bought for friends there.”
