By Zoe Perzo
Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been in operation since 1927.
For nearly 100 years, the store has resided in Harvard Square, and though the store’s ownership has changed a few times, its mission remains the same: to connect people through poetry.
I sat down with Ndidi Menkiti, co-owner of Grolier, to learn more about this historic store and the community it’s built — both locally and globally.
“The store was started almost 100 years ago by Gordon Cairnie,” Menkiti explained. “And back in the day it was the stomping grounds for these Harvard guys. A lot of reputable poets from back in the day would spend time here, but I’ve heard it described as a bit of a boys club.”
When Louisa Solano acquired the store in 1974, she adjusted the collection to allow more room for women poets. And during her time at the store, Menkiti’s father, Ifeanyi Menkiti, became a regular customer.
“In the ‘70s, he was getting his PhD at Harvard and got to know Louisa. He was also a poet,” explained Menkiti. “He spent a lot of time at Grolier, and they’d become friends. He had come to value the store as this cultural institution and meeting place for poets and literary people in Cambridge — and really across the country.”
In 2006, when Solano was ready to leave bookselling, Ifeanyi Menkiti purchased the store to avoid letting it go out of business. A tenured philosophy professor at Wellesley College at the time, Ifeanyi's wife Carol ran the day-to-day activities of the store while Ifeanyi hosted poetry readings and moderated panels at the shop. Under his ownership, Grolier also started to house more underrepresented poets.
“I love the arc of the history of the store,” Menkiti said. “Starting with these two men and all these guys hanging out there, to Louisa, who wanted to encourage female poets. And then my dad, this immigrant from Nigeria, who wanted to promote international and underrepresented voices. But they all had this love of poetry and what it could do in the world.”
Ifeanyi Menkiti passed suddenly in 2019, and ownership of the store stayed with the family. These days, Ndidi Menkiti has a manager to handle the day to day operations, but she continues to handle large decisions and pops into the store to help out whenever she can.
While running a store with such a long history — and one that was so important to her father — definitely comes with the weight of its legacy, Menkiti says she was more than willing to take on that responsibility.
“This is a way of honoring my dad,” she explained, “but I was also an English major and a musician. I believe in the arts and the power that they have to connect people.”
Like every bookstore that has stuck around for a while, Grolier has been through some rough patches. Menkiti explained that much of the time, her father was using his personal funds to keep the store going.
These past several years, Menkiti has been working to minimize losses and make Grolier more financially stable. She credits the store’s manager, James Fraser, with really helping to stabilize the shop.
“James works really hard. He has great ideas and has infused new life into the store. Grolier also has a couple part-time booksellers and young volunteer interns who bring great energy to the community.” she said. “And of course, it’s also thanks to the people who love the store, those loyal customers who want to see the store survive and thrive.”
Grolier continues to offer weekly poetry readings, which Menkiti says are just as much a part of the store’s identity as its inventory.
“The readings are part of what people love about Grolier,” she explained. “We’ll move the center table and put out chairs. We can fit maybe 40 people inside. It’s a very intimate experience of being in there, hearing the poetry, and being literally surrounded by bookshelves in this small room.”
Readings are planned months in advance, and guests range from emerging writers to famous poets, from locals to international guests. And, for those not in the Cambridge area, readings are also livestreamed.
Aside from the weekly readings, Grolier occasionally has larger offsite events. And every August, the store hosts a memorial reading in honor of Ifeanyi Menkiti. (This year’s memorial reading featured Charles Coe and Regie Gibson.)
“The memorial reading is a really special event that brings all the Grolier regulars together," said Menkiti. “My dad was a staple in the community. His friends and people who know the store for other reasons all come together and it’s always one of the highlights of the year.”
While Grolier clearly has a devoted community locally, the store is also an international landmark in the poetry community. Travelers from across the world who believe in the power of poetry often go out of their way to stop by this historic store.
If you’re in the Cambridge area, don’t forget to stop by Grolier and see why this store is so beloved by their owners, their customers, and their community. You can also support Grolier from afar by visiting their website, ordering from their Bookshop.org, attending their events via Zoom, or following them on Facebook and Instagram.