Leonard Street fixture Belmont Books aims to create a “third space” where community members can gather and socialize.
To that end, the store will begin hosting a Sunday afternoon music program, starting June 1 with Belmont High School’s jazz combo, n-Tet.
“People come to buy books, but they also know we have author readings,” owner Chris Abouzeid said. “They know we have tables where they can sit and read and meet and whatnot. It’s already kind of a safe space, a place where they know they’re welcome to get together, and adding music to it just seemed like another way to offer that.”
Abouzeid said he has no plans to turn Belmont Books into a nightclub, but with many musicians living in Belmont, he thought it would be a fun way to bring people together. The schedule will include vocalists, folk and classical performers. Most of them perform without needing amplification, he said.
“You’ve seen Belmont Porchfest; you know there are dozens of musicians in town and hopefully some of them will be interested in performing here,” he said.
Bookstore employee Ara Mansouri, who holds a graduate degree in music, will be programming the schedule. She formerly programmed events for a small music store in Boston, and said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, people are grateful for the opportunity to have a place to go to listen to live music after hours.
“It’s really exciting, especially after the pandemic, when people are hungry to have a night out,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to helping with that a little bit.”
Noting the high number of empty storefronts downtown, Abouzeid said his ultimate goal is to attract more people to Belmont Center to support local businesses.
“Anything that gets people into Belmont Center, people who may not come here regularly, can discover that there are great restaurants here, a great gift shop, a great toy shop, a great wine store,” Abouzeid said. “We want to make the center feel alive and not something that’s slowly dwindling.”
On June 1, n-Tet will play jazz standards from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The show is free, and the public is welcome to bring their own snacks and family-friendly refreshments as the café will be closed. The next event is slated for June 22. Abouzeid said he will evaluate the interest level and then decide the program’s future.
Visit the Belmont Books website, belmontbooks.com, for an up-to-date performance schedule.