Libros Colette Wants You To Hang Out With Books

There’s something special about Libros Colette. The space that used to be Nico’s Ice Cream is now transformed into a series of cozy alcoves, each holding stacks of books you’ve probably never seen before, but will undoubtedly want to pick up. 

Paloma Medina and her partner, Derek Zuk, opened the bookstore-slash-coffee shop in early August, with the hope that customers will come in, grab a cup of Upper Left coffee and a plant-based pastry from Tabor Bread, and spend time just browsing. They’ve spent years sourcing an expansive collection of visual reference books, scouring estate sales and digging through bargain book bins to find hidden gems. The shop’s softly sunlit shelves are lined with cookbooks about edible flowers, coffee table books that let you peek into the homes of famous artists, well-worn paperbacks that describe the “mingled destinies of crocodiles and men” and how light shifts in Italian piazzas, next to pictorial books on human anatomy. 

“These are books for visual learners,” Medina says. 

All remain reasonably priced, ranging from $5 to $40. However, rare tomes donated to the shop by Medina and Zuk’s friends might run a little higher—like a limited-edition (1/300) printing of The Artist’s Way signed by Julia Cameron herself.

“We’ll have a first editions shelf, but we don’t want any of these books to be too precious,’” Medina says. “They’re meant to be used, to be flipped through.” 

“We touch and smell every single book,” Zuk adds.

Medina and Zuk have done an incredible job of making the space feel lived-in, like somewhere you’d want to sit and read for hours. The old butcher-block counters from Nico’s live on as reinforcement beams for rickety bookcases and benches for additional seating. In the back room, there’s a tall bookcase that Medina’s dad found for free. The pair plans to knock out a couple shelves and add pillows to the bottom, making it a snug reading nook, just in time for fall. 

“Kind of like a human cubby!” she laughs. 

On the opposite wall, guests can duck behind a green gingham curtain into a secret room to leaf through their selected books in private. 

“I like the idea of portals within a space,” Medina says. 

Handmade pieces and vintage art mingle on the walls, including a coral-colored, lithograph-style print Medina made that says “I Talk To Animals” and a watercolor of Belmont Street that Zuk painted in a similar shade. Sweet details, like smoky glass cups of newly sharpened pencils, propagated plants peppered throughout, and an oversized mason jar filled with birdseed by the door add to the homey feel. There’s an ease to the space, intentional yet comfortable, like it’s always been there. Medina credits that to “listening to what the shop wants” during decision making, letting her intuition guide the process.

“I never thought I’d describe opening a business as ‘easy and stress-free,’” she says. “But, it feels a little magical, how this has all come together.”

The name, like many other elements, seemed to miraculously manifest for Medina. 

“Colette just came to me,” she says. “Libros means books in my native language, Spanish, and one day Derek just said ‘That’s it, Libros Colette, that’s how you hear it in your head!’”

The shop’s signature blue, seen in the logo Medina designed and on the archway behind the register, also came to her in an organic, almost spiritual way. Self-described as “not a blue person” (though she was wearing a very cute blue dress the day we spoke), Medina went to the paint store and grabbed her go-to colors—rich greens, soft yellows. On impulse, she grabbed a bright shade of cobalt too, feeling divinely drawn to it. Medina started by swatching the fresh blue shade on an exterior wall, testing the waters. 

“I could literally feel the building say ‘no!’ after I did that,” she laughs. “But then I started painting it as an accent color inside and everything made sense.” 

In April, Medina was driving by and saw this space was for lease. She pulled over immediately and called the listing agent. When dialing, she realized she already had that number saved in her contacts—turns out, she had bought a house from the same realtor years prior. He agreed to let Medina and Zuk take over the space, and they got the keys in May. 

Prior to this brick-and-mortar, Medina and Zuk hosted Libros Colette as a pop-up at the storied Central Eastside bookstore Mother Foucault’s. In addition to books and coffee, they also sold bouquets of edible flowers that they grew themselves. The floral aspect didn’t make it to this final form, given the heavy labor involved—though they still have marigolds in their front planter boxes, as a little nod. 

“We’d spend all year growing and preparing the flowers just to sell out in three days,” Medina says. 

The pair originally planned to stay off Google Maps, hoping that the right people would find their shop on their own. They only post occasionally on Instagram, sharing why they find certain books extraordinary, always with the caveat that there’s “no holdsies.”  Meaning, they want customers to come in and see the books for themselves before deciding. 

Zuk has been advocating for a ‘reference-only’ section—for browsing, not buying—for this very reason. “I want to have a bunch of copies that are strictly for hanging out with and using in the space.” 

Medina agrees. “We have coffee, and no WiFi, as an invitation to linger with the books. You can photograph a book, sit with it, draw from it. Only buy the ones you absolutely can’t live without. They’re meant to be inspirational, whether you take them home or not.”

Libros Colette, 5713 NE Fremont, open Thurs-Sun 10 am-3 pm, @libroscolette

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