The Guadalupe Latino bookstore and gift shop will be open during regular business hours throughout the year to serve the surrounding community, the entire city and as a destination on stop for tourists from the region and beyond.
Ribbon Cutting--opening of the Guadalupe Latino Bookstore. Noon today. Oct. 1. From Right to Left is Cristina Balli, Executive Director of the Guadalupe Cultural Center, [yellow dress] behind her in [white shirt] is Tony Diaz [Houston book guru], next in black dress is Teri Castillo, City Council Member, District 5. In the center in blue suit is Texas Senator Jose Menendez. Also in the center is Guadalupe Board Chair, Cynthia Munoz. Not all the names of the VIP were available to me at the event. Photo: Ricardo Romo
Dr. Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, the Padrino of the Latino Bookstore event and author of numerous Latino books and essays. Photo: Ricardo Romo
Poet Carmen Tafolla, author of numerous Latino books and a San Antonio native signing her latest book. To her right is Senator Jose Menendez. Photo: Ricardo Romo
The bookstore is also built on the rich literary history of San Antonio. This legacy is honored with the appointment of a literary padrino Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, and a literary madrina Texas poet laureate Carmen Tafolla. According to Tafolla, "And when you get something from the new tiendita de Guadalupe Book Store you're not just buying a book, you're supporting a San Antonio-based cultural institution that's been at el corazón of the West Side for more than 38 years and has been the scene of cultural innovation for more than 40 years before that."
LATINO BOOKSTORE--CORNER OF BRAZOS AND GUADALUPE ST. Photo: Ricardo Romo