Alibi Bookshop: Vallejo’s little bookstore that could

VALLEJO — A few months ago, Karen Finlay, the owner of Alibi Bookshop in downtown Vallejo had an unsettling conversation with a customer. The man, who was not a Vallejo resident, asked Finlay for recommendations. Then he scoffed. 

“Why did you open a bookstore?” he said. “No one in Vallejo knows how to read!” 

“That’s not true and it’s not kind,” Finlay said. 

“Okay, no one reads then,” said the man, laughing.

Finlay still bristles when she tells this story. 

“People read in Vallejo, absolutely!” she said emphatically. “Vallejo has a bad rep, but there are so many smart, compassionate people here. They are kind, they care, they want to make the world a better place. I love proving that man wrong every single day.”

Finlay opened Alibi Bookshop, located at 624 Marin St., in June 2019, choosing a name inspired by Vallejo’s historic Alibi Clock, named for its reported role in providing an alibi for a San Francisco labor organizer accused of a deadly bombing. Since then, her business has become not only a cultural hotspot in downtown Vallejo, but also a place to foster community. 

When Finlay moved to the city seven years ago, there was a tiny used book shop called Vallejo Bookstore. The woman who owned it decided to close it and asked Finlay if she wanted to buy it. 

“I had worked in publishing for years, so I knew the industry,” Finlay said. “I also knew how vital bookstores are to towns and that Vallejo needed to have one, so my husband and I decided to take the plunge. Bookstores are meeting places. I’ve seen first dates here, girlfriend dates. I think everyone wants to find community, and a bookstore is a way to do it.”

Aside from offering a robust selection of books, with “romanfantasy” (a mix of romance and fantasy) currently being a hot genre, Finlay holds several popular monthly clubs. 

The regular book club, which is mostly fiction, meets the last Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Finlay tries to center it around Vallejo, current events, or topics she thinks the community will love. 

“The last book we read was Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist,” she said. “The discussion was extraordinary because half the readers hated it and the other half loved it, and no one got mad at each other. A book club leads to empathy and critical thinking. That’s why I think it’s important. A lot of friendships have grown off the book clubs.”

The second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m., Finlay holds a memoir book club, also well attended. 

“The first memoir we read this year was Patti Smith’s Just Kids, and so many people came that we almost didn’t have enough chairs,” she said.

Aspiring writers have also found a home at Alibi Bookshop. Every other Wednesday at 7 p.m. they meet at the store. After everyone shares briefly what they are working on, they write quietly for one hour. 

“You don’t have to come to all the meetings or read anything aloud,” Finlay explained. “It’s a time when you tell your brain: ‘You know what? This is something I’m going to do for myself.’ It’s an accountability writing group: you’re not looking at your phone, you’re just writing.”

This year she also started a workshop focused on Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. Thirty-four people enrolled, after signing a contract to reinforce their commitment. They read one chapter at home every week, do the exercises, and meet at the bookstore in small groups to discuss their progress. 

“This is an election year and it’s easy to feel anxious,” Finlay said. “I don’t have a lot of power to change things, but what I can do is help the community bring out their creativity.” 

She has received numerous emails about the impact of the workshop. One man who joined said he felt so empowered that he went on to offer a piano concert at Bambino’s. Another person submitted poetry. Another unblocked and forgave their parents. Finlay is thrilled with the results.

“It’s not me,” she said modestly. “I’m just the facilitator. It’s the bookshop, providing a safe space. In the small clusters there’s laughing, there are tears, and I’m looking at it and thinking, ‘This is beautiful, this is exactly why I’m doing this.’”

Alibi Bookshop also co-presents cultural events with other Vallejo institutions. A hugely successful one took place at the Empress Theater last December. 

“It all started because we got this book Noir Bar, which is a cocktail book based on film noir,” Finlay said. “I talked to Renay Conlin, manager of The Empress Theater, and we thought it would be cool to create an event around it. Eddie Muller, from Turner Classic Movies, showed a Raymond Burr movie, and we filled 400 seats!”

Another exciting event will take place on March 17, at 3 p.m. to celebrate Women’s History Month. Alibi Bookshop and The Mare Island Historical Park Foundation will present Victoria Kastner’s talk “Julia Morgan: Her Personal Story,” at St. Peter’s Chapel in Mare Island. Kastner’s biography on the famous architect will be up for sale after the presentation.

Making a living with a bookshop is no easy feat. Alibi Bookshop is the only bookstore in Vallejo, but the competition from Amazon is fierce. Buying online, though, has disadvantages. 

“We have to shop locally,” Finlay asserted. “If we stay indoors and on our couch because it’s convenient, we’re going to lose so much that is special about the human experience. Shopping online isn’t going to give you connection with people. I want to hear about someone’s new kitten, about a little guy who is excited with his new comic. That’s what life is about. I’m really lucky I have a job where I get to experience these connections all the time, and that’s what I want for everyone.”