Words & Wanderings # 12, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, Asheville, N.C.

You know how, especially in a smaller city, one or two businesses can represent the essence of that community? The vibe of these businesses perfectly captures the heart and soul of the city and it draws people in, be they locals or visitors. In Asheville, North Carolina, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café is a perfect example of this type of ambassadorship.

Asheville is a quirky town well-known for its hippy, counterculture mindset. On a recent excursion to Asheville, I discovered Malaprop’s and wondered how I missed it when I visited nearly a decade prior. It’s a treasure! The shop opened in 1982, years before the city experienced revitalization. Some might call it gentrification, but the result is basically the same – renewed vibrancy.

Malaprop’s was founded 44 years ago by Emöke B’Racz, a poet and immigrant from Hungary. A malaprop is the unintentional misuse of a word by confusing it with another word that sounds similar, for example, saying punctuation instead of punctuality. The website states that the shop name was derived from the character, Mrs. Malaprop, in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play ‘The Rivals’ (1775). But I overheard a staff member tell a customer that, after B’Racz moved to America, she taught herself English by learning malaprops.

In any case, the shop is beloved and well-supported by the community. Café barista Cali said one of B’Racz ‘s goals for opening the store was to provide a safe place for people to gather, especially those who feel marginalized.

B’Racz says on the website, “As a political exile from a communist country, I cannot overemphasize my passion to provide a space where freedom of expression is supported, where important literature—from authors backed by major publishers to those who self-publish—is available to all, where censorship has no place, where respect and service are practiced daily, where women feel safe, where all are welcome, and where books are the stars.”