Melody Wukitch, reading specialist and now bookstore owner, couldn’t be happier. On May 1, she opened Park Books & Literacy Lab at 555 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Olde Severna Pak to the delight of the community. Nestled in a space next to Garry’s Grill and Savvy Consignment, the new shop has hundreds of books that appeal to a variety of age groups and interests. However the shop has much more to offer.
“Park Books is a traditional independent book store,” its proprietor said. “However, I’m a reading specialist by trade, working with students both within the educational system and privately, so I’ve integrated my literacy lab work into the bookstore.”
By incorporating small classroom areas within the shop, Wukitch and other Literacy Lab reading specialists are able to work with children at varying levels. For most students, sessions at a comfortable table surrounded by books are conducive to learning. And, who knows? They just might spot a book they’d like.
Younger readers seem to feel more at ease in a section the owner designed specifically for little kids. Surrounded by storybooks, a rocking horse, comfy chairs, a pretty rug for sitting on, and a rocking chair for a guest reader or teacher, they can see at a glance that reading can be fun.
Park Books uses the space to host morning read-aloud sessions each Monday and afternoon read-aloud sessions on Saturdays at 1 pm. Local teachers and community members volunteer to do the readings.
The children’s book section seems to appeal as much to parents as to their offspring. The room is bright and cheery with a beautiful mural on the wall painted by Wukitch and her sister Brooke Lamplough.
“One of the toughest parts of learning to read is really wanting to read. So I worked hard to make this space engaging – a place that encourages children to want to read,” Wukitch said.
The children’s shelves carry current books that families are looking for but also carry classics like “Charlotte’s Web”. Each section of books is clearly marked with a sign indicating the specific age group for which they are written. The age classifications are a great help to adult shoppers looking for a gift to give a child.
Moving into the main part of the shop, there’s a little bit of everything. There are young- adult fiction and adult fiction sections. There’s a special “Indie Next” section dedicated to fiction and non-fiction works favored by independent bookstores – books deemed likely to reach “bestseller” status.
There are Sci-Fi books and an excellent mystery/thriller section with books by best-selling authors like David Baldacci, John Sanford and Jack Carr. A sizable non-fiction section features books on health, humor, leadership, philosophy, and religion as well as autobiographies.
The bookstore also carries puzzles, games, jewelry and gifts made by local artisans. Particularly popular at the moment are handcrafted candles representing different Severna Park neighborhoods like Chartwell, Round Bay, Linstead or Cape Arthur. The candles are decorated with scenes from each community.
Interestingly, the Literacy Lab’s beginnings predate the bookshop by several months having started with informal sessions in November of 2020. By early in 2021, plans were underway to combine the two complimentary elements – reading lab and bookstore – into one cohesive small business.
“I launched the business in response to a critical need for a literacy/reading resource because so many families were reaching out to me,” Wukitch said. “I also felt it would be wonderful to have a bookstore – what better place for a child to learn reading. However, opening the shop was a scary proposition since many restaurants and retailers were failing due to the pandemic.”
Reasoning that Garry’s Grill was right next door and Kirsten’s Cakery and The Big Bean coffee shop a stone’s throw away, she dropped her original plan to include a coffee shop. Instead, she created an outside area with tables and chairs where customers could share a carry-out beverage or snack.
In one respect, Park Book & Literacy Lab opened at just the right time. With public schools closed for more than a year, quite a few children have fallen behind in developing their reading and comprehension skills.
Some children need help immediately. So the Literacy Lab has put some ‘Reading Recovery’ summer programming in place. For each grade level, there are four or six week sessions where parents can bring their child to meet with a certified reading specialist two or three times a week. The reading specialists assess each child, take a look at how they are reading to see where the gaps might be, and then work with them in a small group setting.
For such a recently opened establishment, Park Books is catching on quickly. Late afternoon Friday saw United States Naval Academy midshipmen Mitchell Vinzon, Maya Weiss and Dina Giles arrive for a visit with their favorite bookstore owner and to wander the stacks. Weiss and Giles, former first-year English students of Wukitch who loved her classes, think the shop is great.
Park Books and Literacy Lab is quite a boon for Olde Severna Park. No one can seem to remember if Severna Park has ever had a bookstore. You can check them out on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or by visiting their website at Home – Park Books & Literacy Lab (parkbooksliteracylab.com) .
