by Chelsea Jones

There is something about Fresno, California that I am sure most of us can agree on: it could definitely use more independent bookstores. While Fresno has a handful of local used bookstores (and I certainly love a good used book!), like Bookish in the Tower District and Book Barn in Clovis, who also carry a few new books by local authors, our city has a severe lack of non-chain bookstores that sell all new titles. Thankfully I have some good news: we have a new indie bookstore in downtown Fresno. It is extremely charming, and it only sells new titles.

Judging By The Cover: A Bookstore is located at 1029 F Street in Fresno’s historic Chinatown on the southwest side of downtown. It is near the intersection of F Street and Fresno Street, so it is very easy to access from the Fresno Street exit on the 99 freeway. The shop is located in The Pop-up Place, an initiative of the Chinatown Fresno Foundation to support new business owners and bring more people to the area. Stepping through the front doors, you are greeted by a roomy lobby where some of the bookstore’s events are held. Directly to the right is the storefront itself, with wide-open doors and a large “BOOKSTORE” sign. The cozy space is wall-to-wall with bookshelves full of all sorts of titles, from children’s books in various languages to collections of poetry by Central Valley writers. A table in the center of the store displays featured releases, notebooks, stickers, and locally crafted items. There is a couch with space to sit and read, and near the entrance a wall hanging is stuffed with a variety of zines.

“Opening a bookstore kind of happened by accident,” co-owner Ashley Mireles-Guerrero says. “I think when I was a kid, I knew I wanted to do something with books. I just didn’t realize all the jobs that were available in the industry.” She explains how, before the shop opened, she and her husband Carlos, with whom she owns the store, would help individuals and businesses source books. This side project expanded into a pop-up shop, and, eventually, this brick and mortar location. “It got to the point where we were just like ‘why isn’t anyone else doing this in town?’”

Ashley and Carlos both have professional backgrounds in publishing, and throughout their years in the industry, noticed a niche in the book world that wasn’t being filled. “Our focus is on folks who have been historically marginalized in the publishing industry. And so we mostly bring in books by queer BIPOC [black, indigenous, and people of color] authors or folks who are writing in languages other than English. Those are the ones that are least represented in a store like Barnes and Noble or Target.” Books in Armenian, Spanish, Hmong, Hindi, Greek, and Arabic are just some of the store’s offerings. Of course, they have plenty of books written in English as well.

When asked about the name of the store, Ashley says, “Originally the name was almost a joke, but we were talking about trying to find something that really speaks to the way that people misjudge or have prejudice against certain individuals, and so ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ turned into ‘judging by the cover’ and it kind of just stuck. In the logo, it’s kind of like the hands of justice, where we’re balancing the scales. It’s a little bit of reclamation where we’re saying: if you’re somebody who has been judged by the cover, or if you’re somebody who has faced these types of prejudices, come here, you’ll be safe here. [A book is] the only thing you should judge by its cover.”

Something that stands out about Judging By The Cover is their passionate support of local writers and makers across the Central Valley. As I peruse the shelves, I find titles by Central Valley natives like Gary Soto and Philip Levine, and books about local history. They would also love to expand their collection with more local items. If you are an author, zine printer, or maker who is interested in selling your work in the store, Ashley encourages you to go to their website at judgingbythecoverbookstore.com. On the homepage, click on the “about” section. There is an application form you can submit to see if you are a good fit.

Judging By The Cover doesn’t just sell books. It has unique initiatives that support booklovers in the community. One of these initiatives is their book fund, which is an in-store donation fund that helps make books more accessible to potential customers. “If somebody comes in and they’re torn between two books, but both of them are really good, I’ll let them have the second book for free,” says Ashley. “Or if somebody wants to purchase a book, but they don’t have enough money for it, then I’ll cover the cost from the book fund. We’re trying to get more books into the hands of more readers in Fresno. We want to make sure that people, if they’re excited about a book, they can actually take it home and read it. We do find that a lot of people who use [the fund] will come back and donate $5 later, which is a fun little pay-it-forward type of thing.” You can donate money to the fund as you make a purchase, or you can give a donation by itself.

They also regularly host events. One event coming up soon features Kings River Life Magazine’s own Lorie Lewis Ham. She will be having a book signing, reading, and Q&A event about her mystery book series set in Fresno’s own Tower District. The event will take place on Saturday, February 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In the future, Ashley wants to create a series of workshops to help local writers navigate the publishing industry. Ashley and Carlos both have years of experience in this world: Ashley in PR and children’s book writing (some of her books are for sale in the store!), and Carlos in graphic design. They want to use this experience to help people in the Fresno area on their writing and publishing journeys. “The industry is extremely gatekept,” Ashley laments. Just like she wants to help books be more accessible to readers, she wants to help publishing be more accessible to writers.

A change is coming to the bookstore soon: they are expanding. The room adjacent to theirs recently opened up, and they are going to double their space, double their books, and add lots more local products. However, they need funding to help them do it. Judging By The Cover is accepting donations online at the Indiegogo link at indiegogo.com/projects/write-the-next-chapter-with-judging-by-the-cover#.

If you love indie bookstores, you will love Judging By The Cover. I highly encourage you to check out the store, buy a book, and afterwards treat yourself to lunch at one of the nearby Chinatown restaurants dotting F Street and the surrounding area, such as the best soul food in Fresno at Chef Paul’s Cafe (952 F St), locally famous taco spot Taqueria La Elegante (1423 Kern St), and longtime breakfast and Chinese food staple Ho Ho Cafe (926 F St). Or, pick up a quick teriyaki bowl at the Japanese cafe inside the Asian grocery store Central Fish Market on the corner of Kern and G Street. Come on in, you will not be judged.

Judging By The Cover: A Bookstore is located at 1029 F Street in Fresno, CA.
It is open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. They also sell their products online 24/7 on their website judgingbythecoverbookstore.com. More information about their store and events can be found on their website and their Instagram @judgingbythecover.books.

If you would like to support the store in their expansion, the link to their fundraiser is indiegogo.com/projects/write-the-next-chapter-with-judging-by-the-cover#

Chelsea Jones is a multimedia artist and musician from Kingsburg, CA. They have an MFA in Digital Arts and New Media from UC Santa Cruz. Chelsea has been published in Black Napkin Press, Abridged Magazine, Noctua Review, and others. More of their work can be found at chelseaevangelinej.wixsite.com/chelsea and chelseajones.bandcamp.com.