Restoried Bookshop aims to broaden access to written works of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders

CHICAGO (WLS) -- On Kedzie Avenue in Albany Park, there's a relatively new bookstore that aims to broaden access to the written works of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

It's called Restoried Bookshop, and on the shelves are stories that too often have been overlooked.

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"For me, Restoried is really about bringing our stories and all the different variations back to our communities, so we can have a more rich understanding of who we are and have been. It is our effort to paint a more complete picture of our past and a more vibrant vision for our future," Justin Valas said.

Valas, who is third-generation Japanese American, is the owner of Restoried, which has the feel of a community center.

The bookshop, which opened last November, may be the only one in Chicago of its kind with most everything on the shelves from AAPI authors: something Valas rarely saw in the stores and libraries of his youth.

"I didn't really see our stories and our names on the shelves. There was no real section for Asian American stories," Valas said.

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Customers can find classics, like Ronald Takaki's "Strangers From A Different Shore," but also lesser-known works of all styles and genres.

The store also hosts book talks and signings, with members of Chicago's growing Asian American author community.

"I was at least in my 20s, possibly even in my 30s, before the first time I read a book with a Filipino American main character. You know what I mean? That's a really long time to never see yourself in the media that you love the most," author Mia P. Manansala said.

Manansala, who was born and raised in Chicago, this week released her sixth novel: a murder mystery entitled "Death in the Cards," which is set in Chicago with AAPI characters, including a Filipina American detective.

Her book is representative of the community's diverse voices.

"I'm not just being bulled, facing racism, or dealing with the immigration status of my parents. I get to fall in love. I get to be the detective and solve my own case," Manansala said.

At a time when brick-and-mortar bookstores are struggling to stay in the market, Valas says Restoried is finding success by filling a cultural and literary niche and building community, one book at a time.

"There's something about an in-person experience and especially something that is built by community for community," Valas said.