INDIANAPOLIS — The Whispering Shelf is a recently opened new and used bookstore located in Indy’s Lockerbie Square neighborhood.
“It's something that's meant to be a little more quiet,” Marlowe Harp said. “Something that's a little more inviting, something that feels private, like a public space where you still get to keep your privacy.”
The Whispering Shelf was created to serve as a third space. It isn’t work or home, but rather a third place where people can gather to grow and create new connections.
“Being in a customer service scenario, where there is less of that false sense of urgency and you're more allowed to slow down, you create connections more deeply with the people that are coming into the bookstore,” Harp said. “Everything is a lot slower pace.”
But no matter the pace, Harp says bookstores play a major role in shaping our neighborhoods.
“I think that there's a huge responsibility for bookstores that is essentially helping spread information in your community, and I think that's something we're trying to focus on pretty heavily,” Harp said.
It’s a mission open to everyone.
“I had a friend come in with her child and it was amazing to see him explore and find different books,” Harp said. “It's so cool to watch kids change and develop in the world and watch the way they learn to interact in new ways or create understanding around them.”
That exploration is open to readers of all ages including Harp.
“I'm a big fan of small presses that do translated works,” Harp said. “I love reading stuff that's from different cultures and seeing the different ways that people interact with the world but also the same way, like things that are universal among all humans.”
The Whispering Shelf joins a growing community of local bookstores popping up around central Indiana.
“It's definitely exciting to see,” Harp said. “I love that we have so many local bookstores right now and I love that all of them have their own feel. It really is like everyone can find their place.”
The Whispering Shelf is located at 414 N. College Ave. and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
