Brick And Mortar Bookshop To Open In Honor Of St. Paul Librarian’s Unique Legacy
More than a decade after her passing, the legacy of beloved St. Paul book collector Jeanette Kamman —fondly known as “The Book Lady”—is reignited in a big way. On September 20, The Book Lady’s Library opened its doors to a permanent storefront in the Cherokee Park neighborhood next to Capital View Cafe, offering affordable books and a cozy space for readers and mom-and-pop-shop lovers alike.
With over 300,000 rescued books from Kamman’s extraordinary lifetime collection, the shop carries books ranging in price from $5 to $20, in the spirit of Jeanette’s lifelong mission to give every book a home.
This new chapter comes after a successful pop-up gaining local and national news coverage in the spring of 2023. Now, with a new partnership with Capital View Café, the bookstore hopes to create a space where breakfast and stories are shared. Visitors can enjoy used books in all genres with print dates as far back as 1803 to the early 1990’s. These books are wonderful reads, perfect for home décor, and inexpensive, personal gifts.
Jeanette Kamman was no ordinary collector. A self-declared librarian of unwanted books, she became a cherished local who walked through St. Paul pushing a cart filled with books. In the 1950s, as a single woman, she purchased a home in St. Paul to house her growing collection. Eventually, she acquired two more properties to make room for the flood of forgotten books—often walking narrow paths carved between floor-to-ceiling stacks.
In 1977, her passion was formally recognized with the creation of the Kamman-Dale Library, later listed in the Hill Directory of Library and Informational Resources. Her books—some signed first editions and many dating back to the 1800s—were placed in storage after her passing in 2004. Now, they’re finally ready to be rediscovered.
If you visit
The Book Lady’s Library, 637 Smith Ave N, St Paul, MN 55107
Hours: Wed: 4pm-9pm & Thu-Fri-Sat: 9am-1pm
To learn more, visit thebookladyslibrary.com or follow The Book Lady’s Library on Facebook and Instagram.
