I read that book while dog sitting in Paamul and couple of years ago! Do you still have the bookstore in PM? I’ve heard of its existence but didn’t know if it’d reopened post-Covid. I live in Playa but don’t get to PM often.
Pa'amul is lovely! I'm sorry Jen, can't find the original comment--which book? Where the Sky is Born? We sold the bookstore as we wanted to re-retire but the owners, Caleb and Nicole, are doing great! When the store had to move due to the row of storefronts we'd been in was sold, to honor my memoir which tells all about Alma Libre Libros, they painted the front cover into the stairs up to their reading deck. Don't think I can add it here--Will maybe post a NOTE about it w/ the photo -- it is too cool (and super kind of them).
This is quite a surprise! Mildred was my great aunt and she would be honored to be remembered so fondly. I am going to look through our albums and find the best photo of my Aunt Mick in her bookshop for you to use.
Hi Linda, Jeanine Kitchel here -- I'm including Yesterday's Books and Mildred again in my upcoming post this Friday. Stacy mentioned she got the old sign from the store and I'd love to have a photo of it for the story. Could either you or she contact me - regarding that possibility? My email is casamayamx@gmail.com
I am floored!! That is fantastic, Stacy!! She was our inspiration and our mentor. I write about her in about 3 chapters and if you can find a photo of her, I’ll post is with this fantastic update to our story! Well, her info was excellent! We sold the bookstore but it’s Ithird iteration and doing well! How in heavens name did you find the post!? are you on Substack. We founded - Alma Libre Libros 1997. This is soooo wild!
This is so cool! I do a lot of genealogy for our family and was looking for more photos and references to my Aunt Mick on the internet and that's how I found your post! I created the Substack account right away once I saw that this posting was relatively recent. I would love to read your other chapters and learn more about Alma Libre Libros.
That’s wonderful you have the sign Stacy! I searched the net for photos for my recent post about it, but only came up with a book store in Modesto of same name. Did 2 guys buy the store? We stopped on one of our CA trips probably early 2000s. I believe, and it was new owners.
I’ll DM you with links for the chapters of my memoir re moving to MX and opening a bookstore. And will indicate chapter number just before when I mention yesterday’s books. There’s more of your Aunt to come, but not till a couple more chapters. I’m on 20 now.
I didn’t know Mildred’s last name so when you did your search, did you go through Yesterdays Books? And did Google spin out the info? It seems like such a remote reference, without a surname in my article.
I searched “Moss Landing” and “Yesterday’s Books”. Several years ago I did the same thing and, long story short, I was able to recover the Yesterday’s Books sign from the people who bought it from my Great Aunt Mildred (I’ve always called her Aunt Mick though).
I’m blown away! Stacy is my daughter and Mildred was my Dad’s sister, my Aunt Mick. We visited her Moss Landing bookstore regularly in the 60’s and 70’s when I was a kid, and I brought my kids to her shop in the 80’s. In her later years she came to live with us in Gilroy and eventually returned to Kansas to spend her last years with her sister and brother. She was buried next to her parents, my grandparents, in Norwich Cemetery. We still have some of her prized books and prints.
Kinda, I think we’re in the midst of 6 degrees of separation. Simply amazing! I am so glad Stacey by sheer chance found my post— through a genealogy search. I have to find out tomorrow how the dots are connected, but as mentioned , I am serializing my memoir (published 2004) on Substack about how we built a house and founded a bookstore in southern Mexico. We lived in Half Bay, had a cottage in CApitola, and drove down the coast every Friday. I’m a reader, when we retired to Mexico I wanted to open a bookstore. Mildred was one of our mentors along the way. I just returned from a wedding in AZ and am still recovering from that): will respond more Tuesday to Stacey . Nice to meet you!!
Ahhh, the Monterey coast is the PERFECT location for a cozy bookstore! I lived in Monterey for a total of five years - it's my favorite town in the US. Mildred sounds lovely. Can't wait to read more and catch up on your adventures!
Thank you Sandra! Yes, she Did need a wood stove, being on the coast there where it can get foggy. Her shop was just perfect. Were you or your husband in the Defense Language Institute? My husband's mom lived in Monterey-Pacific Grove for years so we know the area. Beautiful place.
Yes! We were there are students for two years, then went back as instructors for three years. Our son was born there at CHOMP but we left when he was a baby. When he was around 12 years old, we took him back - also visited the hospital ward that still has the Dennis the Menace statue - and he loved it! One day I'd love to live there again.
Thank you Stacy! Yes, Mildred was the right person at the right time. And continued to steer us in the right direction until we beat feet down Mexico way. One of several mentors we were lucky enough to find. She was particularly sweet.
It was, Nadine. She showed us the way. So many pointers about what to do and not to do, when selling used books. Her first lesson: Buy a dehumidifier! No one likes a soggy book (and in QRoo, a must for sure--we found the last one in Cancun at that time).
Yes! And one of her most important lessons was to never take books that didn't look pristine. No tattered covers, no torn pages, no mildew (heaven forbid), no underlining. She said that set the example for the store-of what you were willing to sell to your customers. She was a font! And I was SO glad to hear from her niece who found me during a genealogical search of Mildred. On my Substack! That was the topping on my day!!
Umm, I think that's a leap! But I'll revel in it for half a second, haha. No, the great-niece was doing a search for her mom and put in the name of the bookstore, Yesterday's Books, and b/c I'd written about the store, it popped up, and voila! there was info about their dear auntie. Ain't life grand sometimes, Nadine?
What a delightful origin story. Every detail is so perfect: the friendly grey cat, the bookseller’s spectacles, the fact that she shared your interest in The Lost World of Quintana Roo. I can’t wait to read more!
Thanks, Sarah. Mildred was a peach! And that book was an impetus to head south, along w/ her darling bookstore. I'm looking forward to your bookstore journey.
This is such a great story, and you tell it brilliantly, Jeanine! I’m on tenterhooks for the next installment and also fascinated with the bookstore, its owner, the cat, the Maya, that doomed ship—all of it! Thanks for a great tale (actually, for several!).
Thanks so much for reading Ruth! Yes, Mildred was our mentor and friend. We really lucked out and met so many amazing and helpful people. More to come!!!! Thanks for following along.
Love this story! And the books you mentioned, of course - we somehow ended up with two copies of the Lost World of Quintana Roo, read it several times and even used it as a reference while exploring the coast. I would've loved the bookstore you mentioned! Though I've never seen it, we always enjoyed yours when visiting Puerto Morelos.
Yes. We met long ago, Emese! How fabulous. You were probably some of those customers we loved to see coming back!! And btw, your Lost World has gained in value): And yes, you would have loved Yesterday's Books. Mildred was one of a kind. The store was just iconic. Woodburning stove, cat, wooden floorboards, and ALL used books. She was our inspiration (knowing we could do it), our cheerleader and our mentor. The things she taught us!
Love this story featuring Mildred and her Moss Landing bookstore, and love it that while reading it, I felt as if I were transported there, could just picture the setting and sequences you described. What a delightful lady who became an important part of your Mexico adventure. Thanks to you (and Mildred), I recently read The Lost World of Quintana Roo, and it was indeed fascinating. The telling of the Fantome's tragic fate in a sort of before and after progression was somehow melancholy, and impacting, especially considering your experience with Hurricane Gilberto. Thanks for another great one Jeanine!
Oh Barbra, thank you so very much! Indeed, Mildred was instrumental in so much that involved the bookstore. In re-writing this chapter for Substack, I was struck that she too was a Mexico and Mayaphile. I'd forgotten that. It's kind of like we paralleled (or followed) the cookie crumbs she laid out for us. Right to our very own bookshop in PM. And she continued to be our mentor until we left CA. She knew ALL the ropes, which I will of course go into in the coming chapters. Thanks for reading along again. And you are so right, poor Captain March. Just young enough to not have told skinflint owner he wasn't going to take that chance, which cost him and 30 others, their lives. I so well remember when we heard the ship was lost. Think Kathy, editor, told us first. And then me and Paul and BFF Roberto, neighbor, stood around talking about it in our kitchen, sadly. Roberto had a boat, and we had a 12-foot Lido sailboat, so we considered ourselves fellow sailors. (Paul'd had a 30 ft Coronado years earlier). We were all kinda spooked that this all happened during Halloween-Day of the Dead. Anyway, thanks as always for your support!
Sorry, this reponse might be duplicated. That your paths crossed with Mildred just had to be destiny. And Captain March, and the 30 souls under his watch, guess that was their destiny too, but seems so unfair and so tragic all the same. I can imagine how that incident impacted you guys and Roberto. You give us much to think about. Life is such a mystery. Abrazos.
Barbra, you're too kind. I think we were very lucky to find ourselves in this great little pueblo where people were open and friendly -- and fun, and sharing. And I just have no idea how we ended up seeing so much and hearing so much and partaking of so much-- I think in some ways, as Roberto said, it Was b/c QRoo was new - it was like the wild west.People could do their own thing, write their own scripts. It was a new lease on life for so many people coming out of CDMX to the coast, where there was still opportunity - and for us too.
I think I mentioned to you one time Jeanine I had lived in Carmen de playa for a short time. While there, I became very fascinated with the Mayans culture. Now after reading the story I’m more intrigued and look forward to finding the books you mentioned, and Leo up with your stories. To me the whole subject makes for a fascinating novel. Finding these magical stories in enchanting bookstores leading you to the ancient mysteries of the Yucatán Peninsula. ♥️
Thank you Charlotte. Yes, PLAYA del Carmen is gorgeous. There are many more books re the Maya and MX and as the chapters continue I will name them. Both fiction and non. The Maya—so fascinating indeed!!!!!
I lived at the northern end of the main drag paralleling the beach. I forget the name of the street. Every morning I would walk all the way to the other end and return home. I’d stop and have a little breakfast along the way and if it was later it would be lunch. It was during a time after I had broken up with my husband and partner so I was alone there. But I made many friends. ✨💜✨
Another great post, Jeanine. I lived most of my adult life in Santa Cruz, and I’ve stopped at Moss Landing dozens of times. I never knew about Yesterday’s Books. When I go back, I’ll look for it. And now I’ve got more titles on my reading list - you are keeping me busy!
Ha! I loved that little store. Mildred sold to 2 guys probably around 2000. She was getting up there. They kept the name and kinda spruced up the store. We'd occasionally stop in when back in CA visiting family and collecting more books for the store. But when I tried to find photos of either the front or inside of her store, very tough to find. Got one inside, so the tag says, but it doesn't look exactly right. Of course, that's now long ago. We lived in Capitola for many years--during Loma Prieta, 1989. Rough time for all. But miss SC. Not sure if I can attach photo here. WiIll DM you if not. And re the Other Mildred, Benson, as in Nancy Drew, Jennifer Fisher wrote a great article "The Real Life Adventuress who Turned Nancy Drew into a modern day heroine." She's the go-to on M. Benson. Thanks for reading! You Santa Cruzian you!
Another great post. I was really struck by your writing in this piece. I have to give a nod to this here: "Her storefront had originally been a fish processing plant...for canning sardines. Now it teemed with books, crammed in as tightly as its former residents."
Chance meetings with like-minded people surely are not purely Chance. I've thought this many times when I've connected with someone and clicked, shared deep interests and began to go down paths they had cleared, no doubt someone had cleared for them and it goes on.
Thanks Lucinda. Maybe not—I like to think our paths cross for a reason. And we were so fortunate, in Mexico. Like we found the Mother Lode. In re-reading and condensing Where the Sky is Born, it brings back those early years.
I read that book while dog sitting in Paamul and couple of years ago! Do you still have the bookstore in PM? I’ve heard of its existence but didn’t know if it’d reopened post-Covid. I live in Playa but don’t get to PM often.
Pa'amul is lovely! I'm sorry Jen, can't find the original comment--which book? Where the Sky is Born? We sold the bookstore as we wanted to re-retire but the owners, Caleb and Nicole, are doing great! When the store had to move due to the row of storefronts we'd been in was sold, to honor my memoir which tells all about Alma Libre Libros, they painted the front cover into the stairs up to their reading deck. Don't think I can add it here--Will maybe post a NOTE about it w/ the photo -- it is too cool (and super kind of them).
The one about Quintano Roo, the guy who walks barefoot to Belize. That was a wild tale!
The Lost world of Quintana Roo. Yes, incredible story!
Wow, what a cool source of inspiration! I honestly love bookstores and all the surprise benefits it brings.
This is quite a surprise! Mildred was my great aunt and she would be honored to be remembered so fondly. I am going to look through our albums and find the best photo of my Aunt Mick in her bookshop for you to use.
Stacy, you amaze me! This story is such a wonderful testament to Aunt Mick. Thank you for finding this and thank you Jeanine for writing it!
Hi Linda, Jeanine Kitchel here -- I'm including Yesterday's Books and Mildred again in my upcoming post this Friday. Stacy mentioned she got the old sign from the store and I'd love to have a photo of it for the story. Could either you or she contact me - regarding that possibility? My email is casamayamx@gmail.com
Thanks!
I am floored!! That is fantastic, Stacy!! She was our inspiration and our mentor. I write about her in about 3 chapters and if you can find a photo of her, I’ll post is with this fantastic update to our story! Well, her info was excellent! We sold the bookstore but it’s Ithird iteration and doing well! How in heavens name did you find the post!? are you on Substack. We founded - Alma Libre Libros 1997. This is soooo wild!
This is so cool! I do a lot of genealogy for our family and was looking for more photos and references to my Aunt Mick on the internet and that's how I found your post! I created the Substack account right away once I saw that this posting was relatively recent. I would love to read your other chapters and learn more about Alma Libre Libros.
That’s wonderful you have the sign Stacy! I searched the net for photos for my recent post about it, but only came up with a book store in Modesto of same name. Did 2 guys buy the store? We stopped on one of our CA trips probably early 2000s. I believe, and it was new owners.
I believe so. I do not remember their names though.
I’ll DM you with links for the chapters of my memoir re moving to MX and opening a bookstore. And will indicate chapter number just before when I mention yesterday’s books. There’s more of your Aunt to come, but not till a couple more chapters. I’m on 20 now.
I didn’t know Mildred’s last name so when you did your search, did you go through Yesterdays Books? And did Google spin out the info? It seems like such a remote reference, without a surname in my article.
I searched “Moss Landing” and “Yesterday’s Books”. Several years ago I did the same thing and, long story short, I was able to recover the Yesterday’s Books sign from the people who bought it from my Great Aunt Mildred (I’ve always called her Aunt Mick though).
Think i already wrote this but am so happy you could get the sign!
Was she listed by her full name or by Yesterdays Books, which I assume was quite well known?
I’ll get back to you tomorrow! We loved your aunt! She was so kind to us.
I’m blown away! Stacy is my daughter and Mildred was my Dad’s sister, my Aunt Mick. We visited her Moss Landing bookstore regularly in the 60’s and 70’s when I was a kid, and I brought my kids to her shop in the 80’s. In her later years she came to live with us in Gilroy and eventually returned to Kansas to spend her last years with her sister and brother. She was buried next to her parents, my grandparents, in Norwich Cemetery. We still have some of her prized books and prints.
Kinda, I think we’re in the midst of 6 degrees of separation. Simply amazing! I am so glad Stacey by sheer chance found my post— through a genealogy search. I have to find out tomorrow how the dots are connected, but as mentioned , I am serializing my memoir (published 2004) on Substack about how we built a house and founded a bookstore in southern Mexico. We lived in Half Bay, had a cottage in CApitola, and drove down the coast every Friday. I’m a reader, when we retired to Mexico I wanted to open a bookstore. Mildred was one of our mentors along the way. I just returned from a wedding in AZ and am still recovering from that): will respond more Tuesday to Stacey . Nice to meet you!!
Ahhh, the Monterey coast is the PERFECT location for a cozy bookstore! I lived in Monterey for a total of five years - it's my favorite town in the US. Mildred sounds lovely. Can't wait to read more and catch up on your adventures!
Thank you Sandra! Yes, she Did need a wood stove, being on the coast there where it can get foggy. Her shop was just perfect. Were you or your husband in the Defense Language Institute? My husband's mom lived in Monterey-Pacific Grove for years so we know the area. Beautiful place.
Yes! We were there are students for two years, then went back as instructors for three years. Our son was born there at CHOMP but we left when he was a baby. When he was around 12 years old, we took him back - also visited the hospital ward that still has the Dennis the Menace statue - and he loved it! One day I'd love to live there again.
Yesterday's Books sounds like a dream. What a lovely story!
Thank you Stacy! Yes, Mildred was the right person at the right time. And continued to steer us in the right direction until we beat feet down Mexico way. One of several mentors we were lucky enough to find. She was particularly sweet.
Mentors truly make all the difference. Mildred sounds like just the right person at just the right time. - love how that happens!
Serendipity!!
How lovely you found a kindred spirit in that bookshop! And a 🐈⬛ 😉
It was, Nadine. She showed us the way. So many pointers about what to do and not to do, when selling used books. Her first lesson: Buy a dehumidifier! No one likes a soggy book (and in QRoo, a must for sure--we found the last one in Cancun at that time).
Oh my, so useful!!
Yes! And one of her most important lessons was to never take books that didn't look pristine. No tattered covers, no torn pages, no mildew (heaven forbid), no underlining. She said that set the example for the store-of what you were willing to sell to your customers. She was a font! And I was SO glad to hear from her niece who found me during a genealogical search of Mildred. On my Substack! That was the topping on my day!!
It basically means you're famous now, being recognised online 😉
Umm, I think that's a leap! But I'll revel in it for half a second, haha. No, the great-niece was doing a search for her mom and put in the name of the bookstore, Yesterday's Books, and b/c I'd written about the store, it popped up, and voila! there was info about their dear auntie. Ain't life grand sometimes, Nadine?
What a delightful origin story. Every detail is so perfect: the friendly grey cat, the bookseller’s spectacles, the fact that she shared your interest in The Lost World of Quintana Roo. I can’t wait to read more!
Thanks, Sarah. Mildred was a peach! And that book was an impetus to head south, along w/ her darling bookstore. I'm looking forward to your bookstore journey.
This is such a great story, and you tell it brilliantly, Jeanine! I’m on tenterhooks for the next installment and also fascinated with the bookstore, its owner, the cat, the Maya, that doomed ship—all of it! Thanks for a great tale (actually, for several!).
Thanks so much for reading Ruth! Yes, Mildred was our mentor and friend. We really lucked out and met so many amazing and helpful people. More to come!!!! Thanks for following along.
I love this origin story, where your love was sparked!
Thanks Claire. She showed us the way.
Love this story! And the books you mentioned, of course - we somehow ended up with two copies of the Lost World of Quintana Roo, read it several times and even used it as a reference while exploring the coast. I would've loved the bookstore you mentioned! Though I've never seen it, we always enjoyed yours when visiting Puerto Morelos.
Yes. We met long ago, Emese! How fabulous. You were probably some of those customers we loved to see coming back!! And btw, your Lost World has gained in value): And yes, you would have loved Yesterday's Books. Mildred was one of a kind. The store was just iconic. Woodburning stove, cat, wooden floorboards, and ALL used books. She was our inspiration (knowing we could do it), our cheerleader and our mentor. The things she taught us!
Love this story featuring Mildred and her Moss Landing bookstore, and love it that while reading it, I felt as if I were transported there, could just picture the setting and sequences you described. What a delightful lady who became an important part of your Mexico adventure. Thanks to you (and Mildred), I recently read The Lost World of Quintana Roo, and it was indeed fascinating. The telling of the Fantome's tragic fate in a sort of before and after progression was somehow melancholy, and impacting, especially considering your experience with Hurricane Gilberto. Thanks for another great one Jeanine!
Oh Barbra, thank you so very much! Indeed, Mildred was instrumental in so much that involved the bookstore. In re-writing this chapter for Substack, I was struck that she too was a Mexico and Mayaphile. I'd forgotten that. It's kind of like we paralleled (or followed) the cookie crumbs she laid out for us. Right to our very own bookshop in PM. And she continued to be our mentor until we left CA. She knew ALL the ropes, which I will of course go into in the coming chapters. Thanks for reading along again. And you are so right, poor Captain March. Just young enough to not have told skinflint owner he wasn't going to take that chance, which cost him and 30 others, their lives. I so well remember when we heard the ship was lost. Think Kathy, editor, told us first. And then me and Paul and BFF Roberto, neighbor, stood around talking about it in our kitchen, sadly. Roberto had a boat, and we had a 12-foot Lido sailboat, so we considered ourselves fellow sailors. (Paul'd had a 30 ft Coronado years earlier). We were all kinda spooked that this all happened during Halloween-Day of the Dead. Anyway, thanks as always for your support!
Sorry, this reponse might be duplicated. That your paths crossed with Mildred just had to be destiny. And Captain March, and the 30 souls under his watch, guess that was their destiny too, but seems so unfair and so tragic all the same. I can imagine how that incident impacted you guys and Roberto. You give us much to think about. Life is such a mystery. Abrazos.
Barbra, you're too kind. I think we were very lucky to find ourselves in this great little pueblo where people were open and friendly -- and fun, and sharing. And I just have no idea how we ended up seeing so much and hearing so much and partaking of so much-- I think in some ways, as Roberto said, it Was b/c QRoo was new - it was like the wild west.People could do their own thing, write their own scripts. It was a new lease on life for so many people coming out of CDMX to the coast, where there was still opportunity - and for us too.
I think I mentioned to you one time Jeanine I had lived in Carmen de playa for a short time. While there, I became very fascinated with the Mayans culture. Now after reading the story I’m more intrigued and look forward to finding the books you mentioned, and Leo up with your stories. To me the whole subject makes for a fascinating novel. Finding these magical stories in enchanting bookstores leading you to the ancient mysteries of the Yucatán Peninsula. ♥️
Thank you Charlotte. Yes, PLAYA del Carmen is gorgeous. There are many more books re the Maya and MX and as the chapters continue I will name them. Both fiction and non. The Maya—so fascinating indeed!!!!!
I lived at the northern end of the main drag paralleling the beach. I forget the name of the street. Every morning I would walk all the way to the other end and return home. I’d stop and have a little breakfast along the way and if it was later it would be lunch. It was during a time after I had broken up with my husband and partner so I was alone there. But I made many friends. ✨💜✨
Another great post, Jeanine. I lived most of my adult life in Santa Cruz, and I’ve stopped at Moss Landing dozens of times. I never knew about Yesterday’s Books. When I go back, I’ll look for it. And now I’ve got more titles on my reading list - you are keeping me busy!
Ha! I loved that little store. Mildred sold to 2 guys probably around 2000. She was getting up there. They kept the name and kinda spruced up the store. We'd occasionally stop in when back in CA visiting family and collecting more books for the store. But when I tried to find photos of either the front or inside of her store, very tough to find. Got one inside, so the tag says, but it doesn't look exactly right. Of course, that's now long ago. We lived in Capitola for many years--during Loma Prieta, 1989. Rough time for all. But miss SC. Not sure if I can attach photo here. WiIll DM you if not. And re the Other Mildred, Benson, as in Nancy Drew, Jennifer Fisher wrote a great article "The Real Life Adventuress who Turned Nancy Drew into a modern day heroine." She's the go-to on M. Benson. Thanks for reading! You Santa Cruzian you!
Another great post. I was really struck by your writing in this piece. I have to give a nod to this here: "Her storefront had originally been a fish processing plant...for canning sardines. Now it teemed with books, crammed in as tightly as its former residents."
Thanks so much, Jennifer. That really means a lot to me!!
Chance meetings with like-minded people surely are not purely Chance. I've thought this many times when I've connected with someone and clicked, shared deep interests and began to go down paths they had cleared, no doubt someone had cleared for them and it goes on.
Great story as always.
Thanks Lucinda. Maybe not—I like to think our paths cross for a reason. And we were so fortunate, in Mexico. Like we found the Mother Lode. In re-reading and condensing Where the Sky is Born, it brings back those early years.
A very interesting story, Jeanine. I'm hooked on your backstory articles because I bought and read your book years ago. Best regards.
Thank you Mikel! In condensing for Substack, it’s fun to re-read and reminisce about those early days. Abd I’ve always appreciated your support!!