Tanya Sedneva was a shy kid who always had her nose stuck in a book.
The Los Gatos resident’s longtime love for books fueled a childhood dream of opening her own bookstore, a dream that Sedneva eventually forgot about as she got caught up in the day-to-day routine of adult life.
When she got laid off from her project managing job at a tech company last year, she found herself returning to those childhood goals. She recently opened Beyond Text, an independent bookstore located at 318 North Santa Cruz Ave. in downtown Los Gatos. Sedneva said the store will offer books from a variety of genres in addition to gifts, board games and home decor.
Sedneva said she gave special attention to stocking novelty, illustrated versions of popular books to emphasize the physical experience of reading a book.
“How can someone read anything boring when such amazing editions exist?” Sedneva wrote in a caption for an Instagram post of a novelty edition of “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien.
“I tried to pick their most beautiful editions, illustrated editions, not only for kids but also for adults,” she said in an interview.
The store’s name, Sedneva said, is a reference to that desire read a physical book instead of using an e-reader, to go beyond just words on a page and appreciate the feeling of a book, the shape of the text, pictures and cover.
“My idea is that having a physical copy in your hand gives you additional experience,” Sedneva said.
She also gave special attention to the design of the bookstore, hoping to cultivate an environment that welcomed customers and helped them feel at ease.
“I wanted to inspire the visitors to linger and immerse themselves in a world of books,” she said.
In addition to selling books and other items, Sedneva wants to host community events like book clubs, discussion groups and author talks, she said. The store already had a mafia game night scheduled for May 16, and author talks on June 1 and 8.
While Sedneva doesn’t have an official store website just yet, she said people can learn more about the store at her Instagram account, which is @_beyondtext_.
Beyond Text is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
