Charming and quirky Inkwood Books made its appearance in 1991 within a 1923 bungalow on South Armenia Ave, at the heart of South Tampa, FL – aka The Soho District. It was a labor of love for its founding owners Carla Jimenez and Leslie Reiner. Though the business was sold and was moved to a location north of Tampa’s Downtown, it’s the Armenia Ave location that I’ve held in my heart.
Jimenez and Reiner birthed Inkwood out of a passion for literature of all genres and a desire to create a haven for readers of all ages, and have it reflected not only by the bungalow’s cozy and appealing appearance, but also by its name. Inkwood is a small dense evergreen tree indigenous to Florida know for offering a safe haven for a multitude of wildlife. The founders wanted to give South Tampa much of the same, something more than a retail space. Inkwood was to be a cultural hub where the community could gather, share freely, and celebrate the written word.
In 1991 that area of South Tampa was beginning to flourish, to take the shape of a village of small, eclectic, independently owned businesses and eateries; Inkwood fit right in, quickly becoming a landmark. The bookstore contributed to the economic vibrancy of the community, supporting local authors and artists. The store’s commitment to offering a carefully curated selection of books, often highlighting local voices, made it a unique and beloved fixture in Tampa’s cultural landscape.
At the time I was a homeschooling mom of three, married to a man who slept with his wallet under his pillow – that’s an exaggeration, but he was the reincarnation of Scrouge. Wherever I went, the children did too. Together we visited Inkwood a handful of times and with the exception of two of those visits, we’d leave with only the bliss of having spent time perusing Jimenez and Reiner’s curated collections. Buying a new book was typically far outside of my budgetary allowances, though I can say there wasn’t a librarian within ten miles of our house that didn’t know my children by name.
In 2013 Jimenez and Reiner sold the Inkwood Books to longtime customer, stay-at-home mom Stefani Beddingfield. In 2015 Beddingfield’s sister Julie opened a second Inkwood Books in Haddonfield, New Jersey. In late 2017 Jimenez and Reiner sold the South Tampa bungalow forcing Beddingfield to move Inkwood north to Tampa Heights where she continued the store’s established custom of bringing in local & touring authors and celebrities for discussions and book signings, while reaching out to their new community. In a Tampa Bay Times interview Beddingfield says that signs of a downward trend in sales was evident before she purchased the business and its subsequent move to Tampa Heights when patrons began showing up to store events with copies of the book they had purchased online, adding, “If you wonder what’s happening to bookstores,” she says, “ask yourself what the last 12 books you bought were, and where did you buy them.”
In 2019 Inkwood Books Tampa closed for good, whereas Inkwood Books Haddonfield is still going strong. When Inkwood moved then closed, the South Tampa and Tampa Heights communities were met with a sense of loss. Both times residents lamented the disappearance of a cherished space that had played a vital role in nourishing their love of books and the cultural aspects of each location.
My daughter Amanda, the only one of my children to remain in Tampa, passed on her love of books and Inkwood to my granddaughter Avi; both still miss their visits to Inkwood, and along with me will always cherish the memories we’ve made there