From pop-up, to bungalow, to its new home at the historic Eldorado Ballroom, Houston’s independent bookstore Kindred Stories proves that small, community-focused businesses can thrive in Third Ward. Proprietor Terri Hamm enlisted designer Gin Braverman and the team at Gin Design Group to create a warm, playful atmosphere for what has already joined the ranks of Houston’s growing number of previously elusive and inclusive “third spaces” since opening in May.

Kindred Stories is a mission-driven bookstore and community space that centers Black voices and creates room for reflection, conversation, and connection. Hamm’s pointed intention to serve her local community has already attracted attention from creatives who appreciate her mission. None other than proud Houston native Solange Knowles utilized Kindred Stories for the merch store during her Eldorado Ballroom Houston performances, and Saint Heron has made use of the space as well — no big deal.

Hamm’s first brick-and-mortar location opened in 2021 blocks away from The Eldorado as part of the successful Project Row Houses Incubation Program. The cozy bungalow with its warm, midcentury interior provided Kindred Stories with the identity it was always meant to have — inviting, intimate, and inclusive. This core identity was something that Hamm knew she wanted to replicate when she ultimately outgrew the bungalow, and she already had her sights set on Braverman for the job, even without a specific space in mind.

“I had always had my eye on working with Gin Design Group, so I reached out because I had always been looking for a space,” Hamm tells CultureMap. “I was always looking for something new, something bigger, but very much honoring that the move had to be the right move. I didn’t want to move to a bigger space just for the sake of being in a bigger space.”

When the art gallery that previously occupied the new Kindred Stories space became available at The Eldorado, it felt like kismet. “I had always had my eye on this building since before Kindred Stories’ first pop-up, and I’d started working with Gin [Braverman] long before I had even signed the lease,” says Hamm. Wanting to reproduce the intimate vibes of the bungalow, all parties involved knew at once that the stark white everything that occupied the art gallery needed to go — hello, color!

Gin Design Group associates Kim Kaptain and Alison Turley put together the color story, with Braverman noting that Turley is the firm’s “color wizard.” She adds that the team had fun choosing colors to match the vibrant hues used on the books’ covers.

“The colors can’t be flat or faded, but at the same time we wanted them to be really unique color combinations that you don’t typically see because everything in here is so unique. Everything had to be unexpected and dynamic, but feel good at the same time and not so in your face,” says Braverman. The only white remaining in the store is found on the original wood paneling and mouldings: “Our goal was to honor the original architectural elements and really put the fun and the pop into the new millwork that we brought in.”

For Hamm, the transformation was a huge success: “It feels cozy and it doesn’t feel sterile in any kind of way,” she says. “For our team it was really important that our customer experience was going to carry over into the new space, even though it was newer, bigger, and fancier.”

“The playful elements — the shapes and forms, patterns and fabrics, all the different elements in the room, like the rugs — had to support this playful narrative because the clientele is a very wide demographic,” says Braverman. “It really had to be somewhere anyone could feel comfortable, and stimulated, and welcome.”

The bold and non-traditionally-shaped rugs were sourced from online retailer Jubi Rugs, all off-the-rack save for one being custom designed by Turley. “I’ve never seen anyone speak in color the way she does,” says Braverman.

All of the furniture chosen for the space is completely modular and adaptable, something that was paramount for Hamm, who hosts author talks, community workshops, and book clubs on a frequent basis. Everything can be moved at a moment’s notice, making way for whatever the occasion may require, such as the coffee table books displayed on a small stage.

“Community is the focal point of our value system at Kindred Stories; we do everything with community in mind,” says Hamm. “In our last space, we were limited in how we could be a third space for the community. We want you to come here because it feels like a safer haven, we definitely encourage it.”

Keeping things local, Hamm enlisted the help of longtime Kindred Stories supporter and artist Tay Butler to design the store’s show-stopping wallpaper. Inspired by his grandmother’s home, wardrobe, and hobbies (like reading), Butler chose to create a vintage-inspired background using polka dots and flowers, then overlaid the flowers with portraits of influential Black voices like Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka, Solange, the late Mayor Sylvester Turner, and many more. The prevalent “READ” printed beneath the portraits was inspired by the iconic posters from the 1960s.

“We knew we wanted to create dimension with some sort of print. Even in the midst of all the books, we still wanted a pop to ground the space,” says Hamm. “I really love flowers, so I knew I wanted it to have a floral print.”

Shoppers and fans of the wallpaper will be happy to learn that bookmarks with the soon-to-be-iconic print are gifted from the store with the purchase of a book. “[Butler] is a ferocious reader, and a huge fan and supporter of the store, so it’s nice. It brings us joy, so it has been really nice to make it transferable via the bookmark — to take joy with the book.”

Braverman executed the difficult task of creating a space that fulfills all of the following needs — for welcoming families with small children to read a book together; for people to come work on their laptops at the community table; and for enjoying cocktails at an evening workshop or author talk. Kindred Stories is playful and kitschy in all the right ways.

“It fell into this overarching narrative of creating something playful; you can’t do that just anywhere,” says Braverman. “This is a mess, but it’s awesome. I never once questioned it. The unintentional intentional, had-to-be, kind of ‘feel it’ design supported the narrative. It fits together beautifully.”

Kindred Stories is also proud to have partnered with another Black, female-owned local business. The gorgeous plants in the store are from Bree Clarke’s The Plant Project in the Heights. Feel free to shop plants along with books, tote bags, novelty pins, stickers, and more while sipping a latte from next door neighbor Rado Market. While employees’ tastes differ, they mostly choose popular 90s R&B to entertain themselves and guests of the store. Enjoy reading in a nook or working on your computer at the community table to tunes by Janet — Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty.

Photo by Claudia Casbarian

Stop by for one of the many author talks taking place on the stage.