A new bookstore is landing soon in Falls Church, but it’s not any old mainstream shop. The Dark, Unbound will be a “uniquely atmospheric” new community gathering place, with a special emphasis on fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and the metaphysical.
Longtime friends (and now co-owners) Annette Gumm and Margaret Nguyen say the project stemmed from a “long-lived love of books.” After they each left careers in IT, the two friends decided to make the dream a reality.
“It’s going to be quirky. It’s not going to be like any other bookstore that anyone has ever walked into,” Nguyen says.
The store will occupy the space that was formerly Dominion Camera, at 112 W. Broad St. in Falls Church. As the co-owners work through the permitting and construction process, they aim to open the store by late July or early August.
This will become the only independent bookstore in Falls Church, filling the gap left by Hole in the Wall Books, which closed in 2019.
Reading List
So what’s on the shelves? Nguyen says that the stock will primarily be used books, with a focus on speculative fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, and horror genres. Many titles came from the owners’ personal collections, while others have been collected specifically for the shop.
Beyond those fiction genres, a selection of books will focus on spirituality and the metaphysical, topics that the owners found themselves exploring as they left their corporate jobs. “We’ve curated a pretty good selection of books around that as well. So, everything from yoga, some massage, Tantra connections,” Gumm says.
The emphasis will be on a thoughtfully curated selection of books, with careful attention to inclusivity and diversity. That means a key focus on female, Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and international authors, among others.
“You can go to any bookstore, whether it’s an indie or a regular one, and find what’s most popular, and find what’s trending on BookTok, and find the things that everyone else is reading. But that’s not all that’s out there,” Nguyen says. “One of our focus areas is making sure that we’re providing accessibility to people, to the authors that they can’t find, that they aren’t hearing about on BookTok but are really fabulous authors.”
Other Merchandise
Beyond the bookshelves, visitors will find a selection of retail items that fit with the store’s theme, like tarot cards, crystals, and sage sticks. “We’ll also have things that sort of fit with the fantastical side of the books, like fairy stuff, dragons – lots of dragons – and some of that may be in statue form and some may be in bookend form,” Gumm says. “Curated merchandise that sort of fits with the genres that we’re looking at.”
A Place for the Community
The owners also say that The Dark, Unbound will be a place for the community to gather. Think comfortable seating, a welcoming atmosphere, and snacks and coffee for visitors.
They want to “allow people to have their own cups of tea and be able to sit in our big comfy, plush chairs and couches and enjoy themselves and read a book while they’re sitting here,” Gumm says.
They’re also planning to host events in the space. Some of those will be literary, like author talks and signings, plus book clubs (possibly even silent book clubs, Nguyen says.) Other events might include drum circles or card readings.
And in all of this, Nguyen and Gumm value accessibility — physical accessibility within the store, as well as accessibility of price and information. “We want everyone to feel welcome,” Nguyen says.
Feature image courtesy The Dark, Unbound/Instagram
