A Conversation with Max Fleisher, Ginkgo Bookshop

It was the physical space, brimming with affordable books and layers of bookselling history that drew him in during his freshman year in college. The compelling energy and stories contained in a local bookshop sparked the relationship between Max Fleisher and the shop he would eventually reimagine and co-found as a cooperative bookstore. At the time University of Virginia (UVA) undergrad and Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS-MN) graduate Max began his acquaintance with the space, the bookstore operated as Heartwood Bookshop, a well-loved local shop opened in 1975. Max routinely visited to buy books and converse with long-term shop owner, ABAA Member, Paul Collinge. Over time, Max developed professional ties to Paul, growing increasingly inspired by the independent bookselling business model Heartwood represented. When the reality that Heartwood might close shop moved from a distant potential to an imminent possibility, Max and fellow students-turned-bookshop-owners Miles Miskill and Molly Canipe realized they could keep the shop open collectively, by implementing a shared business model.

Their idea for a creating a collective bookshop in the Heartwood space faced skepticism: the group received feedback opining that a collective model was not practical or possible. Some held the perspective that adopting this approach successfully was out of reach. Max maintained his belief that "young people could do this and do it well. They can be involved in physical books, invested in a well-oiled book store becoming a new entity but with history and grounding, and still function at the same level (as Heartwood)." As they put the pieces together and saw that available funding could allow them to feasibly realize the plan they believed in, the group pulled a scrappy, middle of the night move, transforming the business that was Heartwood overnight. Heartwood closed on Dec 31, 2025 and reopened the morning of Jan 1st, 2026, as Ginkgo Bookshop.

While the initial overnight business transformation was complete, it was clear that running the shop required longer-term learning. Max, who currently holds the role of bookseller on a team of four co-founders with different specialties at Ginkgo Bookshop, had previously participated in book scouting trips with Paul, but recognized that learning the skills to scout on his own would be more complicated. As he built knowledge on buying trips alongside Paul, opportunities to find and collect items of special local interest helped ground Max in the practicalities of book and material acquisition. On a scouting visit, Max and Paul viewed the collection of a prominent local activist, and found a historic genealogical board game representing African American Charlottesville. Max describes how the experience of finding the game helped hone and develop collecting skills and also reinforced how community connection is prioritized by Ginkgo Bookshop. The "board game was really cool, because it was tied to community and tied to local political power." By ultimately providing this game to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (Jefferson School) they were able to add a small piece of history to their local heritage archive and expand Ginkgo Bookshop's community ties.

Max also acquired bookselling skills at the Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS-MN) which he characterizes as "first and foremost an important place for making connections," emphasizing that he's received "an outpouring of support with people he's built relationships with there, including faculty who've visited the shop." He characterizes the training at the Seminar as a serious, professional approach to books, materials and bookselling, providing knowledge which helps him feel more confident in his ability to co-lead his bookshop. He mentions how the Seminar places everyone on equal footing, whether you are a young bookseller or an experienced one, for shared learning in a "non-intimidating space, removing that patina of rare and antiquarian books as specialized, and removing stigma from a field that's been historically saturated with wealth and instead looking at how to develop a cohesive collection."

As Ginkgo Bookshop develops and coheres their community vision, they are defining the shop as a third space: welcoming to the university and local residents alike. As a university town, Charlottesville slows down in summer, providing opportunities to build relationships with local residents. "People of Charlottesville really care about books," Max explains, sharing that Ginkgo Bookshop is invested in "proving that we care about people who live here as much as students and faculty." To do this, they've implemented expansive programming, including transforming the shop into an afterhours non-corporate multi-genre musical performance space. With bookshelves and big library tables on wheels, they can reimagine the space flexibly to include creative event programming. This approach and the evening music events, according to Max, have generated "lines down the block, " bringing in audiences who don't typically visit the bookstore. For Max, "the best part is when people come back the next day," after having seen an appealing book on the shelf during a show or with curiosity about what the bookshop does during regular bookselling hours.

As an innovative, DIY space at the core, the shop works with varied audiences to hold poetry and prose readings, teachings, slams and writing workshops, including an upcoming Poe-themed event planned for fall. Their stock reflects this interdisciplinary creative emphasis, with texts on topics including history, social science, literary fiction, mysteries and textbooks, alongside local and regional zines. An emphasis on learning about customer and employee interests and carrying the items people are passionate about, "has made the space feel full of life," Max says. Because Ginkgo Bookshop is entirely run by UVA students, the current team anticipates a process of designing and implementing store handoff to a new cohort of leaders next year when the current student co-founders graduate. They'll include institutional knowledge in the transition to ensure continuity of vision while allowing the new bookshop leadership cohort to expand and refine their model. When this change occurs, Max will transition to the board, noting that, in the future "we hope to establish a scholarship fund to send a staff person to the Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS-MN) each year." The aspiration is that this pay-it-forward approach will promote a sustained and innovative local bookselling model for years to come.

Ginkgo Bookshop, founded January 2026, is grounded in the mission to provide a space where engagement with literature and community are combined for the goal of collectively imagining better futures. This imaginal invitation is intended to center and connect the literary and local communities in Charlottesville with the student, staff and faculty of the University of Virginia (UVA). As a student-run endeavor, non-profit Ginkgo Books is well-positioned to serve as a community space linking the university and the city.

Interview with Max Fleisher, Ginkgo Books Co-founder

Written by Jeanne Dodds, ABSF Administrative Director