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Lillie, Megan, Zach and Manny became friends while working at a local bookstore. When they left, they found themselves missing the world of bookselling.
Of course, the four friends love reading. They love board games and they love comics. It makes sense that they started to dabble with the idea of opening a bookstore of their own — but they were craving something more.
“Megan just texted one day and was like, ‘Would you be interested in opening a bookstore but in a more collective, co-op way?’” Lillie says.
All four were tired of working in various jobs where hierarchies rule the way, leaving employees undervalued and ignored. If they were going to open a bookstore, they wanted it to be different, they wanted it to be meaningful and they wanted to avoid a traditional capitalist structure.
Together, they opened Homeward Books in a tiny space in January 2025. The store is a collective between the four friends where each share the same stake in the game. There’s no ladder with one person at the top. No one person is in charge of any one thing — they’re each in charge of it all, sharing skills and always making decisions as a group.
“We knew how to do this and we knew we could do it together,” Lillie says. “There’s no boss who makes all the decisions and tells people what to do and gets paid more. We’re all the workers and the owners and we do it together.”
“Everybody wins and everybody loses,” Zach says. “Any decision we make is not for one individual to prosper. We’re all working together to make the store more successful.”
Since opening, Homeward Books has become a space to find new and used books that you might not see on shelves elsewhere in Tucson, with a focus on BIPOC authors, social sciences and forward-thinking sci-fi. The bookshelves span genres and there are also sections for children’s books, comics and board games.
About a month ago, Homeward Books moved out of its teeny space at 3054 N. First Ave. and into a much larger storefront at 2921 E. Fort Lowell Rd. The book area tripled in size — and that doesn’t include a hidden events space in the back.
“It was the perfect starter spot and I don’t think we could’ve had anything better for a starter spot,” Megan says. “But if we wanted to grow and continue, we needed something bigger.”
Finding optimism in books
At its most simple, Lillie, Megan, Zach and Manny started Homeward Books because they each love books, comics and board games.
While Homeward Books is a lovely space for all of those things, the store is also a way for its founders to make a difference in our community.
“I think the political climate being what it is, providing access to information just felt very important to work toward. It felt like a very real and tangible and centering goal,” Megan says. “Books helped me stop spiraling. By learning the history and the context around it, you learn that (political problems) are not new. That access to context that provides a bigger perspective on where we are in the arch of history is very calming and stops the doomscrolling and the dread. You can read about how people have addressed these issues previously and how we can go forward from here instead of scrambling.”
“I want people to leave (the store) feeling optimistic. Like, ‘Oh, we can do things better. We can build something better. We can build things with our friends. We can fix the problems in our world and not just drown in them,’” Megan says. “I think we always talk about Homeward Books building better futures. I would love it if people left with that sense of forward momentum.”
Homeward Books sells both new and used books — a way to make reading a bit more affordable. And if you trade in your books, comics and games, you can get store credit worth 50% of what the shop sells your items for.
“I read a lot when I was younger and then I stopped. I only got back into reading a few years ago but you just feel better,” Zach says. “But there’s the accessibility issue, especially with inflation, everything is getting so expensive. It’s important that we have books here for people, but also that people aren’t priced out of them.”
Much of the books on the shelves are ones that Lillie, Megan, Zach or Manny want to pick up and read.
“We always said if the store is going to be for anybody, it’s for us. This is stuff we’re interested in, feel passionate about or just find really cool. We care about BIPOC voices and LGBTQ voices — these are voices that need to be out there,” Lillie says. “I want people to feel seen when they come in. I want people to see themselves reflected in what we carry and I also want people to feel safe. I want people to see something that makes them pause or think, ‘I’ve never seen that before. I’ve never considered that before.’ I want people to learn.”
Although there’s a little bit for everyone, Homeward Books has carved its own niche in Tucson’s bookstore scene. And the goal isn’t to be in competition with any other shop — it’s actually the opposite.
“There are other romance bookstores in Tucson, so let’s let them have that niche. Stacks Book Club has the finger on the pulse for all the hot new bestsellers — they’ve got it on lock so we don’t have to scramble to keep up with that,” Megan says. “I think this came out of initially how small our store was. We had to figure out what’s going to be in the spot that wasn’t anywhere else because we physically couldn’t have all of James Patterson on the shelves.”
Beyond the books, Homeward Books is a space for the community to gather. Their space is used for book clubs, sewing circles, Dungeons & Dragons lessons, yoga and crafts like bookbinding.
“The goal is to find a home in a bookstore. We’ve all had dreams of being in bookstores — working in bookstores, loving bookstores. We want to translate that to the customer,” says Zach who is the one who came up with the store’s name. “I’m not from Tucson and I was constantly looking for someplace to belong. ‘Homeward’ is not a static place but something you strive and look for. I find this place to be home — a place to be and feel seen.”
Books you might want to read
- Lillie’s favorite — “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison.
- Megan’s favorite — “Children of Time” by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
- Zach’s favorite — “Ancillary Justice” by Ann Leckie.
- Manny’s favorite — “Big” by Vashti Harrison.
📚 Homeward Books is located at 2921 E. Fort Lowell Rd. For more information, visit their website or Instagram page. 📖
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