LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s hard to find a classic novel Clare Wallace hasn’t read. “I was in the Peace Corps, and there was no cable or anything there or internet at the time, so I read a lot in the Peace Corps,” said Wallace.  

What You Need To Know

  • The Rosewater is a used bookstore in south Louisville 

  • The bookstore provides assistance and resources for neighbors in crisis

  • It is volunteer powered

  • Books and furniture in the store were donated by community members 

Wallace is the executive director of South Louisville Community Ministries, which provides emergency help and advocacy for low-income neighbors in crisis.

SLCM, in partnership with The Book Works, an organization that connects young adults to education and employment, opened a used bookstore called The Rosewater in 2020. People in the neighborhood donated every book, toy and piece of furniture in the store. 

“You never know what you’re going to get in a donation, so I love going through the books that come through. It’s one of my favorite things to do,” said Wallace. “Sometimes you’ll have notes or recipes or old bookmarks or photos from people who’ve donated the book.” 

Wallace says The Rosewater operates on a for-profit model, for a not-for-profit mission. Every dollar the store earns goes back into the community. 

“South Louisville Community Ministries provides emergency assistance for neighbors in crisis, so that typically looks like making sure that their basic needs are covered, so that’s rent utilities, food, clothing, diapers, etc.,” said Wallace. 

The Rosewater prides itself in being a space for social inclusion for all neighbors and helping people re-enter the workforce. 

“If anybody’s read Harry Potter or seen the movies, it’s kind of like that room of requirement. Whatever the community needs, we hope to create space for it,” said Wallace. 

Wallace says neighbors who donate their time to volunteer in the store or their books are proof of what is possible when neighbors look out for each other.  

“The donor, the purchaser and the person who’s being helped, may never know each other, but to understand that you’re surrounded by people who do care about what happens to you, there’s nothing more beautifully human that I can think of,” said Wallace. 

It’s a bookstore for the community, from the community offering some things that can’t be stored on a shelf. 

The Rosewater accepts gently used books any time the store is open. Financial donations will go directly to supporting south Louisville neighbors.

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