Meet Chanthal Harris, Owner of Old Town’s New Horror & Sci-Fi Bookstore
The bookstore is as much about community and storytelling as it is about books.
Alexandria, VA – If you expect the owner of a spooky/horror bookstore to be a moody, goth figure, Chanthal Harris will surprise you. Chanthal is vivacious, funny, and not a bit scary. She is passionate about books, community, and storytelling. Her bookstore, The Long Dark House, opened on September 5. It carries books in the horror, scary, and science fiction genres.
“I got into horror as a child,” Chanthal recalls. “My Mom was into scary and my Dad was into sci-fi. Scaring each other is a fun memory,” she laughs. “Scaring people was my love language!”
In elementary school, Chanthal remembers reading books like Goosebumps and Scary Stories You Tell in the Dark. But she read all books in all genres. In 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades she won the reading competition at school. “I couldn’t stop reading. I loved books and couldn’t read them fast enough,” she remembers.
She grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina and then lived for some time in Alaska. “There was a sense of adventure. The summers were beautiful, but I couldn’t do the snow and darkness in winter.”
After spending time in Colorado and Massachusetts, Chanthal eventually moved to DC where she instantly felt at home. She started an online shop called: Hemlock and Hearth, “a small batch fragrance studio rooted in memory, mood, and story.” Through Hemlock and Hearth Chanthal created a community, and she was getting closer to her dream of opening a bookstore. She traveled the world and visited bookstores in Germany, Japan, China, and other countries. “I would find good bookstores the way I’d find a good restaurant.”
“There is nothing that gives me more joy than a book!” she exudes.
When Chanthal decided to open a bookstore, she naturally went with what she calls her “comfort genre”: scary, horror and sci-fi. As for those not inclined toward the scary, The Long Dark House will have a starter section, to help onboard readers who have never read in this genre.
“Even if it’s not your genre, give it a chance!” Chanthal says. “Horror is misunderstood. It allows you to explore the human condition. It teaches empathy.” Chanthal reads other genres as well, especially history and social science. But most weeks she is reading three books in the spooky or sci-fi genre.
The bookstore is as much about community and storytelling as it is about books. Chanthal is passionate about building a community. “I envision a place where people will feel free to drop in, even if they don’t buy anything.” There will be a couch and chairs for reading and for book clubs. And in the future, there will be coffee. “I have fun ideas for all we can do, and I will announce those the first week we open.”
If opening a bookstore were not enough, Chanthal plans to launch an independent publishing house (Name TBA) in October. “The publishing house is my passion project. I want to be a cornerstone for upcoming writers.” There will be collaboration between the bookstore and the publishing house; a place where Chanthal will give new writers an opportunity to showcase their talent.
The publishing house, like the bookstore, and like books themselves, are what give Chanthal “joy,” a word that shows up often in our conversation.
The Long Dark House, 1510 King Street, is also sharing space with Madame Coco Emporium, which sells chocolates, tea, and “curated curiosities.”
Come for the chocolate. Come for the books. Come for the community. Come for the experience. “I hope that people love it as much as I do.”
