My name is Shawn Clark and I was born and raised in Glenside, just off of Keswick Ave. You could say the Weldon Swiss Cheese is in my blood - probably literally, given my bizarre obsession with it and how much time I spent there. I would lose hours looking at the lobsters at Fruit & Stuff, buying candy at the Honey Bee, and speed-walking past the Slick Duck to go to the original Glen Dobbins on Keswick, the beloved ice cream store my parents Ed & Dottie owned. I ate a ton of bubble gum ice cream and yes, I braved the spumoni flavor.
But my true love was reading. Opening a bookstore has been my dream since I was a kid, ever since I haunted the little used shop on Keswick Ave, waiting for someone to drop off a Sweet Valley High. When I moved to New York, the first place I went was The Strand, on what was once called “Book Row.” Surrounded by countless bookstores, I felt at home. Libraries were my refuge too - first in Glenside (the smell of the Gside Library is old paper and 80s microfiche), and later in NYC, where my favorite was the Lincoln Center Library (smells like money). So, after a lifetime of music, stories, daydreams, and secretly loving the smell of libraries and bookshops, I’m finally making this a reality.
Yes, Tom Clark is my brother. So is EJ. My parents are Ed & Dottie. You probably know us.
My favorite books:
Anything by Cormac McCarthy and Hemingway
Calvin & Hobbes - Bill Watterson
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
I Must Say - Martin Short
Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
The Body - Stephen King
The Sweet Valley High series - Francine Pascal
Lost & Found - Oliver Jeffers
Little Owl's Night - Divya Srinivasan
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Once upon a time, I was a glamorous singer in a big, magical town called New York City. For over 20 years, I owned and directed Lapis Luna, one of the tri-state’s most beloved jazz groups — not a small feat for a woman in a male-dominated field. We performed for presidents, celebrities, and the most wonderful normals you could ever meet. Life on the road was thrilling, but books were my secret fuel. I read constantly, and survived by eating books.
For my next act, I’m bringing that lifelong love of reading to my hometown of Glenside. In 2026, I’ll be opening a cozy book nook: hangout, sanctuary, whimsy enclave, and excuse for me to stop pretending my book problem is under control.
