'We try and have a really diverse selection,' says co-owner Alyx Myers. 'One of my favorite things to say is that everyone deserves to see themselves well represented in a book they love, and so we hope to help people find that in our store.'
The store describes itself as 'a bookstore for weirdos and others.' Its name, according to Myers, derives from the thistle, a 'prickly plant' that includes the artichoke, and nightshade, which 'tends to be like a deadly plant, like poisons, belladonna, that sort of a thing, but it's also stuff like eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes. We sort of love that mix of like, it's a little wicked, it's a little silly, it can be resilient, but still fun and joyful.'
'One of the most powerful parts of a story,' says Myers, 'is finding myself when I couldn't really find it other places. I think it's also taught me a lot about perspectives that are different from mine, because just hearing a story from someone who has had a totally different life experience from you, but seeing through their eyes, through the story that they tell, whether that be nonfiction or fiction, I think it really connects people and opens your mind to like new ways of thinking.'
Thistle & Nightshade is located at 5365 Mae Anne Ave #A38, Reno, and at thistle-nightshade.com.
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Support for 'Arts on the Airwaves' comes from The Nevada Arts Council… a state agency that provides public funding and support to artists and organizations, that benefit Nevadans in cities and rural communities statewide. More at NVArtsCouncil.org.
