E. Shaver Events: Inside the Local Bookstore’s Bustling Community
Written by Laura Sands. Photographed by Laura Sands.
E. Shaver, a local Savannah bookstore with two locations (one off Bull Street and one in the Starland District), four cats, and walls full of typewritten notes, has been a huge part of the community since its opening in 1975.
Esther and Ed Shaver, both business owners, sold their businesses after visiting Savannah on their honeymoon and bought what would soon become E. Shaver Booksellers, a town staple.
Now, roughly 50 years later, E. Shaver is just as vital to the community, organizing multiple events each week and providing a third space for many. Jenn Pentreath, the event’s coordinator, organizes most of these events, and through her passion for connection, books, and community, she helps the bookstore build a flourishing network throughout Savannah.
Pentreath has always been an avid booklover and networker. She began by hosting a book club called the Silent-Ish Book Club in Starland Yard, where she would have local artists and vendors pop up at her events. Previously established, E. Shaver became a book vendor at her events, and then eventually hired her as their outreach coordinator. Now she describes her job as creating the events that “build and bring community to the bookstore. Bookstores have such a strong community on their own, so I do fun events for the people who are enjoying that and bring new people in.”
These events include book clubs, craft nights, dinner parties, and more. Pentreath says she does a lot of promotion for these events on social media, but the real key is word of mouth. “Savannah is such a relationship-based community. So going out to different places, meeting different people, attending different events, being out there, and talking to people is a way you can really get information out there. Savannah, itself, is just a Venn diagram of overlapping and overlapping. It’s a small community, but that makes it feel strong and connected.”
Obviously, this community’s small talk brings people to E. Shaver and these events, but the importance of this book lover community is greater than consumption. Pentreath explores the critical need for community, saying, “In this world, crazy stuff is happening, and I think it’s nice to really reel into your small community to be able to find that support and touch base with each other. It feels good to be a part of something in the day now, when so many things feel politically and socially discombobulated. It’s nice to have this awesome little group of book lovers that you can be with and sometimes escape.”
E. Shaver is the epitome of small-town connections, and as it branches out between small businesses through word of mouth, it also collaborates on some of those events. For example, literary-themed dinner parties are regularly hosted at Flora and Fauna on Bull Street, including Poe, Hemingway, and Emily Dickinson-themed parties. Pentreath’s favorite event she hosted was one of these dinners, “a murder mystery that she scripted and wrote from start to finish.”
While there are dozens of events coming up at both locations, there are a few that Pentreath recommends keeping a keen eye out for, including the Hemingway Dinner party in June, beaded bracelets and bag charms craft night with a local artist, Lou Bangle, and yoga events.
The most unparalleled event to look out for on May 16 is “Smut and Mutts,” a partnership with the local Renegade Rescue to get dogs adopted. The pups wear Regency-style costumes for the event, and the bookstore hands out Renaissance-themed smut books.
E. Shaver also hosts author talks and countless book clubs of all genres. Some of the events do charge an entry fee, especially the craft nights, but being in this welcoming space full of like-minded people makes it worth it.
Coming to these events in such a well-established community can be scary, especially as a college student who is still learning the ropes of Savannah, but Pentreath eases the stress by explaining that, “A lot of people come solo, which is a nice thing, so you can easily sit down and make friends. Having that interest in wanting to go to that type of event is already one little connection you have with the person sitting next to you. You already have one connection with everybody sitting in that room; chances are you’re going to have more.”
“Something nice about the bookish community in general now is that if you want to be a little introverted, it’s okay,” she continued. “If you want to sit there and read at one of my events and not have a conversation with people, that’s okay. But if you want to sit there and chat to somebody about what they’re reading, that’s okay too.”
The Shavers and Pentreath see the need for community in Savannah. The need for a connection with other small businesses and consumers. Pentreath’s goal is to “make E. Shaver feel welcoming, with people coming in who enjoy reading.”
With a plethora of events of all kinds, there is a place for everyone in this bookstore. E. Shaver started as a homey community of two and, throughout the years, became a space for so many more connections to be made.
