Enjoy 50% off select gifts and specialty foods at our Annual Summer Sidewalk Sale, July 31 thru August, while supplies last!
Mission and Values
Mission and Values
Our mission and values are the beliefs that define and guide us—from our relationship and interactions with our customers, colleagues, and community to our selection of books, gifts, events, and now delectable food and beverages.
Our Mission
To foster community through the written word, represent a diverse range of voices and histories, and inspire conversations that alter and enrich lives.
Our Values
Every day we strive to...
Enhance our Community
For almost sixty years, we have found our home in Coolidge Corner, sinking our roots deep into this extraordinary community we love. Throughout that time, we have committed to being innovative, responsive, and nimble to serve our community as a welcoming, comfortable gathering place to explore and discover stories, culture, and global perspectives, during good times as well as challenging ones.
Community is at the heart of who we are. We welcome the community to our comfortable refuge to discover and connect. We expand the community conversation by sharing our point-of-view. We reinforce our community by partnering with book clubs, teachers, librarians, seniors, and local organizations such as:
Bicycle Benefit / Boston Public Library / Brookline Arts Center / The Brookline Chamber of Commerce / Clear Flour Bakery / Coolidge Corner Theater / Curds & Co / GrubStreet / Rian Immigrant Center / WBUR / WGBH / WUMB
We support our community by offering book donations for underserved populations and significant discounts for surrounding schools. We enrich a variety of organizations and institutions throughout our wider community by curating book collections that feature diverse voices. We help local organizations doing vital work in our community to achieve their mission. Through these efforts, we have worked closely with:
Boston 826 / Brookline Food Pantry / The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health / The Public Schools of Brookline / Roxbury Prep
In our customer’s words:
“They hold the neighborhood together.”
“The fact that the Booksmith is usually the busiest place in town says volumes about what that place means to our community.”
Share our Passion for Books
Our warm and knowledgeable booksellers use their connection to, knowledge of, and experience with the written word to get the best books into our customers’ hands.
In our customer’s words:
“They have curatorial expertise with books that people rely on.”
“They open new doors to reading lives.”
Celebrate Diverse Voices
We honor a wide range of voices and ideas and are active stewards in making them accessible to our community and beyond.
In our customer’s words:
“They have interesting books that give you insight into what the discussion is locally and in the world.”
“They have a really great range, from bestsellers to serious literature.”
Build reciprocal relationships
Booksellers, giftsellers, buyers, and customers listen to each other daily, sharing interests, experiences, local knowledge, and global themes. We reflect each other as we rise, adapt, and evolve together.
In our customer’s words:
“They are like someone I’d like to hang out with because I enjoy the pulse they have on the community.”
“They are free, open & receptive but firm in who they are and what they think.”
Inspire meaningful conversation
We foster dialogue on important issues and differing opinions. We believe when people come together for conversation, they grow and learn and change.
In our customer’s words:
“The store reflects…ideals, and engagement…The way they expand the conversation is amazing.”
“TLS has expanded my whole perspective. I have learned empathy and how to walk in others’ shoes.”