Russh Magazine

David Kramer (yep, Elke’s brother) owns the best bookstore in LA. He also has the best hair in LA. And that’s a pretty big call. Hair’s a big deal in LA.

Hey David, tell me a bit about the Family bookstore. What’s the concept behind it?
Basically Family is a bookstore where we've collected all the new books we like. It's a smallish store, but we've tried to pull in a pretty broad range, so everything from zines, artist's books, monographs, to contemporary literature. We don't really have an ideology but I think there's some kind of cohesive feeling between all these disparate things. We also have a space connected where we host artist projects and events, from artist slideshows to bands.

Why did you choose to open it here in LA as opposed to say New York, or Nantucket?
Before I made the decison I did some research and asked people in LA who I respected and they all assured me it would be a good move. There are certainly benefits for Family being in LA compared to other cities - I don't think we'd ever be able to afford something the size we have in a place like NYC. The atmosphere in LA is also pretty open to weird stuff - there's something of a tradition for nurturing these kinds of things.

How would you spend your ideal day off in LA?
Wake up at 2pm. Eat Mexican food in Boyle Heights. Maybe swim at Zuma beach. Go to Kushmart right by the Hollywood YMCA. Play basketball at YMCA with pals. Movie at Arclight or Silent Movie Theatre.