Manga Manga, a small bookshop nestled along Hamilton Avenue, now has an even smaller store-within-a-store inside: The Little Tiny Bookshop.
Launched in February of this year, The Little Tiny Bookshop functions in two ways. First, it’s a literal small bookstore offering itsy-bitsy (but still legible) books and cutesy merchandise. Second, it specializes in custom orders. If you want a new book (tiny or not!), you can order it through The Little Tiny Bookshop and pick it up at Manga Manga, ship it or get it hand delivered locally by owner C. Jacqueline Wood.
“When I look back at my life, I’ve always loved tiny things, and I’ve always loved tiny books,” says Wood. During the interview, Wood brings out a bag and pulls out three vintage copies of the Ant and Bee books. As a child, her dad would buy her books in the series at the now-closed downtown Queen City Books, and she has cherished them ever since.
“I have little mugs. I have a little fake fruit collection,” says Wood as she reaches in the bag to pull out one last item. “Another little thing that I brought to show you my love of little things is my little projector. It’s actually a little pencil sharpener. It’s a prized possession I got from a vintage shop in Austin, Texas.”
These items all inspired the design and curation of The Little Tiny Bookshop, a whimsical and colorful experience held within a cabinet behind doors printed with black-and-white bookish icons in Manga Manga’s hallway.
“I have these wonderful memories of my dad taking me to stores,” says Wood. “[Manga Manga] is just a place where people are making memories. That is what The Little Tiny Bookshop is, in a way.”
Open the cabinet doors of The Little Tiny Bookshop and you’ll find books, greeting cards, notebooks, stationary and more –– all 4-by-6 inches or smaller. (The store does not stock miniatures, only tiny-but-functional items).
“During this time, where the world feels a little out of control, it was nice to have this project to work on that was very small and manageable,” says Wood. “That’s a theme with this project: It’s a reminder to think about the small things and to take care of your tiny piece of the world.”
The other arm of The Little Tiny Bookshop is custom ordering. Think of it as a local alternative to Amazon. Whether you want manga or a novel, head to littletinybookshop.com and fill out the order form. All you need to provide is the title, author and your preference of a paperback or hardback copy. The LTB team will get back to you with a price estimate and it goes from there. You can pick up your order at Manga Manga, get it locally delivered (for ZIP codes 45224, 45223, 45220 and 45219) or ship it.
“When you get a book delivered, which is free to some ZIP codes within the 275-belt loop, you know who’s going to be delivering it: Me, my baby and my dog,” laughs Wood. “We’re going to be driving around on the days when the shop is closed and dropping books off to people.”
While they are not faster or cheaper than big corporations, what Manga Manga and The Little Tiny Bookshop can offer is face-to-face service. Wood cites a recent review, saying that the customer almost bought her book from Amazon, but ultimately opted to order from her.
Wood reads part of the review aloud, laughing that she hopes she doesn’t cry: “I’ve hugged my book all night. I’m so in love with it… Thank you again. It’s always a great experience coming to Manga Manga and now The Little Tiny Bookshop.”
Wood views The Little Tiny Bookshop as adding to the store’s overall mission to connect people with each other. Beyond Manga Manga, Wood says that Cincinnati is lucky to have a wealth of neighborhood bookstores.
“When you pay full price for something at an independently owned store, what you are actually paying for is the place to exist,” says Wood. “I want to urge people to not just focus on the actual item they are buying, but the experience they are having and to support the people who made that experience possible. If consumers would flip their thinking and look at it that way, no small business would ever have to close.”
The Little Tiny Bookshop (inside of Manga Manga), 5908 Hamilton Ave., College Hill. More info: littletinybookshop.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s March 19 print edition.
This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 2, 2025.