Life + Arts

BOOK CLUB: Montrose nook promotes art

Domy Books on Westheimer Road specializes in contemporary alternative culture.

Russell Etchen, the manager of Domy Books Houston, founded the store in 2006 with the store’s owner and two friends out of a converted house.’

Etchen said that the store got its name because from a foreign word for ‘home.’

‘ ‘Our goal is to be more than a bookstore-be more like a community space. A destination where people can go to get inspired and find gifts and be turned on to things that they might not be able to find at other places,’ Etchen said.’

The owner of Domy also owns Caf’eacute; Brasil next door, another Westheimer treasure. Recently, the owner opened another Domy Books location in Austin to service the large art scene there.

Etchen notes that Domy has ‘been really well-received,’ and he is not just self-promoting.’

Houston Press awarded Domy with the Best Toy Store 2007 award for their inventory of ‘specialty artist-designed toys’ and some of ‘the finest and most intricate toys imaginable.”

‘The store is full of things we’d like to see, but don’t. We travel (sometimes) and go to other cities and states that have interesting bookstores and curiosity shops that are stocking things we want to see in Houston and now in Austin, so it’s given us the ability to do that,’ Etchen said.

Etchen emphasized that the store is a curiosity shop, not a used bookstore, but they have goods at all prices. All classes of popular art aficionados can find something.’

‘The range of the things in the store is so varied. We appeal to young adolescent kids that are getting into art for the first time,’ Etchen said. ‘We also appeal to an older audience that is getting into something more and things out there that are a little more accessible and a little less challenging.”

Before creating Domy Books, the owner ran an art gallery called Mixture in the same location for six years and Domy was fashioned to make the store ‘into a space that was more accessible to more people,’ Etchen said.’

In the likeness of its preceding business, Domy often attempts to still serve the function of art gallery.’

On Friday Domy will be hosting its very own Pecha Kucha Night (chit chat night in Japanese), a gathering and exhibition of local graphics artists presenting 20 second art montages. The cash bar will open at 6 p.m. and the free presentations will begin at 7 p.m.

Domy also shows movies up to five nights a week and was nominated again by Houston Press for the Best Film Series of 2009 for its evening showings of a strong variety of artistic, funny, and intelligent films.’

Domy will show the new documentary Electric Purgatory: The Fate of the Black Rockers at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 24.’

Visit www.domystore.com for more information.

‘The inspiration was to have a place where we wanted to go, some place that didn’t exist. So we made it,’ Etchen said.

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