A New Chapter for The Folded Leaf: Indie bookstore moves from Cedar to TC and becomes a nonprofit

Plus 25 book recs for summer reading!

Rachel Zemanek has dealt with her share of plot twists since opening a cozy, community-focused bookstore called The Folded Leaf in downtown Cedar in April 2025.

Zemanek, 34, hadn’t planned on being a bookseller until retirement. While she’s always loved reading—“I don’t go anywhere without a book in my bag or car,” she says—she had found fulfillment in her day job as a paramedic. But when a severe back injury sidelined her career, a fortuitous for-rent sign in a Cedar building inspired Zemanek to take the plunge into opening a bookstore.

“Only a crazy person gets into full-time retail without having any experience,” she says with a grin.

What followed was a whirlwind year in which The Folded Leaf quickly embedded itself in the Cedar community, becoming a beloved gathering place for book clubs, fundraisers, live events, and more. The Folded Leaf won a Best Small Business Award from the Michigan Small Business Development Center, and Zemanek was named to the Traverse City Business News’ annual 40Under40 list. Not bad for a first year in business.

But as quickly as the bookstore found success, it ran into building limitations that made holding live events impossible. The Folded Leaf was soon after forced to depart Cedar, eventually finding a new home in the Commongrounds Cooperative building on Eighth Street in Traverse City.

A New Home, A Fresh Start

It’s in this sun-dappled location in a building buzzing with energy—The Alluvion venue upstairs, the new Colibri Wine Bar down the hall, Montessori students around the corner, and full-time residents on the upper floor—that Zemanek is busy writing her next chapter.

“I have never felt so welcomed and embraced and supported than I have being in this building,” she says. “Almost every day, someone comes in and says, ‘We’re sorry for Cedar, but we’re so glad you’re here.’ The support has been incredible.” Zemanek says she could someday reopen a bookstore in Cedar—“I’m still having those conversations,” she says—but is focused now on next steps in Traverse City.

Those include reigniting a lively, diverse lineup of events, one of The Folded Leaf’s hallmarks. The July and August calendars include meetups like Books by the Glass—a “monthly literary gathering” at Colibri in which the book selections are paired with wines from around the world—and Second Breakfast Book Club, held on the second Saturday of each month at 10am where participants “try a recipe from a beloved book.” Zemanek also hosts “Stairytime” on the third Tuesday of each month at 3:30pm, where she reads themed stories to children on the stairs leading up to The Alluvion.

Author signings, writing circles, book clubs, and other community partnerships are also on deck. Zemanek is particularly excited about fall events in the works, including collaborations with the Traverse City National Writers Series and an October Interlochen Center for the Arts partner event featuring student author and singer Emilia Ramos. That event will feature both story and song and is “one of the most unique author events I’ve ever been part of,” says Zemanek, adding her goal is to host more events that blend the written word and other art forms.

“I would really like to become more of a community center, with the base of being a bookstore,” Zemanek explains. “I want to focus on youth literacy and community involvement. I’d love to get into nursing homes and reaching out to the elderly population to get them more engaged. I’m planning more free little libraries throughout the five-county region. I just want people to have access to books, and whatever way I can make that happen, I’ll do it.”

From Bookstore to Nonprofit

That mission prompted Zemanek to consider another major plot twist. With an indifferent shrug at profitability possessed by every true bookseller, Zemanek is preparing to convert The Folded Leaf into a nonprofit store.

“I don’t care if people spend money here in this space, because this business is about community and making sure everyone feels loved and supported,” she says. Zemanek adds, chuckling: “I’m a terrible business person. I’ll tell that to anyone. Which is one of the reasons I’m working on dissolving [the business side].”

The Folded Leaf already has a 501(c)(3) foundation—supported by 100 percent of the store’s used book sales—which houses initiatives like the Literacy Promise Project. That program, launching this fall, will pair high school students with younger students across northern Michigan to read a banned, challenged, or classic book together and complete a community improvement project based on the book’s themes.

The Literacy Promise Project is “emblematic of the work I do anyway, which is giving back as much income as I can,” says Zemanek. “So why not transition to a nonprofit and truly fulfill the mission of what I wanted to do in the first place? And that’s making literacy accessible and creating community.”

Zemanek announced the store's new nonprofit status this past week. She’s particularly focused on addressing child literacy, noting that Michigan is 44th in the nation for fourth-grade reading.

“That’s abysmal,” she says. “I don’t think we’re going to go from 44 to 1 just because of my little foundation, but who knows what the future holds?” She’s also optimistic about the future of books and bookselling, despite a survey by polling firm YouGov in 2025 that found that 40 percent of U.S. adults reported not reading a single book during the year.

Still, about “422 new indie bookstores opened in 2025,” Zemanek says. “The Folded Leaf was one of them. So was Artemis,” another woman-owned Traverse City bookstore.

Even in a digital age, with booksellers facing challenges ranging from Amazon’s dominance to the rise of AI in publishing, “being in community with each other is still so important,” says Zemanek. “You see that especially in the book community. One thing I don’t think will ever change is our need for connection and truth. And there’s no better way to connect, in truth and in community, than by picking up a book.”

Book Recommendations

Speaking of picking up a book, here are a few of Zemanek’s favorites for readers of every age and genre.

Picture Books

1. The Outermost Mouse by Lauren Wolk and illustrated by Kristen Adam: A sweet story of a brave mouse who loves their home.

2. A Horse Called Now by Ruth Doyle and illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey: This book is a great example of how we can never let our fears get the better of us.

3. The Flock We Found by Mary Reaves Uhles: A story of how a found family is powerful and strong, especially when we are weak and scared.

4. It Feels Good to Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn and illustrated by Noah Grigni: Being yourself is powerful, beautiful, and something to be proud of.

5. Book Comes Home by Rob Sanders and illustrated by Micah Player: This story is a reminder that books, no matter their title, are powerful.

Middle Grade

6. The Story of Gumluck and the Dragon’s Eggs by Adam Rex: Friendship, understanding, and a little adventure can go a long way.

7. Elle Campbell Wins Their Weekend by Ben Kahn: No matter the day, you are always in control of your feelings.

8. Asking for a Friend by Ronnie Riley: This book is a great story about how being true to yourself and honest with others is the real path to meaningful friendships.

9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander: Adventure and magic are all around us.

10. The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris: Being weird and a misfit is a great way to find your people.

Young Adult/Crossover

11. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson: Loss and love are to be celebrated because grief shows us that we had something amazing in our lives.

12. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini: You can do anything you set your mind to, including saving the world and creating a family full of love, protection, and peace.

13. The Astral Library by Kate Quinn: For any bookworm who has ever wanted to jump into the pages headfirst.

14. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan: Go against the trends! Find your joy and follow it.

15. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst: Sometimes the most broken things turn out to be the most beautiful. 

Adult Fiction 

16. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: Finding yourself means losing yourself sometimes.

17. Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time by Tracy Higley: There is always something that you can give that will be a true benefit to the world.

18. The Lilac People by Milo Todd: Strength is found in love. History, even the worst parts, is important and truth is vital to survival.

19. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: You can either allow yourself to be buried by grief or set free by it. Embrace life in all of its pain, mishaps, and sudden changes

20. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Strength. Honor. Truth. Change. It’s on you.

Adult Nonfiction

21. Invisible Women by Criado Perez: How have we embraced a society that tells us that the origin of life is to be subdued instead of lifted up and celebrated?

22. A Time to Gather by Bruce Feiler: Friendship, gathering, and community will see us through. 

23. Not All Boys Are Blue by George M. Johnson: Be true to yourself and never let the bastards get you down. We are stronger than we think and braver than we know.

24. Shared Abundance by Diane Connors: Strength in community will show us the way forward, if we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and open to the possibilities.

25. The Way of the Rose by Clark Strand and Perdita Finn: Sometimes the story we’ve been told is bigger and deeper than we realize.

 

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