About Us

photo by Naomi Yang

Hello Books is a small independent bookstore in South Haven, MI, brought to you by Janice and Joe. We believe in the power of books to inspire, educate, empower, and delight. All are welcome at Hello Books, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, or disability.

Janice (she/her) is a life-long reader. As a youth, she consistently surpassed the guidelines set by the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program to score free pizzas. Early favorites included the Baby-Sitters Club series (she is a Claudia), the Weetzie Bat books, and biographies about The Beatles. Current favorites include the works of David Sedaris, Samantha Irby, and most music bios (even if she doesn’t like the band). She worked for a world-renowned graphic novel publisher for nearly a decade, and was a co-organizer of an annual small press festival in Seattle for three years.

Through his work as a tour manager Joe (he/him) has visited bookstores around the world. A favorite part of touring is finding a a bookstore to buy something to read while enjoying his morning pot of yogurt. Not a book collector, more impulsive than focused, he has managed to fill a room with more books than he’ll ever have time to read. Joe graduated from Western Michigan University where he took courses taught by Stuart Dybek, Ben Wilson, and Jamie Gordon.