MILWAUKEE — In an era where digital screens run our lives, Lion's Tooth, a small bookshop in Bay View, is hoping you'll come in and pick up a physical book. And if you do — you'll discover many things you can't find online.
"In Portuguese, lion's tooth, is dandelion. Dente de leao, which means lion's tooth, literally."
The name, the owners say, is a nod to this new venture and their second chapter in life, similar to a dandelion turning white.
"That's when it starts to throw its seeds around and we feel like that's kind of like the phase that we're in," explained Cris Siqueria, who had a previous career as a filmmaker. She co-owns the shop alongside Shelly McClone-Carriere, who started Milwaukee's Riverwest Co-op.
"I think the most important thing that we've done, is from day one, having decided to be a mission driven bookstore — so we're not just a business," added Siqueria.
That mission is to support local, independent artists. And their work fills all four corners of the colorful shop. "Musicians, authors, poets, print makers, comics. A lot of the stuff we carry you can't find a lot of other places," added McClone-Carriere.
It's how the pair hopes to set Lion's Tooth apart because launching a bookstore in the digital age isn't easy.
"It's constantly people coming in and saying, 'I've walked past here for the past two years and I've never stopped in," said McClone-Carriere. But she added that she feels as if the buzz about Lion's Tooth is starting to grow louder.
The bookstore opened in March of 2021.
"I am so proud of us," McClone-Carriere continued with a smile. "It's been a lot of hard work, a lot of fun work."
And that work will continue, as long as the community can show Lion's Tooth the same type of support that comes pouring out of it.
"We don't have any employees," pointed out Siqueria. This is our livelihood and we go months without cashing a check. So, it's hard. It's not easy for any bookstore."
Right now, the shop is taking applications for it's next artist-in-residence, as part of the Dandelion Comics Residency. That person will work to produce an original mini comic. The competition is judged by well-respected professionals in the industry. "The idea is to give these people who are in the industry, nationwide, a snippet of what is going on in comics in Milwaukee," said Siqueria. "The reason we do this is because we want the cartoonists to have an incentive to apply even if they're not chosen."
Click here to find information about the artist-in-residence application process.
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