The importance of teaching and instilling in children a reading habit has become increasingly important, especially now that many parents prefer to distract them with cell phones and tablets. Reading is one of those practices that really forge our personality, that provides us with knowledge and transports us to other worlds that captivate us, entertain us and make us feel new emotions. 

Do you remember the first books you read? Or the first ones that marked your childhood or puberty? These kinds of memories are the ones that become part of us and lead us to discover new authors, new adventures and new ways of seeing life. 

Bookstores are thus portals to other dimensions, where possibilities are multiplied and where our curiosity is awakened and satisfied at the same time. One such space is Garrison & Garrison, a small family bookstore located in the San Rafael neighborhood, founded in 2007 when Michelle Garrison realized that there were not enough books in English in SMA for her daughter and many other children of parents living here to read. 

This is how an enterprise dedicated to promoting reading began, not only among children but also among teenagers, with an offer that now also includes books in Spanish. In addition, G&G became a cultural center where people have been able to enjoy storytelling, poetry readings and other activities that enrich SMA's cultural offering, all in a family-friendly, warm and empathetic space. 

In such a critical time as the one we live in, it is necessary to look at local and independent-spirited businesses, especially those dedicated to art and culture, because it is there where the next thinkers and intellectuals develop. Take a stroll through Garrison & Garrison and we promise that you will leave with more than one book in your hand and a smile.