I am Mario Gjata, born in Athens, Greece. I grew up in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a place known for its arts and colonial history. Like many immigrant parents, mine emphasized hard work and  education. Both came to the United States from Albania because they were drawn by the promise of economic opportunity. My parents are typical Albanian immigrants, hardworking and resilient. It is because of them that I want to use the opportunities I have to serve the public. I am now studying business at Temple University in Philadelphia and my future goals and accomplishments are very important to me. When I was a little boy, I began reading every book I could get my hands on. As I grew older I realized how important bookstores and libraries are to bringing people together. This even became clearer to me during my first year at Temple University. I found myself drawn to the new Charles Library, located at the center of the university. This beautiful building designed by the Swedish architecture firm Snøhetta, truly brings the Temple community together.

As fortune would have it at the end of my first year at Temple, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a wonderful author and a good friend, Mari Shaw, in the distribution of the books she wrote as well as beautiful art books from her bookshelf, her grandchildren Lucy and Solomon's bookshelves, and other books that came our way. This is our online bookstore and we hope you enjoy!