Ante Books: a bet on the community

Since opening in June, Ante Books and Creative Studio in McAllen has brought a sense of community to the local literary and art scene, becoming a destination to nab a rare find or take part in a creative workshop and fostering a vibrant cultural scene.

“‘Ante’ [means] a bet that everyone makes in a game of poker initially, so without knowing, like, what cards you’re dealt, which is kind of like life, like, you make with what you have,” store owner Selena Herrera said. “And you just decide what path you want to take … and that’s what I’m doing here with Ante Books.”

Herrera said her vision for Ante Books goes beyond just selling books. It is about fostering a creative hub where people can gather, explore and connect.

Alongside Herrera, Creative Workshop Coordinator Gloria Reyes has been instrumental in bringing the community together through a variety of programming. 

“A lot of [community organizations] have been coming through on their own,” Reyes said. “Right now, we have an event with the South Texas Equality Project, and that fits in a lot with the motif of the store, as far as what we curate for the store.”

STEP administrative assistant and Voces Unidas fellow John Taylor De la Garza, who describes themselves as an artist, activist and dog dad, led a “Día De Muertos Flower Making Workshop” on Oct. 20 at the bookstore.

Taylor De la Garza taught attendees how to construct paper cempasúchil (marigold) and shared the story behind why these flowers are placed on altars during Día De Muertos.

As they demonstrated their method to construct the flower, they told the story of Xóchitl and Huitzilin, childhood friends turned lovers, who were separated by a war that tragically took the life of Huitzilin.

Heartbroken, Xóchitl pleaded with Tonatiuh (the Aztec Sun God) to reunite them, according to Taylor De la Garza’s telling of the story. Touched by her grief, Tonatiuh transformed her into a cempasúchil bud, but time passed and the flower never fully blossomed, “no matter how much rain or sunlight would touch this flower,” they said. 

Taylor De la Garza said, as if guided by a mystic hand, a hummingbird hovered over the flower and gave it a kiss, and suddenly the cempasúchil bloomed “just as radiant as the sun.” The hummingbird had the spirit of her lost love, Huitzilin, who was reborn as the bird–their souls were reunited. 

“And that’s also why the legend of, like, the butterflies and the hummingbirds are the souls returning back from the land of the dead … [and] why we have the cempasúchil flower in the altars,” they said.

Reyes said workshops, such as “Día De Muertos Flower Making Workshop,” attract customers who also explore the in-store library, which in turn helps to promote literacy.

“I feel like it just kind of works together,” she said. “I feel like writers are very creative, and people who read a lot, and so I feel like providing a space to kind of escape into, like, a creative bubble, is a goal for us, too.”

When Ante Books opened, it started with a modest inventory of donated books. Over time, the collection has grown through a combination of donations, purchases and personal discoveries. Herrera takes pride in the challenge of finding specific books for customers, referring to the process as a “hunt.”

The bookstore is an official vendor for A24 screenplay books.

“I had a lot of [screenplay books] when we first opened, and those were, like, the first thing to go,” Herrera said. “… And I just love seeing them. They’re really cool books to have.”

Herrera said she submitted a professional photo of its display and was excited to learn their bookstore had been chosen as an official vendor for the screenplay books, alongside bookstores in larger cities, such as New York and Los Angeles. 

One of the unique aspects of Ante Books is its focus on accessibility and affordability. The store offers a selection of used books, as well as a free library at the bar and grill Roosevelt’s at 7, located at 821 N. Main St. in McAllen, allowing more people to access literature.

 “It’s nice to have the circulation of used books as an alternative option to read something that you might not find there at Barnes & Noble and, yeah, at a cheaper price,” Herrera said.

But Ante Books is more than just a bookstore–it is a hub for creativity and community engagement. 

The store hosts regular events, including movie nights, poetry readings every last Thursday of the month and the popular Hush Hush Club silent-reading hour every last Saturday of the month.

“There is no obligation to make a purchase or to take a workshop,” Reyes said. “People are welcome to just come in and enjoy the space or come and read a book.”

As Ante Books continues to grow and establish itself as a vital part of the McAllen community, Herrera and Reyes remain committed to their vision of creating a space that celebrates literature, art and the power of human connection. 

“We exist,” Herrera said. “We’re here and we’re not going anywhere. We’re making, we’re growing, like, this is part of that growth.” 

Ante Books is located at 1713 W. Hackberry Ave., Suite B. Hours of operation are noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.