"You should have a section about bookstores [in the blog]...
indepen
Genius. Pure genius!
Then I started the section of links in the right-hand column and realized I couldn't remember the names of most of the bookstores I've been to!
So sad.
The stores in the list at the moment are the only ones my limited memory could handle today, but I thought I would open this question up to you, cool reader of the blog.
What are some of your favorite bookstores? And why? Tell me about them, share your secret places. I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.
My favorite bookstore at the moment (besides the one I work in,
of course) is The Montague Bookmill in Montague, MA. A former mill situated on the banks of the Sawmill River, this used bookstore is in a positively idyllic location. Part of a small complex of stores, the Bookmill compound is also home to Turn It Up! (a music store), an antique shop, an art studio, the Night Kitchen (a restaurant), and, my personal favorite, the Lady Killigrew Cafe which is connected to the Bookmill itself.
Seriously, I have dreams about the warm brown rice salad, the summer sausage sandwich with cheese and grainy beer mustard (sandwich #3, I think, on their menu), and a rich, chocolate cupcake with white mint frosting for dessert. They also serve beer and wine (other drinks, too), and though the Bookmill itself closes at 6 every day, the Lady Killigrew is open much, much later. Perfect for the overworked grad student, hence my current obsession.What are some of your favorites?
I love the atmosphere surrounding the Book Mill, too. So easy to spend an entire day there soaking it all up!
ReplyDeleteMy other favorite bookstores are:
Lemuria Bookstore in Jackson, MS, where I first became a bookseller
The Wild Rumpus in the Twin Cities, which is a children's store that has digs, cats, snakes, chickens, hamsters, you name it! I was their sales rep for one season and when I called on them, dragging my wheeled suitcase behind me, all of their chickens were outside on the sidewalk. I was instantly smitten.
Troubadour Books in North Hatfield, MA, is a funky and amazing used bookstore, especially if you're in the market for poetry, literature, religion, philosophy, medieval history, and art.
Malaprop's in Asheville, NC, is one of the best indie bookstores in one of the best shop local towns you could ever care to meet. They've got a great staff of career booksellers and the owner, Emoke, is one of the smartest people I know.
Really, I could go on and on. My year working as a sales rep for David Godine allowed me to see so many of the wonderful bookstores east of the Mississippi (plus Minnesota!).