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Landmarks: Bound to Please
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Take a page from these 10 bookstores, which offer hometown flavor and good stuff to read
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BY GAYLE FORMAN
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Salt Lake City's King's English bookstore; Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi.
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You may think indie bookstores have gone the way of the soda fountain. Not so. Sure, some have closed, but others are thriving—which is good news for travelers. These locally owned shops can make for a relaxing afternoon when you’re on the road, while giving you some hometown flavor (a great selection of regional books, the local denizens who hang out there) that chain stores cannot. When picking the 10 stores featured here, we skipped the behemoths (Powell’s in Portland, Oregon; City Lights in San Francisco; Denver’s Tattered Cover; the Strand in New York City) in favor of lesser-known gems. Happy browsing!
57TH STREET BOOKS*
Chicago, IL
The store’s den-like subterranean space (one employee likens it to Badger’s home in The Wind in the Willows) devotes hundreds of square feet to children’s books, cookbooks, mysteries, science fiction, literature and poetry. A $30 membership fee gets you 10 percent off, plus access to an impressive club—co-op members have included Nobel laureates, governors and a former Chicagoan who’s here less often since he relocated to the White House. 1301 E. 57th St.; 773-684-1300; semcoop.com
THE BOOKWORM*
Omaha, NE
A visitor would have trouble finding friendlier locals than the ones at this 24-year-old store’s nine monthly book clubs. Topics range from Sherlock Holmes to Nebraska authors. Your dog can socialize here as well; patrons often browse with pooches at their feet. (The shop hosts adoption days for local shelters.) 8702 Pacific St.; 402-392-2877; bookwormomaha.com
THIRD PLACE BOOKS*
Seattle, WA
A recent study ranked Seattle as the country’s most literate city. With all the outdoor enticements, it’s a wonder anyone has time to read. But this store, just a block away from gorgeous Lake Washington, still lures in customers, offering 200,000 new and used titles. “Third Place” refers to the idea that we all need three places: home, work and somewhere to connect with community. Besides books, there are five restaurants (Honey Bear Bakery is much loved), an events space and a quiet study area. It’s an ideal spot to escape the kayak, the mountain bike—or the rain—for a day. 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Lake Forest Park; 206-366-3333; thirdplacebooks.com
SKYLIGHT BOOKS
Los Angeles, CA
Skylight Books is the perfect representation of its neighborhood—Los Feliz, an über-hip area frequented by hipsters and young Hollywood. The light-filled space (courtesy of, yes, a skylight) is filled with books sure to appeal to the sophisticated urbanite: activist nonfiction, world lit, GLBT, zines, graphic novels. A recent expansion houses art, culture and design books. Fabulously opinionated staff members offer up their own picks from small presses during the monthly Skylight Literary Salon. 1818 N. Vermont Ave.; 323-660-1175; skylightbooks.com
THE KING'S ENGLISH
Salt Lake City, UT
Though it’s housed in a former gas station, this shop feels like Grandma’s house inside, with creaky hardwood floors, lacy tablecloths and nooks and crannies within nooks and crannies. Every nook houses a dedicated subject: There’s gardening in one room, poetry in another. A book facing outward with a staffer’s name tucked inside denotes a favorite. Needless to say, the staffers are all voracious readers who happily offer suggestions. 1511 S. 1500 E.; 801-484-9100; kingsenglish.com
CHANGING HANDS
Tempe, AZ
Some bookstores just have the vibe—that mellow “Ahh, I’m home” feeling that hits you when you walk in the door. So it is with Changing Hands. As the name suggests, this airy, navigable store stocks both a meticulously edited selection of new books and an eclectic variety of secondhand works. Staffers, patrons claim, have a paranormal ability to read your mind and taste. 6428 S. McClintock Dr.; 480-730-0205; changinghands.com
SQUARE BOOKS*
Oxford, MS
This leafy town was once home to William Faulkner, so with that kind of literary pedigree, not to mention a major university (Ole Miss), it’s bound to have a decent bookstore. Square Books isn’t just decent; it’s a gem. Located on the historic courthouse square downtown, the shop (actually, there are three of them, all close by) has a great selection of general fiction and nonfiction, and an inventory of contemporary signed first editions (from authors like Dennis Lehane and Susan Choi) that’s a collector’s dream. The place has a laid-back Southern feel, so you’ll enjoy browsing the crowded aisles or sitting on the veranda, which overlooks the square. 160 Courthouse Sq.; 662-236-2262; squarebooks.com
BOOKS & BOOKS*
Coral Gables, FL
This Miami-based indie chain is part bookstore, part literary drop-in center. Aside from daily (even twice-daily) literary events, the store hosts book clubs, virtual book clubs and the First Course series, which bundles its books with a glass of chardonnay, appetizers and a facilitated book discussion. The flagship, in a lovely Mediterranean-style building in Coral Gables, has a large selection of Florida books and an interior courtyard that’s perfect for escaping the heat for few hours. 265 Aragon Ave.; 305-442-4408; booksandbooks.com
POLITICS & PROSE*
Washington, DC
This amazing bookshop has little in common with Capitol bloviators, except perhaps for the strong opinions of its ferociously smart staffers, and for the big-name luminaries (Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart) who have been known to stop by to promote their books. You won’t find any trashy romance novels or celebrity bios: The agenda here is all about thought-provoking fiction and books on business, healthcare and, yes, politics. Downstairs in the Modern Times Coffeehouse, patrons—who are hardwired to argue—debate the quality of the cappuccino. 5015 Connecticut Ave.; 202-364-1919; politics-prose.com
NORTHSHIRE BOOKS
Manchester Center, VT
In a state blessed with a plethora of great indies, the family-owned Northshire is king. The cavernous, two-story space is woodsy and light-filled, big enough for a selection of literature and poetry that rivals the megastores, an event space that’s often filled to capacity, and the Spiral Press Café, which serves real food and great coffee. The music section includes many CDs by Vermont musicians. 4869 Main St.; 802-362-2200; northshire.com
FAR-FLUNG BUT WORTH IT
ANDERSON'S BOOKSHOP
The Chicago suburb of Naperville isn’t exactly far-flung, but it’s not on most travelers’ radar. Bibliophiles, take the trip. The owners have perfected the art of the hand-sell, and are hugely active in the buy-local book movement. 630-355-2665; andersonsbookshop.com
BART'S BOOKS
About 80 miles from L.A. in hilly, vaguely New-Agey Ojai, Bart’s is a quintessential intellectual haven: creaky wood floors and miles of used books, surrounded by old hippies and old oak trees. 805-646-3755; bartsbooksojai.com
BOOKED UP
Larry McMurtry (the author of Lonesome Dove) has set up a sprawling bookshop (seriously, there are four separate buildings) in Archer City, TX, 140 miles northwest of Dallas. You can spend days among the antiquarian books. 940-574-2511; bookedupac.com
SPOTTY DOG BOOKS & ALE
The hip river town of Hudson, NY, about 125 miles north of New York City, is worth the trip in itself (Amtrak stops here). And you have to commend a store that thought to pair books with beer—sorry, artisanal ales. 518-671-6006; thespottydog.com
*These stores have more than one location; check the websites.
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
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Published: Spring 2010 Issue
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PHOTOS: The King's English Bookshop; Square Books
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