Spotlight on Local Indie Bookstores - Part One

About two weeks ago I posted about a few of my favorite local indie bookstores and subsequently asked you all to send me some of your favorite local (or not so local) indie bookstores as well. I was originally planning to then pick just a few of these at random to spotlight, but every single store submitted was amazing and I realized that I had to post them all. So what I've decided to do is indeed post them all, but in various parts. I'm going to make this a mini ongoing series until I reach the end; I'll be posting about four bookstores each week. I think indie bookstores are so vital and important to our communities, and they provide an incredible way to foster a love of books and local experiences, so I really love this idea of sharing some great bookstores from all over that you have all personally recommended. So without further ado, here are the first four bookstores!


1. The Book Cafe - Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland, submitted by zero-redeeming-qualities.

The Book Cafe is just what it sounds like - a bookstore and a cafe! What two things on earth are better than books and food? Nothing, in my opinion, which makes this place seem like heaven. This particular bookstore is located in Ireland, so if you're in the US it is a bit of a distance, but quite frankly it seems like it'd be worth it. I've been reading some pretty great things about this store, but I think zero-redeeming-qualities described their experience best: "Many a dark and cold afternoon was spent there with a hot chocolate or mocha, a warm bread and butter pudding, and some little gem of a book I'd find tucked away in some nook of the shelves down the back."

I actually found a great Youtube video created by Aaron Broughall about the store/cafe, which I have embedded below!



The bookstore itself appears to be Zozimus Bookshop.
Photos courtesy of The Book Cafe's Facebook page.

2. Page 158 Books - Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA, submitted by possiblyimaginary and easttennmtngrl.

Two people submitted this bookstore within minutes of each other, which I thought was incredibly awesome and coincidental - it must be a good bookstore, right?

Lights!

easttennmtngrl informed me that this store actually used to be known as Storytellers Bookstore, but that they changed the name since new owners took over a year ago. She also said that she loves it not only for the books, but also because the owners seem to actually care about their customer's lives, rather than just the business end of it, and I really think that's what sets bookstores apart.

Anyway, Page 158 appears to be a lovely store with tons of books and even some local art! (Always a bonus.) They also seem to have events nearly every week (or more), which I think is one of the best things about bookstores, since they do such a great job of bringing together book lovers and the community.
It also appears that they have a membership club for $10 a year and you can receive discounts on books and have access to various sales/flash sales.

3.  The Book Barn - Niantic, Connecticut, USA, submitted by imthatmusicnerd.

This one sounds amazing. If you want bookstores with personality, then this is your place. I don't even know where to begin describing it. If you want to see more of this bookstore, check out their Yelp page, which seems to have some of the best pictures and descriptions from people that have visited.

Just look at how amazing that is; this location is called 'Hades.'

Yes, that is indeed a Haunted Book Shop. 

One of the best parts of this bookstore - you know, besides the awesome books, layout, and owners - is the animals. There appears to be cats all over the bookstore, as well as some goats and dogs and such outside. We had a bookstore with books and food earlier, and now we have books and animals. These bookstores are all truly hitting the best combinations possible.

All images are courtesy of The Book Barn's Facebook page, which I highly, highly recommend you take a peak at to see how incredible this place is. Look out Connecticut, I'm coming for you. (Your bookstore, that is.)

4. White Pine Used Books - White Pine, Tennessee, USA, submitted by otherguy81

The first thing I noticed about White Pine Used Books when looking was that this bookstore is huge. Their Facebook page boasts 6,300 sq. ft. of books. That's a lot of books. They also have book clubs (and a needle work club!) and a huge array of events, so this store is a definite winner.

Just look at them all...

I'm extremely impressed with this bookstore, and from looking at their website and Facebook page, I really get a sense that these people (obviously) are passionate about books and sharing books with others.

If you have kids or loves children's books, they have a huge selection of those as well!

Photos courtesy of White Pine Used Book's Facebook page and website.



Well, that's a wrap for part one! I'm going to leave you all with these four to begin with, and I'll be posting another four more or so next week. Thank you so very much to everyone who submitted a bookstore, and I look forward to sharing more!

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