With the exciting announcement of a new local bookshop in the Fort Greene area of Brooklyn, NY, my love and nostalgia for the indie book shop is in full swing. During a trek down to SoHo this week I stopped by McNally-Jackson, and I plan on hitting up The Strand when I'm down in Union Square on Sunday (to see Up!).
But beyond those landmarks -- and maybe one or two in Los Angeles -- my knowledge of great indie book shops ends there. So what's the best indie bookstore in your 'hood? Sound off in the comments below -- and if you include the website or street address, I'll compile a list with map links and republish as a reference for everyone.
Happy hunting!
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 3
The only bookstore that I know of anywhere around here besides Borders and Barnes and Noble is a little bookstore called The Paperback Exchange. But they have hard cover books as well as paperbacks.
The books are used. They cost half the original price and, if you trade a book that you own, the cost of the book at Paperback Exchange is half again, i.e., it's half of half the original price.
It's located at 111 W Saint Clair St., Romeo, MI 48065 Map
(For those familiar with the Detroit metro area mile roads, Saint Clair Street is 32 Mile Road. The Paperback Exchange is just west of Van Dyke, and you can't see it from St. Clair because it's a tiny shop right behind the old bank building at 32 and Van Dyke.)
Good timing! I've been touring the Indie bookshops in the Minneapolis area to promote my book. These are the shops I've come up with: Garrison Keillor's Common Good Books, 165 Western Avenue N, Saint Paul, MN 55105/Birchbark Books (owned by Best-selling author and MN book award winner Louise Erdrich), 2115 West 21st Street, Minneapolis, MN 55405/ The Bookcase, 607 Lake St E, Wayzata, MN, 55391-1711/ ExcelsiorBayBooks, 36 Water St, Excelsior, MN, 55331-1823
/Micawbers, 2238 Carter Ave. St. Paul, MN 55108/ Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55408.
I went to Indiebound.org and put in my zip code to get a list of independent bookstores in my area.
I love the smaller shops with big heart. While I was promoting my book, I also bought books for my reading group and a couple others that I've been interested in reading, just to support the Indies.
Thanks! I'll try to get a few more before creating a new article with the list.