Taking A Novel Approach to Your Vacation
By Checking out the Local Bookstores
Can you judge a book by its cover? Or a store by its window display? Not always, but you can get to know a region and its locals fast just by walking through the door of an area’s local bookshop. Independent bookstores are run by book lovers who can literally “handsell” you the perfect book based on your needs and wants. This kind of bookseller knows the store, right down to its every crack and cranny, and really gets to know the customers’ tastes, even anticipating the kind of books regular customers want. So on your travels, seek out the local independent bookshop to get a flavor of the area and its people.
So what qualities make the independent bookstore special and different? The staff’s passion for, and uncanny knowledge of, books is one. The personal attention is a close second. Third, is the individual personality of each store. From the quaint bookstores like Inkwood Books in Tampa, FL to the impressively-sized stores like Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Charlotte, NC, these bookshops run the gamut in size, character, architecture, and even specialty (e.g., children, feminist, political, metaphysical, mystery, new age, romance, scholarly).
Are you vacationing and looking for an afternoon of fun? Or maybe you’re in town on business and have a little free time? Check out the events schedule of the nearby bookshop by calling the store, picking up their newsletter, or checking the store’s web site. These events, including lectures and workshops, are free to the public (great for any budget) and you never know who will be there. Well known celebrities and authors such as Dave Barry, Ann Coulter, Michael Crichton, Janet Evanovich, Michael Lewis, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks, and others like Mike Litka and Meg Tilly often have national book tours coinciding with their book releases.
While visiting an independent bookshop, be sure to check out the shelves touting signs like, Staff Picks. These are books the employees have read and love and want to share with readers. Also note the bookshelves labeled Local or Regional. This section displays books offering great insight into the region and local tastes. And while you’re there, don’t hesitate to ask a staff person about the best sightseeing or local venues that are worth your time and will meet your expectations.
Also check out the section labeled, Local Authors. Want to follow the literary trail of a famous author living or dead? Most regions proudly boast their share of notable authors or settings made famous by a best-selling novel and their local shops often have a space dedicated to that one writer or group of writers. Going to Atlanta, GA? Many novels, such as Gone With the Wind, are set in Georgia and many local bookstores, such as the Chapter 11 Books, are there to assist the bookish traveler wanting to learn all about the author, Margaret Mitchell, and her famous character, Scarlet O’Hara.
Or, if you’re in the nearby state of North Carolina mountain-hiking or touring the Biltmore Estate, be sure to visit Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville. After browsing bookstore shelves, relax in the store’s café while reading the works of the historic resident author, Thomas Wolfe.
If you’re traveling the northeast and find yourself vacationing in the villages of East or South Hampton, New York, visit one of the BookHampton stores on Long Island Sound. Known for scholarly books as well as the best sellers, BookHampton is a mainstay in a town with lots of retail shops that tend to come and go.
“Oh, yeah, we get a lot of out-of-town readers who come in and quietly browse as well as the regulars, who come in often and ask, ‘What’s good?’ We’re a part of the community and residents are confident we’re here for them,” says night manager, Justin Martin, who’s worked at BookHampton since 1996. “And apparently our recommendations are pretty good because they tell us they’re glad we’re still here…have yet to throw a book back at us.”
If you are visiting New England, you won’t be disappointed by the independent bookshops throughout the region. Find yourself in Boston, Massachusetts? Stop in at Porter Square Books, located in Cambridge and enjoy a soothing cup of tea after checking out their selection. From Boston, head north to Salem and check out Cornerstone Books along with the other local attractions. While there, you can browse the popular books, then rediscover classic stories by the city’s historical literary resident, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in between visits to museums and famous homes like the House of Seven Gables.
Do you love historical books? Then head west from Boston to Concord. Get your fill of the history along with your share of literary musings at the Concord Bookshop, before touring the homes of authors like Louisa May Alcott and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as strolling along Walden Pond made famous by transcendental writer Henry David Thoreau.
Other parts of the country have their share of great bookstores, as well. Are you interested in politics and visiting Washington DC? By all means, drop in at Politics and Prose. If you’re in the Chicago, IL area, breeze into Sandmeyer’s Bookstore, Transitions Bookplace, or 57th Street Books. On vacation in Florida? Visit any of the Books & Books stores in the Miami area. They offer great beach reads and more, along with any of the numerous bookshops along the Florida coastline.
If you’re headed west for a little skiing near Denver, CO, slip into any of the three Tattered Cover Book Stores. They take “catering to the reader” to new heights.
“We get all kinds of tourists, a lot of them are book lovers who specifically like to hang out in unique bookstores. And even those who are not terribly bookish come here out of interest,” explains Andrea Phillips, a manager at Tattered Cover Book Store, who’s worked there since 1993.
Independent bookstores put a lot of forethought into meeting customers’ needs. In addition to an active speaker schedule, Tattered Cover offers plenty of extras for visitors and travelers, from wireless internet, to a café, to book clubs, to inviting surroundings that make you want to relax and linger among the shelves.
“We are all about customer service. We are very warm and comfy here and encourage you to sit and enjoy the store,” Phillips says.
And that’s just what visitors do, from travelers with a layover from the nearby train station at the Colfax Avenue store to the visitors at the Historical Lo Do store who pop in while checking out the nightlife or attending nearby sporting events or concerts.
“It gets pretty lively at the Lo Do store,” Phillips says with a light laugh. “And you can go from store to store with the public transportation in a matter of minutes.”
But what if you’re traveling further out, say, on the West Coast? From Washington State to Southern California, choices abound when it comes to independent bookstores. Seattle, WA, known as a “well read” and “literate” city, is home to many shops, including Square One Books and Elliott Bay Book Company. You can’t go to Portland, OR without coming across one of the five famous Powell’s Bookstores, each offering its own distinct specialty. Most notable is Powell’s City of Books, the largest new and used bookstore in the world. Because of its mammoth size, the store comes with a color-coded map; it has its own rare book room, parking garage, and art gallery that hosts exhibits and acclaimed-author events. If the City of Books sounds overwhelming, try one of their smaller stores, like Powell’s Books on Hawthorne (”smaller” being a relative term!).
The most important element that distinguishes the independent bookstore from other stores is every staff member’s genuine, undeniable love of reading and books. This is evident the moment you enter the shop. Whether in a glitzy, glass-encased new building, a venerable-but-renovated theater, or a historic two-story building with creaky stairs, they all share the same thing: a passion for what they do. The next time you walk into a bookstore at your favorite destination, notice throughout the store the numerous handwritten tags jutting out from the bookshelves. They’re called shelf-talkers. Check them out. These tags list comments about a book read by a staff member who wants to share something special. After all, bookstore staff members are first and foremost readers.
Although not fortunetellers, independent booksellers do know what great books are coming down the pike. They sense and anticipate reading trends. They often receive advance reading copies of books and share their enthusiasm for these new books with customers. A bookseller will even tuck a novel aside, just knowing that a particular customer will want it right away. Are you looking for a hot, sizzling romance novel? Or maybe a tender story that leaves you warm and fuzzy? A mystery? Or a literary novel that you can sink your teeth into? How about an inside look at the world of stock car racing? Or maybe a book on finance that other regulars have found helpful? The independent bookseller will know exactly which books to put in your hand, hence the term “handselling.”
Because so many independent bookstores today are competing with the larger chains, they work extra hard to meet customers’ needs. In addition to offering warm welcoming environments, a bookstore’s staff dreams up more and more creative activities for the entire family, whether it be craft classes, workshops, lectures, radio shows, multi-author autograph parties, or book and writers’ groups. Want to learn to knit? How about caring for your dog? Planning a wedding? Ready to write that novel? Need to entertain the kiddies? They offer these events not only to sell books but to share their passion for everything literary and create a sense of community.
“We have all kinds of speakers visit the store, from authors, to experts, to politicians. The local hotels even have us listed,” explains Phillips of Tattered Cover Book Store.
By the way, if you’re unattached, these bookstores have become a literary hotbed (excuse the pun) of activity for singles. It’s a place to mingle with other book lovers, discuss the latest New York Times Best Seller, and take a moment to savor a cup of coffee while meeting others who enjoy books just as much as you do. Discussing an intriguing book clutched in the hand of an interesting person is the perfect icebreaker when striking up a conversation with someone new.
By now, perhaps you’re planning your next vacation or business trip and can’t wait to visit an area’s local bookshop. How do you find one fast? The independent booksellers have formed an organization called Book Sense, which lists bookstores nationwide at their web site, www.booksense.com. Go to the site, click on “Find a Store” and then type in the zip code or click on “Advanced Search” and type in the city and state. A generated list pops of the area’s bookstores pops up, along with pertinent information such as address, telephone number, map, individual web site, and more.
What about getting to the store? If you’re without wheels, check out local transportation via train, bus, commuter rail, and yes, even by trolley. That’s right, some bookstores are located near bus- and trolley-tour stops, especially in towns like Martha’s Vineyard, MA that have their share of tourism. Just ask the book-selling staff at Bunch of Grapes Books in Vineyard Haven, located on Martha’s Vineyard, MA. They often greet enthusiastic visitors who come right in directly from the bus tour stop across the street from the shop.
Better yet, why not go on an organized bookstore tour? California, New York, and Washington DC are just some of the places that offer you the chance to climb aboard a tour bus with fifty other avid readers and escort you to bookstores. Whether it’s part of a vacation or a weekend getaway, the bookstore tour is a book lover’s dream. Check out www.bookstoretourism.com for upcoming trips. Also handy is the Bookstore Tourism Travel Journal for Book Addicts on the Go by Larry Portzline (Bookshop Junkie Press, 2005, ISBN 0975893416).
Whether you’re a passionate book lover or an occasional vacation reader, nothing beats that friendly welcome feeling of being surrounded by books. So, next time you’re exploring a new locale, get that warm welcoming feeling time and again just by strolling through the doors of an independent bookseller at your favorite travel destination.
Loading ...