Independent Bookstores

When you walk into Micawber’s Books, you feel as though you’ve stepped into another time and place. The wooden floors creak in a friendly manner as you wander among the shelves and tables of books. Unfamiliar titles catch your eye. You feel steeped in a special atmosphere — the atmosphere of the love of books. As an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune described it, Micawber’s “smells like old wood and looks like it belongs in a Thomas Hardy novel.” It is as far from the ubiquitous “big box” bookstore as one can get. I believe we need bookstores like this, to slow us down, to get us to appreciate the experience of browsing and selecting a book. We can get so caught up in getting the book we have in mind, for the lowest price possible, that we forget the wonderful serendipity that can occur when we meander through a shop like Micawber’s. One such serendipitous find for me, back in 2011 when my friend Jan introduced me to Micawber’s, was The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma. I wouldn’t have known about the book, wouldn’t have looked for it, but the title caught my eye as I wandered among the tables and perused the shelves. It is a gem. Who knows what other gems wait on the shelves of Micawber’s and bookstores like it? We must support these shops. We must keep them alive and thriving. You can find Micawber’s at their Facebook page, and you can learn how to get there on my Bookstores Maps page.

In keeping with the review I did two weeks ago of James McMullan’s Leaving China, and my interview with him last week, today we’re calling in on three bookstores that I know Jim is familiar with. Although none of these bookstores offers the kind of online ordering one finds at the large online booksellers, each will fill emailed orders, and will give you individual assistance by email or phone to find just the right book. Independents offer so much that huge online retailers cannot. The first one, Canio’s in Sag Harbor, hosted an evening in May featuring Jim reading from his newly published Leaving China, as well as displaying some of the original watercolors. Oh, how I would have loved to have been there! Kate McMullan, Jim’s wife, has also launched several of her books at Canio’s. The store, in an old house on Main Street (but away from downtown Sag Harbor), is a delightfully eclectic mix of used and new books, with old wooden floors, nooks and crannies, bookshelves piled with exciting finds, and postcard racks with black and white cards featuring scenes of old Sag Harbor or photos of various artists and writers who have lived there, including John Steinbeck and his poodle Charley*. It’s the sort of place that has atmosphere and personality aplenty — and books all over the place. * If you haven’t read Travels with Charley, do. That link will lead you to a review in The Atlantic Monthly first published in 1962. Steinbeck set out on his journey from his home in Sag Harbor. You can find Canio’s blog and website at this link, or their Facebook page at this link. ~~~ The first time I visited Sag Harbor, there was another bookstore, at the other end of Main Street, nearly to Long Wharf, called BookHampton. Unfortunately, that store has closed, but there are still three BookHampton stores, in East Hampton, Southampton, and Mattituck. As it says on their website, “BookHampton continues a tradition of great book recommendations and personal service. BookSellers are always available to help you find exactly what you are looking for and fulfill your book and CD needs. Whether in the store or by email when you speak to a BookHampton BookSeller you have our full attention. What we do isn’t about an algorithm determined by your previous internet searches. What we do is based on getting to know you.” That is one of the joys of an independent bookstore. You can find BookHampton at their website or their Facebook page. ~~~ And now let’s head down the Long Island Expressway to New York City, shall we? Or maybe jump on the Hampton Jitney instead. We’re on our way to The Corner Bookstore, which is in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. In April they hosted a reading featuring Jim McMullan and his newly published Leaving China. So again, this is a store with McMullan connections. Not only do they care for their adult customers well, ensuring that they stock “the best of the best” in their words, the care and attention they give children is exemplary. Here’s some of what they say about their children’s section: “In addition to devoting a large portion of the store to children’s books, we offer special store charge accounts for children, which they love. (Being able to say, “Please put this on my account” makes them feel very grownup.) We also invite neighborhood children to review publishers’ advance copies of novels for ages 8 to 13. Their reviews are published in the fall and spring issues of The Corner Bookstore’s Kids Newsletter, by Kids, for Kids. Over 50 children participate in this popular project.” Although I haven’t visited The Corner Bookstore, it is certainly on my Bookstore Bucket List! The Corner Bookstore has a website but no Facebook page. To see where any of these stores are located, just check out my Bookstore Map page. If you’re in New York City, or in the Hamptons, call in at one of these bookstores. I know you’ll find something to pique your interest. And wherever you are, I hope you’ll support independent bookstores whenever possible!

Just before the summer break, a friend and I talked about what we could do to encourage people to support local (and not-so-local) independent bookstores. One thought we had was monthly blog posts that would highlight some of the fantastic indie bookstores there are. So the last Friday of every month, I’ll be posting about an indie bookstore somewhere in the world. For many of us, such wonderful bookstores are a thing of the past (although we may still have brick-and-mortar big-box stores around), but I assure you that there are still such places to be found. One of the joys of the internet age is that many independent bookstores have online ordering capabilities, so if you want the ease and convenience of ordering online, or don’t have a bookstore nearby, you can choose to order from an indie rather than from a big conglomerate. You likely won’t get the steep discount you might elsewhere online, but you’re supporting an important facet of our society in ordering from a small bookstore. That’s all by way of explanation of this new blog feature. Now for today’s bookstore! The Red Balloon in Saint Paul, Minnesota is not just an independent bookstore, it is a store devoted to children’s books. Everything from board books to YA can be found inside this cozy house-of-reading. (I notice that there are a few adult books, both fiction and non-fiction, on their website, however.) You are greeted as you approach the store by a delightful carving of the Three Bears — with a red balloon (of course). Look up at the curved window on the second floor — there’s another red balloon, and the silhouette of a child reading, etched into the glass. I visited on a grey, cool November day, but inside I found a warm, inviting atmosphere; a great selection of books; friendly staff; a place to sit and read a bit — they have regular storytimes, book signings and other events on the raised platform near the back. (Note — these photos were taken on an earlier visit, one October Sunday morning when the store wasn’t open.) Although it’s a small space, it is filled with books, books, and more books, but it doesn’t feel cramped at all. I saw books by people whose names I knew, as well as those who were new to me — and I had to restrain myself from bringing home far more books than my suitcase would carry. Although I don’t know when my next trip to the Twin Cities will be — I hope it will include a visit to the Red Balloon! My Bookstore Map page will show you how to get there. If you get to visit there at any time, tell the bears hello for me! And wherever you are — please consider supporting independent bookstores whenever possible. Is there an independent bookstore near where you live? Let me know in the comments — perhaps I’ll feature it in a future post!