For the Love of Bookstores

E. Shaver Bookstore in Savannah, GA is nestled next to one of the iconic squares and you can become acquainted with the famous cat-lebrities.

Regardless of how long you’ve been following Read Far & Wide, either on this blog or social media, you have probably figured out my LOVE of independent bookstores. Whenever I visit a city, whether for the first time or 10th, I habitually make a stop at a newly or previously discovered bookstore. I have learned this tradition from many of you - my fellow travelers and readers - and would love to share some of the reasons bookstores have become a vital part of my travels.

1. Location of the Book Shop

Faulkner House Books, New Orleans, LA, where William Faulkner once lived, is on a quaint alley street, named Pirates Alley.

You don’t need to have the travel channel on all day or read countless blogs to know a current trend in travel is to visit areas of a city/town that are non-touristy, local, hip and off-the-beaten-path. One of the easiest ways I have discovered these neighborhoods is to Google the location of a local, independent bookstore. These shops are often in a different part of town than the popular tourist destinations, but yet still close enough to walk, Uber, or take a short ride on public transportation. In addition, since touristy places typically have more national chains that people from across the world recognize, the neighborhoods with a thriving independent bookshop typically have stores which are more commonly locally owned. So if you are wanting to find a clothing boutique, coffee shop, brewery or other local gem, - look for the popular and thriving independent bookstore!

2. A way to learn about local history, culture and authors

When visiting a local bookstore, I recommend going straight to the “Local” section. This is a place where often you can discover local authors, historical events, and/or travel guides for the area. Usually these are what the staff and local clientele curate so it is typically different than what travel companies promote in guides.

Beacon Hill Books & Cafe, a short walk from the beginning of the Freedom Trail and a wonderful place to discover local authors.

For example, in Boston, there is a new gem of a bookstore called Beacon Hill Books & Cafe. It is a 5 min walk from the beginning of the famous Freedom Trail and they have a section for local books. Beacon Hill is famous for many authors, Louisa May Alcott, Sylvia Plath, Robert Frost, Henry David Thoreau, (the list can go on) and many of their books can be discovered in this section. In addition, there are also books about the Red Sox breaking the Curse in 2004, Bill Russell’s memoir (a must read in my opinion) as well as historical fiction like Johnny Tremain and academic non-fiction about the history of the “Cradle of Liberty.” In addition, they also highlight current local authors like Elin Hildebrand and my neighbor, Zara Zgheib.

While visiting Memphis, I stumbled upon the local book shop, South Main Juggler, and I had recently finished the book Memphis by local author Tara Stringfellow. Of course, this shop had the book prominently displayed and the staff person at the store told me such beautiful vignettes of Tara that only enriched my love for the city of Memphis and Tara Stringfellow all the more!

The Book Juggler in Memphis, TN, in a super cool part of the city that is walkable from Beale Street.

Another secret is that if you are in a city where you don’t know the language or food scene very well. You can check out the bookstore’s cookbook section. Find a book about local cuisine with lots of pictures. Then use your phone to take pictures of food you think you can enjoy when you are out at a restaurant. Then when you are trying to decipher a menu, just look for the dish of the foods you took pictures of at the bookstore. I wish I had learned this trick before I was in Marrakesh ordering lambs brain. Eek!

3. Souvenirs

I have found local book shops to be fantastic places to find souvenirs that become more knick knacks that don’t collect dust. Local book shops typically have wonderful bags, locally made candies, brewed coffee, unique post cards, note cards, and all sorts of treasures that are uniquely different than the souvenir shops near the major tourist attractions where trinkets are often made in China. In addition, if you are anything like me - you can never have too many canvas bags - especially when traveling!

Yankee Book Shop in Woodstock, VT has a top notch children’s section like many independent book stores.

If you are traveling with children, I have also found local bookstores to be great stops for kids, as their children’s sections are often full of toys and they welcome sampling the books (reading) before purchasing. In addition, my nieces and nephews have received countless children’s books from my travels so they can better understand where I’ve been. Also, if you are visiting a city where you don’t know the language, go ahead and check out the covers of Harry Potter. It’s always fun to see how “stone,” “goblet,” “Half-Blood” and “Azkaban” are translated!

Finally, purchasing a post card designed by a local artist at a local bookstore for $1, then finding a frame at your local consignment shop back home can create art that will stay on your wall long after the shirt you bought that can barely survive three cycles in the washer machine.

4. Support Your Favorite Author

The Strand book store is a must visit location for any book lovers trip to NYC!

One way you can support your favorite author is to buy their book in a geographic area where they may not be as popular. Countless times, I have purchased a book of an author at a bookstore, snapped a picture of their book and tagged them, as well as the shop, on a social media channel. As you may know, many publishing houses have cut their marketing budgets, so authors often love discovering these posts and will also share them to their social media channels.

During the summer of 2021, I had the honor to tag along with my friend Jocelyn Green who was doing research for her next book. We were in New York City and of course had to step into the Strand to discover if any of her books were displayed. I’m sure you can imagine the scene we caused when we found that, not only one, but two! of her books were in stock. So obviously both of our social media accounts documented this!

The House of Books on the Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg Russia

So the next time you are in a new city, Google “Local Bookstore,” filter for the non-box stores if you are able, and go on an adventure. As you meander, take in all that the neighborhood has to offer, see if you pass any random historical markers, stop to grab a cup of coffee, look at the advertisements in the shop stores to see what’s going on in the city, breathe the smells that are different than the touristy places and look in all the windows.

Academic Bookstore, Helsinki, Finland

Then when you open the door to the bookstore, go to the local section, spend a few minutes reading the titles, check out the children’s section, find a book on your Goodreads list to purchase, and pick out a postcard to send a friend or frame. Snap a few pictures to remember the time and then leave continuing your journey of discovering a new city/town. If you are fortunate, you may learn a few new fun facts and discover random things - like the Academic Bookstore in Helsinki Finland has an excessive amount of Justin Bieber books on display. Who knew?!

So what bookstores are your favorites to visit? Do you have a bookstore that you want to revisit because you loved it so much? What fun facts have you learned by visiting a bookstore? I would love to hear of your adventures!

Finally, I created a Google Map list of all the book shops I have visited that I wish to remember - You can click here to view the map.