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Last June, I listed my top five bookstores in the Boston area (including Brookline Booksmith, which I had a great time visiting for Independent Bookstore Day). The ones on this list are a little bit (or a lot) more far-flung, but I have fond memories of all of them. At the time of writing, all five are still open for business.
1. Heartleaf Books (Providence, RI)
A new favorite with an amazing mission and an adorable resident feline!
2. Oblong Books (Millerton, NY)
Although Oblong opened a second branch in the Hudson Valley in 2001, the original store, located just a few minutes away from the house where I grew up, was one of my favorite places to hang out as a young person. Children’s and YA books (along with toys and games) were on the bottom floor, adult books were located upstairs (I hung out pretty much exclusively in the SFF section), and the music section was one floor above that. Although I used to bemoan the fact that the nearest large chain bookstore was at least an hour away from my hometown, I now recognize that Oblong might not have survived until the present day if a Barnes & Noble had opened anywhere nearby.
3. Shakespeare and Company (Paris, France)
I wrote an essay about Shakespeare and Company for a Travel Writing class in university, and I probably still have a copy somewhere. The store is a cultural institution, and from the first time I stepped inside, I was enthralled by its history, including the writers and wanderers who spent the night there in exchange for some assistance with the store’s operations and a contribution to its archive of personal stories.
4. Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore (Minneapolis, MN)
I only visited this store once, when I was living in the Twin Cities for a couple of months in 2006, but I’m glad that it and its counterpart, Uncle Edgar’s Mystery Bookstore, existed and still exist today. Perhaps someday I’ll go back.
5. TIED: The Bookloft and Yellow House Books (Great Barrington, MA)
These are two other favorites from my youth! Yellow House helped to feed my childhood Baby-Sitters Club obsession, and I found a copy of Yarrow - which became my favorite non-Newford Charles de Lint title - at The Bookloft.
1. Heartleaf Books (Providence, RI)
A new favorite with an amazing mission and an adorable resident feline!
2. Oblong Books (Millerton, NY)
Although Oblong opened a second branch in the Hudson Valley in 2001, the original store, located just a few minutes away from the house where I grew up, was one of my favorite places to hang out as a young person. Children’s and YA books (along with toys and games) were on the bottom floor, adult books were located upstairs (I hung out pretty much exclusively in the SFF section), and the music section was one floor above that. Although I used to bemoan the fact that the nearest large chain bookstore was at least an hour away from my hometown, I now recognize that Oblong might not have survived until the present day if a Barnes & Noble had opened anywhere nearby.
3. Shakespeare and Company (Paris, France)
I wrote an essay about Shakespeare and Company for a Travel Writing class in university, and I probably still have a copy somewhere. The store is a cultural institution, and from the first time I stepped inside, I was enthralled by its history, including the writers and wanderers who spent the night there in exchange for some assistance with the store’s operations and a contribution to its archive of personal stories.
4. Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore (Minneapolis, MN)
I only visited this store once, when I was living in the Twin Cities for a couple of months in 2006, but I’m glad that it and its counterpart, Uncle Edgar’s Mystery Bookstore, existed and still exist today. Perhaps someday I’ll go back.
5. TIED: The Bookloft and Yellow House Books (Great Barrington, MA)
These are two other favorites from my youth! Yellow House helped to feed my childhood Baby-Sitters Club obsession, and I found a copy of Yarrow - which became my favorite non-Newford Charles de Lint title - at The Bookloft.
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Date: 2025-04-29 05:28 pm (UTC)Last time i went here there was like, 15 minutes to queue before entering ^^
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Date: 2025-05-01 02:08 pm (UTC)