Tag Archives: bookstore

Werner Books And Coffee

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If you’re ever in Erie, PA looking for a bookstore, Werner Books and Coffee is the place to be. This mostly used bookstore has friendly staff and comfy places to sit whether you’re lingering over a coffee or sorting through the stack of books you just found.

This is very much a community bookstore where you’ll find book dragons of all ages happily searching for their next favorite read. The kids section is well organized and there were some youngsters agonizing over what they would buy when we were there.

They host book clubs and poetry nights and have a robust collection of local books. I thought it was interesting that they have several book clubs and that they aren’t focused just on today’s popular reads. One that caught my eye is reading Carson McCullers’ classic “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter” which I hadn’t thought about since my English major days back in college. Other clubs were reading titles like “Remarkably Bright Creatures” which is an excellent modern fiction book if you ask me.

Even the coffee shop features sweet treats from local bakeries to go with your favorite warm drink while you study or read. Community partnerships clearly matter here and it made me wish for such a store closer to home.

They seem to have a book exchange program with relatively high standards and a terrific, if not small, collection of new books as well.

The staff is friendly and seems to know everyone’s names. We chatted with the gentleman who rung us up and he was telling us about a bus trip they were organizing to take their patrons on a bookstore crawl in Pittsburgh. My friend recommended some stores for a future trip and he and he was a little familiar with southern Ohio – he had also attended Ohio University and has a fondness for Athens County.

My friend left with a decent stack of books. I think I found one used and one from the new book section that I couldn’t leave without. The experience was so relaxing and nice I look forward to returning someday.

Werner Books and Coffee is located in a strip mall so there’s plenty of free parking.

Learn all about them at their website!

The Big Book Nook

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A few weeks ago I shared a story on why I don’t write about the places I dislike. You can read that here.

I was thinking about this over the weekend because on Friday I gave a second chance to one of those places that didn’t impress me.

I’m so glad I did.

Big Brothers Big Sisters has a retail book store called the Big Book Nook in Lancaster. We were there last year when they had moved into a new facility and were just getting up and going. Mind you, everyone had recommended I visit so we did and it was not the place for us.

But our return was glorious and successful.

They sell used books, puzzles, movies and music. Hardbacks are $2 and paperbacks a dollar, a bargain for a good cause. That’s because all the money benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters programming.

Everything is organized by genre including general fiction, mysteries, classics, westerns, romance, children’s, history, biography, cookbooks and more!

It’s a charming space in a remodeled school with plenty of books to choose from and some fun decor to inspire you to stay a while.

I’ll be honest, friends, the location is a little out of the way but your maps app will get you there if you put in 624 West Fifth Ave. Lancaster.

Want to donate? They have a list of things they do and don’t take on their website. Learn more here. Adam and I both left with a handful of books. There was a set of classics I badly wanted but have nowhere to put just because they were pretty. Since our totals were so low, we each rounded up a few bucks together efforts.

If you’re in Lancaster, stop by and see what treasures you find!!

Black Cat Oddities And Books

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Don’t believe anyone who tells you that print books and bookstores are in trouble. During this trip to Cleveland, we visited seven bookstores (one of them twice) and every single store was hopping.

I liked every store for different reasons but Black Cat Oddities and Books won the award for atmosphere. This store is actually located in two houses that are within walking distance of each other. 

Themed rooms packed with new books for all ages are charming and fun to browse, even if they are outside your preferred genre. True crime, mystery, romance, fantasy, horror and general fiction are among the genres you’ll find here. Banned books are displayed together, behind drapery in a closet, no less. The children’s book section is so whimsical and charming I couldn’t help but wish there had been a store like this when I was a child.

Those themed rooms are decorated in ways that are both creative and smart. Frankenstein’s laboratory, Narnia and Sherlock’s Study are just a few of those themes and the attention to detail is fun to see.

Both locations ooze with charm and the variety of their chosen genres is impressive. Note that we didn’t find a lot in the way of non-fiction like history or science but they make up for that in other ways. 

My pictures from this visit are absolutely terrible. I think that’s partly because both locations were busy and I was so preoccupied with just enjoying the fun that I didn’t put much effort into photos. That means you should go visit so you can see for yourself how cool it is! 

Black Cat Oddities and Books is located at 420 S. Court Street and 119 Lafayette Street in Medina. Note that their parking lot is small but customers are welcome to park at the Autozone across the street. Learn more at www.blackcatmedina.com.

Beyond Bedtime Books

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If you ever find yourself in Pittsburgh and in need of a good bookstore, look up Beyond Bedtime Books. This small shop is packed from floor to ceiling with an amazing selection of used books.

You’ll find bestsellers mixed in with the rare and obscure. The atmosphere is pleasant, the prices are good and the service is terrific.

There’s even a nice kid’s section and a few places where you can sit quietly to take a book for a spin before buying. I brought home a signed Fannie Flagg book for my collection and admired so many things I was lucky to escape with a relatively small stack.

Independent booksellers are the very best and visiting stores look this one is a little like setting out on a hunt for buried treasure. You never know what you might find.

Want to check them out? Visit their website for more information and for links to their social media.

Want to make it a day? We also had brunch at The Grand Concourse and strolled through one of the city’s happiest places – The Phipps. Here’s a story about that place from another day.

Second Story Used Books

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One thing I always seek out in my travels is a local bookstore. Durango, Colorado actually has a few options including Second Story Used Books.

It’s a small space in the upstairs of the Century Building in downtown. To be more precise, you go up some stairs, down a hall and then down another hall, passing some offices along the way.

There’s a sign down on the street but it still feels like a secret place, a portal to a far off land where you literally don’t know what is waiting for you.

This place has some of your run-of-the-mill used books but they specialize in the rare and out-of-print.

I had a ball here.

One of my purchases was the 1987 reprint of “The Thoughts of Thoreau.” Its from the Edwin Way Teale Library of Nature Classics and an immediate treasure in my world.

Here’s a quote from the book:

A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not yet observed. Thoreau’s Journal, August 29, 1851.

It was also delightful chatting with the store’s proprietor about her collection and about a couple of rare books I’m seeking. I know it’s stupid but I always get excited when my book choices are met with the approval of other book people.

The prices are a smidge high for a standard used book store but were more than fair for the out-of-print items I was buying. I practically skipped out the door with my bag of riches.

Find Second Story Used Books at 862 Main Avenue in Durango, Colorado. The sign said they are open by appointment or by chance.