Meet Winnie, the manager of Mulberry Street Books in Lebanon, Ohio. Winnie is a beautiful cat who takes seriously the responsibility of this job.
Winnie greets every visitor to the shop and sometimes follows them around to provide ample opportunity for shoppers to do the right thing and offer up ear scratches.
Winnie has truly unique markings and beautiful, knowing eyes that make you want to just sit on the floor and relax a while.
Shop cats draw me in and this one made me want to stay!
It’s unclear how many bookstores are actually located in the greater Cincinnati area but we did our darndest to hit as many as possible between Tuesday and Friday.
In case you’re wondering, we made it to fourteen bookstores and a Half Price Books warehouse sale in the Cincinnati area as well as another small store in Lebanon on the way home. That’s a new record for us both.
I suggested we also stop at Wheatberry in Chillicothe Friday but Adam said that might be excessive. We had to draw the line somewhere, he said. Since he’s often the grownup in the relationship and since there was no more room for books in the backseat, we agreed to save Wheatberry for someday when we’ve forgotten how many books were acquired this week.
Every bookstore has its own vibe. A personality, if you will. While chain locations may look basically the same in terms of branding and display techniques, even they are different from location to location.
Locally owned book shops are my favorite. The Bookery is located on a quiet street near a beautiful old church. It’s family owned, quaint and charming. We both found books we didn’t know existed and didn’t know we had to have. The owner commented on the books we bought and it was clear that she knew her stuff. It’s amazing talking to someone who is truly invested in the product they sell. Another local store we both favored was Joseph Beth. They have locations in Cincinnati and Lexington, Ky. It’s a large store with the warmth and welcome of a home library. Again, we found things we didn’t know we couldn’t live without. I received excellent customer service from a young woman who both helped me find what I needed and seemed pleased to chat about reading and books for a few minutes after we found my book.
There were other local shops as well as a few Half Price Books and Barnes and Noble locations in the mix. Every Barnes and Noble feels drastically different in how they choose to organize their books and some are quite odd. Yet, they always have this lovely and relaxing smell that makes you want to slow down. Half Price pays literal pennies for the books they buy back and then sell for much higher prices and this irritates me to no end.
Yet, I will always value brick and mortar bookstores over buying from online superstores. I read both fiction and nonfiction. Adam is more of a nonfiction reader but a lot of local bookshops either have no nonfiction or a limited selection. So the larger stores are often more pleasant for us both and places like The Bookery seem even more special.
The Half Price Books Warehouse sale was just Friday and Saturday. We were stopping in on our way out of town and ended up arriving about twenty minutes early. Just before we arrived Adam joked that there may be a line to get in. We laughed until the store came into view and found at least twenty people lined up outside the door. So we joined the line, claiming our titles of bookstore groupies, and waited our turn to join the madness.
We both came home with a rather large collection of literary treasures so we are stocked up for a while. Not that this will stop us from braking the next time we see a bookstore!
Bookstores are always my favorite places and the source of many souvenirs when I travel. Big stores, little stores, new and used bookstores and especially the ones with shop cats are all my favorites for different reasons.
I seek them out in my travels and never hesitate to support a local bookstore when given the chance. Each one has a different vibe, a unique personality. I like the used shops where I can expect to find the unexpected like some out of print novel with a gem of a cover. I also like the new ones with their comfy couches, carefully controlled lighting and selection of new books just waiting to be discovered.
Wheatberry in Chillicothe, Ohio is my closest bookstore and I always try to stop in if I’m in downtown. They focus on new books with just a small shelf of used in the backroom. It’s like whoever does their ordering knows exactly the kind of fiction and nonfiction I like and they always have the best selection of seasonal works to peruse.
My favorite regional chain is Tattered Cover in the Denver area. The fact I don’t live close enough to shop there regularly is one of life’s great disappointments. Their staff picks include a note card that describes why they like the book and the selection is divine. Maria’s in Durango, Colorado and Beyond Bedtime Books in Pittsburgh are favorites. There’s one called Little Switzerland Books and Beans that we stumbled into just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, convincing me that I can sniff out a bookstore nearly anywhere.
I could go on and on with recommendations.
That’s why it’s rare for me to leave one empty handed or to be annoyed in a bookstore. So far, I have found just two that I despise. Both make me claustrophobic and one was in Philadelphia during this last adventure.
It was a used bookstore with extremely tight walkways between shelves that was so cluttered with stacks of boxes, walking was difficult. Some rows were completely blocked by boxes stacked no less than three feet high. To make things harder, it was busy and passing a person in an aisle wasn’t possible in places so you just had to wait for people to move.
The place is a hoarder’s paradise. Actually, it looks like a book hoarder lost control of their obsession and hung out a shingle. The guy running the place reminded me of a little kid sitting in a fort made of books.
It is not an exaggeration to say that I had a physical reaction to this place. My stomach turned continuous somersaults and I broke out into a sweat. I could hardly breathe even when the door was in sight. . To add insult to injury, prices written inside the covers were nearly illegible so it was hard to know if you were about to pay a dollar or seven or maybe a hundred. Who knew?
The one redeeming quality here was the shop cat. I saw it once, luxuriating in a patch of sunlight. I knew I was struggling when I didn’t even stop to speak to the cat. I literally just scooted past and looked for the exit.
I feel my blood pressure rising just telling you this crazy story because bookstores are supposed to feel like a vacation from the rest of the world rather than a reflection of the messy, terrible problems that lie beyond their front door.
Also, I would like to note that in all the junk stores, antique malls and tiny shops in all the places I have been, none has brought on such a reaction. The other store I don’t like is in Columbus and it also makes me claustrophobic but I can usually hang in there long enough to find a book or two to bring home. In other words, it doesn’t make me want to puke!
We left this store and found ourselves walking past Christ Church. This was exactly the respite that I needed to recover and be ready to face the rest of the day. Come back in a couple of days and I’ll tell you all about this place that felt so steeped in history and so sacred, I could barely speak.
Hudson is a pretty-as-a-picture town in northeastern Ohio. Tree lined streets, cute shops and plenty of greenspace will drawn you in and make you want to stay. At least that’s the effect it had on me. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to dwell here. Instead, we were there to check out a bookstore and pick up some chocolates on the way home.
The Learned Owl Book Shop has been around since 1968 and offers books for all ages on three floors. It’s a charming shop filled with bestsellers as well as some harder to find titles that you didn’t know you needed until they caught your eye here.
We went here because I liked the name. When we got there, I liked the sign. When we went inside, I liked the total package.
It’s not always fair to judge a book by its cover or a store by its sign. It’s awfully nice, though, when the inside lives up to the outside! Find the Learned Owl on Hudson’s Main Street and learn more about them on their website!
It’s no secret that books are an important part of my life and that I often seek out bookstores when traveling. That’s why it was important to me to prioritize finally visiting the Ohio Book Store in downtown Cincinnati last month.
The Ohio Book Store was founded in 1940 and is five floors of used and out-of-print books. The proprietor will meet you at the door and ask if you’re looking for anything in particular to aid in your search. If you’re just browsing or are interested in multiple topics, he will give you a map to aid in your expedition.
When I inquired about nature books, he asked a few questions before taking me to my desired section in the basement. When my fella asked about history, the guy asked questions to drill down to a specific area of history before sending him off to the third floor with a map and some instructions.
Each floor features rows of tall metal shelves and some makeshift ones as well. Tall windows facing Main Street provide lovely atmospheric light and a chair here and there welcomes the shopper to stop for a rest or a read.
This place is packed to the ceiling with unusual books, old books, things you’ve never heard of, and things you never knew you needed to read. It is not the place to come for new releases or bestsellers but I think that’ makes it all the more charming.
Although, I will admit that it’s a little overwhelming at first! Note the massive collection of National Geographic’s pictured here. I went hoping to find the August 1949 edition that I’ve been searching for these last several years. They had a dozen copies for $5 each. They have a selection of other old magazines like Life and local papers too.
They even do book repair and binding. That’s a sentence I never thought I would get to type. People just don’t take care of things the way they used to so it was great fun to see that department in the basement.
I found a nice little stack of things that I knew I would never see again and left behind some stuff that I now regret.
Perhaps a return trip should be on the books!
Want to visit the Ohio Book Store? Find everything you need to know on their website!
