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!
