Blacksburg Books in Blacksburg, Virginia, opened its doors in the summer of 2021, filling a much-needed void in the downtown district as the city’s only independent bookstore. 

The vision for the shop arose when local attorney Laurie Kelly was gifted the 1,000+ personal library of a recently deceased neighbor. Seeing that as a sign to make her long-held personal dream of opening a bookshop a reality, she then began amassing additional titles.

When the shop opened last August, Kelly had amassed 7,000 used and new titles for all ages, plus various sidelines like drinks, snacks and artisan gift items. Originally conceived as a used-only shop, local demand led to what is close to a 50-50 split of new and used titles, plus a nice selection of books by local authors and themed displays like a Banned Books display during my visit.

Adorned with tall wheeled, wooden bookcases, the shop – while not large but not cramped either – is nicely laid out and well organized. The inventory is impressive, covering the expected genres you’d find in a bookshop, with décor creating a warm, inviting and cozy shopping experience. And its convenient downtown location, with a designated parking lot in back, makes visiting a no brainer.

Blacksburg Books is located at 401 South Main Street, Suite 106, in Blacksburg, Virginia. Open daily.

Please follow and like us: