Oracle Books – Wytheville, Virginia
Randy Shell, owner of Oracle Books in Wytheville, Virginia, had a simple yet potent mission when opening the used book and record shop in late 2018.
“People asked me, do you really want to open a bookstore? Can you make a living?” he says. “I said I’m not looking for a living, I’m looking for a lifestyle.”
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And, in that regard, he appears to be succeeding in spades. Upon entry to the downtown shop, Randy greeted me with a friendly smile, a fresh cup of coffee, and some questions about what I might be shopping for – a bookseller with a genuine interest in getting to know his customers.
“The fun is in the mix, the interaction between me and the customers, and between the customers themselves,” he said in a 2019 interview with Book City Roanoke. “I want people to linger and exchange ideas. That’s what a bookstore is all about.”
And it’s the kind of vibe you can expect at Oracle Books. The tall shelves in the shop’s front room are stocked full of fiction in a variety of genres – classics, fantasy, contemporary, children’s.
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A stroll down the hall leads to a second room containing mostly non-fiction works and an impressive collection of records – a component to the shop that was added when Randy found himself continuously being offered stashes of LPs when buying book lots.
While I didn’t explore it during my quick stop through town, there’s also a basement in the shop that he uses for book sales, and as the world emerges from COVID-19 quarantine, he’s open to events like live music and author signings.
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If my bookstore explorations have revealed anything, it’s that indie bookshops owners (especially, it seems, those specializing in used and antiquarian books) are great sources of local information and encapsulate a town’s charm and character. During my stop, I heard tales of dogs and chickens passing through the shop, discovered another author with whom I’m Facebook friends lives nearby, got some dog-friendly restaurant recommendations, and learned that the local library was hosting a used book sale down the street.
Nestled right on Main Street, surrounded by shops and cafes, Oracle Books is a perfect example of a charming small-town bookshop.
Oracle Books is located at 275 West Main Street, Wytheville, Virginia. The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday or by appointment.