Looking for something creative to do with damaged or unwanted books? Paragraphs Bookstore in Mount Vernon, Ohio, has some ideas. The shop displays book art by a local teacher, including a book wreath that proved so popular the shop has begun holding workshops to teach curious customers how to make their own.

“I thought we were going to blow all the fuses, because we had ten glue guns going at once,” jokes bookseller Jordan Shremshock when discussing the first wreath-making class. 

In addition to how-to workshops and beautiful book art, which is displayed in a sort of in-store living room area that invites shoppers to sit a spell as they peruse a potential purchase, Paragraphs Bookstore offers an eclectic mix of new books in a variety of genres, as well as an expansive collection of book-related gift items and a roster of activities such as author signings and readings, a book club, and a children’s story hour. In fact, the shop’s spacious children’s section is routinely the sight of a kids’ writing workshop, taught by local college students. 

Children’s books prove a popular seller in the shop, as well as genres like young adult and science fiction. Interestingly enough, it’s the Stephen Kings and the James Pattersons that don’t fly off the shelves at Paragraphs, notes Shremshock. But that doesn’t mean you won’t find them in the cozy shop - or in Paragraphs’ active online store.

Managed by retired teacher Lois Hanson, Paragraphs has been a town fixture since 1996, continuing historic Mount Vernon’s tradition of having a downtown bookstore that began in the nineteenth century. The shop offers “a place with real books, real people, and real conversations, and a reminder that the turning of a page will always take us where we wish to go.”

Paragraphs Bookstore is located at 229 South Main Street in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The shop is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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