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Unique Books - Lexington, Kentucky

Unique Books - Lexington, Kentucky

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Located in Lexington, Kentucky’s Woodland Triangle, just around the corner from Black Swan Books for you bookstore crawlers, is Unique Books, which features a large collection of used titles, as well as plenty of regional works. The shop was opened in the early 2000s by Kathy and Tom Rather. As its namesake implies, the origin of Unique Books is itself rather unique. “It all started because I was irritated with my kids,” Kathy told Smiley Pete Publishing in 2012. “They were voracious…

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Wild Fig Books and Coffee - Lexington, Kentucky

Wild Fig Books and Coffee - Lexington, Kentucky

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Lexington, Kentucky’s Wild Fig Books and Coffee is a worker-owned co-op, radical bookstore, coffee shop, and community event space located in the North Limestone area. Originally opened in another location in 2015 by writer Crystal Wilkinson and her partner, Ronald Davis, the shop was (and remains) Kentucky’s only black-owned bookstore. It moved to its current location later that same year, and now operates in a renovated turn-of-the-century house. In its initial phases, much of the shop’s inventory came from the…

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Black Swan Books - Lexington, Kentucky

Black Swan Books - Lexington, Kentucky

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Established in 1984, Black Swan Books has consistently been rated Lexington, Kentucky’s best used and rare bookstore, and quite deservedly so. For bibliophiles seeking rare, vintage, first-edition, signed, or simply high-quality used books, your search will likely lead you right to the historic building that houses this wonderful shop. Throughout its multiple rooms packed with beautiful, tall shelves, Black Swan has amassed a rather expansive inventory, with titles ranging from the classics to poetry to travel to history to horses…

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Chaparral Books - Portland, Oregon

Chaparral Books - Portland, Oregon

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I stood outside of an obviously closed Chaparral Books in Portland, Oregon, anxiously hoping to hear the turn of an internal lock and the swing of an opening door. They’re probably just running a little late this morning, I thought as I glanced at my watch, which put the time at ten minutes past the scheduled start-of-business hour. I hovered around the exterior of the shop, grabbed a drink at a neighboring convenience store, and was patiently waiting when I happened to…

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Belmont Books - Portland, Oregon

Belmont Books - Portland, Oregon

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They say good things come in small packages, and Belmont Books in Portland, Oregon, falls nicely into that category. While one of the smaller venues in Portland’s thriving indie bookstore scene, a top notch selection, a welcoming storefront, and friendly staff set this one high on the list during my recent PDX bookstore crawl. One of the city’s most recent additions, Belmont Books was opened last year by Joseph Witt, a financial planner who’d also worked in restaurants before becoming…

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Interior of bookstore.
Broadway Books - Portland, Oregon

Broadway Books - Portland, Oregon

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The website for Portland, Oregon’s Broadway Books calls it “A Great Little Store with Great Big Service.” I can happily attest to the truth of that statement. As is often the case on my bookstore explorations, I prefer to browse quietly for a while, take some photos, get a feel for the space…and shop for myself. While doing so at Broadway Books, the store clerk offered assistance to a mother and daughter who were shopping the sizable children’s section, greeted several regular…

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Mother Foucault’s Bookshop - Portland, Oregon

Mother Foucault’s Bookshop - Portland, Oregon

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My pre-trip research on Portland, Oregon’s Mother Foucault’s Bookshop led me to some interesting descriptions. Most glowed about the enviable antiquarian stock, with some varying descriptors ranging from the negative (pretentious) to gushing (old-world charm, eclectic, cozy, high-brow) to creatively unique (it’s setup like a 1900s living room, it smells like old book glue and whiskey). Each of these (with the unfortunate absence of the whiskey smell) played a part in my rather unusual trip. Upon arriving, the gentleman working…

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Cameron’s Books & Magazines - Portland, Oregon

Cameron’s Books & Magazines - Portland, Oregon

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Portland, Oregon’s oldest independent bookstore, Cameron’s Books & Magazines, is in trouble. After 80 years, shop owner Jeff Frase announced in early October that the building’s new owner is terminating his lease, leaving two months to vacate. The beautiful old shop full of vintage books and a wealth of magazines is looking for a new home – fast. Located along Third Avenue in downtown Portland, the shop opened in 1938 in another location before moving to its current spot more than…

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Powell’s City of Books - Portland, Oregon

Powell’s City of Books - Portland, Oregon

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Much has been written about Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon. A mainstay on “best bookstore” lists not only throughout the U.S. but the entire world, the multi-location behemoth of a store has been serving Portland since 1971 and has become deservedly described as legendary. The shop’s family-owned history began in Chicago, where Michael Powell opened a bookshop in 1970. His father, Walter, spent a summer working in the shop and was so enamored with bookshop operations that, upon…

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Speaking Volumes - Burlington, Vermont

Speaking Volumes - Burlington, Vermont

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Regular readers of Bookstore Explorer know I love a good used book shop, although when I actually began thinking about how I define “good,” I wasn’t necessarily sure. A trip to Speaking Volumes in Burlington, Vermont, however, has helped to provide some clarity. The inventory is vast and varied, covering genres across the literary spectrum. Décor is eclectic and spirited, resulting in what the shop’s website calls a “cozy living room atmosphere.” The shelves are tall and jam-packed with used…

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