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Tag: Bookstore Explorer

Glover’s Bookery - Lexington, Kentucky

Glover’s Bookery - Lexington, Kentucky

For more than forty years, Glover’s Bookery has been providing Lexington, Kentucky’s book lovers with rare and vintage volumes. With over 80,000 titles spread across two levels, the shop has an expansive and impressive inventory spanning the genres, including specializations in such subject matter as horses, military history, and Kentucky culture. The shop, owned by John Glover, has been buying and selling antiquarian books since 1978. A great deal of the inventory at Glover’s is hardback, and there are plenty…

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Unique Books - Lexington, Kentucky

Unique Books - Lexington, Kentucky

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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Black Swan Books - Lexington, Kentucky

Black Swan Books - Lexington, Kentucky

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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Rose City Book Pub - Portland, Oregon

Rose City Book Pub - Portland, Oregon

Rose City Book Pub in Portland, Oregon, sold me on its name alone. Combining two of my favorite indulgences – books and a nice cocktail – this neighborhood spot is a cozy, quiet reprieve from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Located in what was formerly an Irish pub, owner Elise Schumock opened Rose City Book Pub in 2018 with the intention of keeping much of the décor the same, giving the book pub a quaint, lived-in feel with old…

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Belmont Books - Portland, Oregon

Belmont Books - Portland, Oregon

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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Broadway Books - Portland, Oregon

Broadway Books - Portland, Oregon

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

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

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

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

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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