The Third Degree - Independent Bookstores

THE THIRD DEGREE

INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES

There is something special about locally owned businesses.  They have the warm and fuzzy feeling to them.  Oh, and if you live in Texas, they have that COOL feeling on a very hot summer day. 

A locally owned bookstore opened in my area this week.  When I got an email with their grand opening date, I asked my mom to take us there after school that day.  I wanted to be a part of the first day celebration.  So, that’s exactly what we did.

Oh my gosh, the store is just beautiful.  It is all decked on out with modern touches and I liked the way it was organized.  There is a fun and colorful kids area for the little kids.  The upper middle grade books are outside of that area (thank you!) and young adult is in a sunny corner.  There is a kitchen demonstration setup and lots of bookish accessories for sale too. 

The people working there are true book lovers.  One of the ladies spent a lot of time showing Travis the non-fiction books.  My mom said that he was especially interested in a titanic book.  Another of the ladies chatted with me about my blog.  I camped out on a comfy leather chair by a huge window and read.  I could have stayed there all night!  I think we found a new place to hang out.

What I like about locally owned stores is that they can do whatever they want.  They don’t have to follow rules from a corporate office that doesn’t know our local market.  If the local owner wants to stay open until midnight on Fridays they can.  If they want to have a teen book club, they can.  They can decide which books to feature, which authors to have visit, and how to set up their displays.  The store can be whatever they, and their local customers, want it to be. 

Travis needed a new series and he had Harry Potter on his mind.  We have been watching all the movies to lead up to seeing Deathly Hallows over Thanksgiving break.  We ended up getting him the whole set!  Travis is getting his own “boys only” bookshelf in his room and this will help fill it up.

Me, well I wanted a book for myself and one for giveaway.  I decided on Crescendo.  Watch for a giveaway later today.  = )  I wanted YOU to be a part of this big day too.

So, are you wondering the name of this really cool bookstore?  Drumroll . . .  a Real Bookstore.  You can follow them on twitter HERE.  I hope they will be around for a very Very VERY long time.