If getting lost in a book is something you do often, why not get lost in the bookshelves of your next destination? Contrary to popular belief, independent bookstores are not only surviving, but they are also thriving. We’ve rounded up the most notable independent bookstores in the country worth traveling for and bookmarking for your next trip.
With over “18 miles of books,” which translates to over 2.5 million books, The Strand in NYC is an iconic staple of independent bookstores. Founded in 1927 on “Book Row,” which at the time spanned six city blocks and 48 bookstores, it is the last standing bookstore from that time. Located around the corner from Union Square, get lost in the stacks of The Strand, where you can customize books by the foot, pick up rare books, and purchase signed copies of best sellers.
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Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon, is a powerhouse in the independent bookstore world. As the world’s largest independent bookstore, the independent bookstore has 68,000 square feet, 10 rooms, three floors and 3,500 sections, and carries more than 1 million books. Founded in 1971 by Michael Powell, it has been passed down through three generations. Current owner, Emily Powell, says, “My grandfather taught me that our job is to connect the writer’s voice with the reader’s ear and not let our egos get in between. My father taught me not only the love of the book itself but also how to love the business of bookselling.”
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If you’re looking to get lost in a literal Labyrinth of books in an old bank, visit California’s largest independent bookstore, The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles, California. Where did the name come from? “The name was chosen with irony but seems more appropriate with each passing day as physical bookstores die out like dinosaurs from the meteoric impact of Amazon and e-books,” says the owner, Josh Spencer.
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Read a book and have a drink at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix, Arizona. This independent bookstore’s first location was in the East Valley, in Tempe, in 1974. When the owners opened their second location in central Phoenix, they decided to add First Draft Book Bar, and now it is home to one of the few “book bars” in the country. Cozy up by the fireplace with your favorite IPA and romance novel.
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There are numerous New Orleans bookstores, but the one dubbed “America’s Most Charming Bookstore” is located in the French Quarter. Faulkner House Books in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a converted apartment where Nobel Laureate William Faulkner once lived in 1925 and wrote his first novel, “Soldiers Pay.” Peruse the collection of Faulkner books in this cozy New Orleans bookstore and get inspired to write your next novel with Faulkner’s spirit guiding your way.
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Located on Newbury Street, Trident Booksellers & Café in Boston, Massachusetts, started in 1976 at the end of the “hippie turned back-to-the-land, turned Buddhist, turned entrepreneur sort of era,” say the owners, Bernie and Gail Flynn. At the time, there were not many places to have coffee and conversation over books, and the couple sought to fill that gap. Nearly 40 years later, Trident Booksellers & Café continues to be a place to build community and have that nice cup of coffee in one hand with a book in the other.
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“Do you think that Hemingway, Faulkner or Kerouac became Hemingway, Faulkner and Kerouac had they just sat behind their typewriters?” says The Wild Detectives’ website. The bookstore-meets-bar hub encourages drinking and reading to uphold conversation. The Wild Detectives derive their name and their character from a loose translation of Roberto Bolaño’s Los Detectives Salvajes, (The Savage Detectives). Drop in for a drink, a book, and a discussion during beer o’clock.
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