bookstores

Bookstore Review: Destination Discount Books

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[Note on March 28, 2017: We drove by here a few weeks ago and saw “Going Out of Business” signs. It is suggested you contact them by phone before visiting.]

20151219_152326Recently I heard rumors from my son of a new bookstore on the north side of Delaware, Ohio. Then a sales circular arrived at our home late last week with an ad for Destination Discount Books located just north of the town of Delaware on U. S. Route 23. So having wrapped up our Christmas shopping, we made a jaunt up to the store on Saturday.

The store is on the west side of U.S. 23 in what looks to be a Tudor-style home on a hill above the road. Formerly, it had been occupied by a couple of restaurant operations, and the building had been unoccupied for about ten years. The owners finally decided to turn it into a bookstore after the closing of a favorite bookstore in downtown Delaware. They opened in April of 2015 and advertise having a selection of 85,000 (all new, or new remaindered) books including an extensive children’s section and a large variety of gift items and jewelry.

20151219_152949My very first impression was how full the parking lot was. The owner, Ashley, confirmed that they have had a very good holiday season that surprised even them. When we came in the front door, we were greeted by a bookseller who explained the layout of the store and asked us if there was anything particular we were looking for. Just inside the front door is an alcove with all the current best sellers, all discounted. To the right, the front room and middle rooms feature various categories of fiction. Separating the two rooms is a fireplace, with seating in front of the fireplace and seating by the front windows in the front room.  The back room included various self-help, exercise and health, music, and art and other non-fiction topics.

20151219_153340If one takes the staircase up from the first floor, you will find the layout virtually duplicated on the second floor. To your right at the top of the stairs in the front is a room with business, automotive, biography, history, and other topics. The hallway itself has a section of Bibles and the center room features an extensive selection of Christian fiction and non-fiction. On the left side of the hallway is a section given over to cookbooks. Then in the back is a huge selection of children’s books and other children’s items including plush toys. The children I saw seemed to really love this space.

20151219_153554My impression throughout was of a clean, well-appointed store with plenty of light and ease of access to all the books. There is room in the main floor front room for book signings and readings and the store supports local authors. Nearly all of the rooms have comfortable seating making it possible to browse your books or talk with a friend over a coffee or glass of wine from the coffee and wine bar on the main floor.

20151219_161632Yes, not only does this store, like many have an extensive selection of coffees and teas, but also they have a wine bar and sell a selection of wines. This is found to the left of the front entryway on the main floor, as part of the gift, jewelry and checkout area. I had a chance to visit with the store owner, Ashley, for a few minutes (they were busy!). She told me they are constantly getting new items into the store and that their current leading seller was their line of “snaps” jewelry (for the uninitiated, this is a line of bracelets, necklaces, and rings with interchangeable insets that “snap” in and out and are held magnetically, allowing you to color coordinate). Like most bookstores, gift items, jewelry, and beverages are a vital part of their bottom line!

Destination Discount Books has filled a void in the book market around Delaware with a tasteful, well-stocked and comfortable store for the whole family and nearly all reading tastes. I came away with a collection of essays on American history by Gordon Wood, and a beautifully illustrated book by one of my own heroes of the faith, John Stott, titled People My Teachers (they had lots of copies of these for the ridiculously low price of $2.99). If you are in the area and want to stop by or call to see if they have a book you are looking for, here’s what you need:

  • Address: 1185 U.S. Highway 23 North (Route 23), Delaware, OH 43015
  • Phone: 740-362-7711
  • Email: destinationdiscountbooks@gmail.com
  • Hours:  Monday – Saturday, 9 AM to 9 PM; Sunday, 12 PM to 6 PM

This and all my bookstore reviews may now be found by clicking “On Bookstores” on the menu bar (or icon) at the top of my blog.

New Menu Category @Bob on Books!

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Given that this is a book blog, I write on all things related to books, at least that I can think of! One of the fun things I’ve had the chance to do is write reviews of bookstores and other posts about bookstores. With the advent of e-books and online bookselling, I admire those entrepreneurs who continue to provide a place where we can page through a book, sit and read a chapter, and make those serendipitous discoveries of things we weren’t looking for that look really interesting.

So, I have now done enough of these posts, including my “bookstore crawling in Columbus” post that I have created a menu category on the menu bar titled “On Bookstores” to make it easier to find all my bookstore reviews and related posts. I hope to keep adding to these as I travel about and hear of interesting places.

Speaking of that, check out the blog tomorrow for my latest bookstore review!

 

Bookstore Review: Bookends & Beginnings

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Bookends and Beginnings interiorOn my mini-bookstore crawl in Evanston, I also came across a listing for Bookends & Beginnings, located in the legendary location of Bookman’s Alley. I became even more intrigued when I walked past a big B & N store and discovered they were located the next block north on Sherman — literally in an alley off the main street. As I approached, I found what looked like a very modest storefront and thought, this will be a quick visit.

Wrong. I walked in and discovered a store four or five times bigger than I expected, kind of like the stable in The Last Battle (or the TARDIS in Dr. Who) that was bigger on the inside than the outside. And even more surprising in the shadow of B & N, this store sells new books, ranging from serious literature and non-fiction to a section on the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field (hey, the Cubs are in the playoffs as I write!).

Book RecommendationOne of the most delightful things you won’t find in that big chain bookstore are handwritten reviews by bookstore staff underneath books throughout the store. For example under The Book of Strange New Beginnings by Michel Faber, I found:

“I usually don’t like futuristic novels, especially ones about a criminal who becomes a true believer. However this book was a wonderful engrossing read from first page to last.”

I don’t usually read YA fiction, but this succinct review intrigued me–not enough to buy the book–yet.

Children's BooksIn the back of the store, off to the left is a delightful children’s corner, complete with lots of stuffed animals and comfortable places to sit and look at books. Jeff Garrett, one of the partners in this enterprise considers this his pride and joy. The children’s section stocks books in 26 languages. In a former life, Jeff was a librarian, specializing in rare and specialized collections, 18th and 19th century German and Austrian library history, and global children’s literature. The store’s website says, ” He served twice (2004 and 2006) as president of the Hans Christian Andersen awards jury of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).”

Nina Barrett is owner and business manager for the store (and married to Jeff–no typo). Nina has published three books, acquired a professional chef’s degree, worked as a food reporter, and won two James Beard awards, a major award in the world of cooking and food. Needless to stay, the store also features a “rich selection of food-related books.”

A Bookselling TraditionI mentioned Bookman’s Alley. From 1980 to 2013, Roger Carlson was one of the premier booksellers in Evanston. When Nina and Jeff took over this site, they did not take over the books from the former store. My sense is that there is a rich history of bookselling in this location but Jeff and Nina have put their own distinct imprint on the bookseller’s trade.

The store is a beehive of literary and cultural activity. For example, today (October 13, 2015) there is a workshop on the art and craft of memoir with Dina Elenbogen, an Evanston History Walk, and a literary salon on “Ta-Nehisi Coates and the topic of race in “Post-Racial” America”. The store regularly features author readings. You can also sign up for a newsletter and emails to keep in touch with bookstore events, staff picks, and more.

This is a store for the whole family–children, teens, and adults of widely varied reading interests. The store also sells a distinct selection of cards, papers, notebooks, toys, jewelry and more. That big chain store down the street is cavernous, and just like the ones in my home town. Bookends & Beginnings was a far more intimate, personal space that continues a long history of bookselling in the heart of Evanston.

Contact info and hours:

1712 Sherman Avenue, Alley #1, Evanston, IL 60201, 224-999-7722,  INFO@BOOKENDSANDBEGINNINGS.COM

Tuesday through Saturday 10 – 7, Sunday and Monday 10 – 6

Bookstore Review: The Bookstore at Vineyard Columbus

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The Bookstore at Vineyard Columbus

The Bookstore at Vineyard Columbus

I visited an unusual bookstore the other day. It was located inside the campus of Vineyard Columbus, located at 6000 Cooper Road in Westerville. Roughly 8,000 people attend services at this church each weekend and The Bookstore is located just inside one of the main entrances off of the south side of the building.

Jeff Baker, the Bookstore Ministry Coordinator sat down with me and explained the mission of this bookstore and some of the strategies they pursue to encourage reading as part of the efforts of this church to disciple people toward Christian maturity. Very early in the church’s life, in the late 1980’s, they established a booktable to sell books to equip their congregation. This morphed into The Bookstore when they moved into their current location and Jeff has served as Coordinator since 1998,

Jeff Baker, Bookstore Ministry Coordinator

Jeff Baker, Bookstore Ministry Coordinator

Jeff described his passion as one for using books to help equip believers for growth and transformation. One of strategies he, and bookstore clerk, Meg Kuta (who formerly worked with a major bookstore chain) work on is finding “entry level” books that they can sell at prices as low as $5.00 a copy that are easy reads but have quality content that appeal to the non-reader, which he estimates might make up 80 percent of the congregation (pretty much what is true of the general adult population). He gave shout-outs to Zondervan/Harper-Collins and Tyndale who are publishing a number of titles in this vein.

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Gifts, Theology, and Children’s Books!

At the same time, as I looked around the store, I was impressed with the quality content available and the amount of the store given over to books as opposed to gift items, stationary, cards, and other non-book items. You can find meaty Bible study tools, theology texts. serious biographies, like the new one on Tom Oden. There is also a delightful children’s section. The store stocks resources for small group leaders, the diverse ministries of Vineyard Columbus, and books related to current sermon themes. All Vineyard leaders are able to purchase books at a 20% discount and Jeff works with ministry leaders to find resources to enhance the efforts of each ministry.

We talked about how Jeff works with the pastors to order books that they will be mentioning in sermons. He observed that the way books are recommended in a sermon have a big effect. Recently, for example, a speaker talked about the devotional guide Search the Scriptures and wove the impact of using this guide throughout his sermon. As a result, the store sold 150 copies! More offhand recommendations may sell five or ten copies to the really interested.

Like many bookstores, The Bookstore will host author events with local authors as well as national authors visiting to speak at services or conferences hosted by the church. This coming year, they are planning to host a series of author events with local seminary professors. According to their website, they also host a writers group and a C.S. Lewis discussion group.

I asked Jeff what he most and least likes in Christian publishing. Vineyard Columbus is an ethnically diverse congregation and one pet peeve which he has engaged publishers on are books with only white people on the covers. He also has problems with the “end times prophecy” books which he feels nurtures idle speculation rather than serious discipleship.

Positively, once again he spoke warmly of the deeply discounted “entry level” books that Zondervan/Harper-Collins and Tyndale publish. He also spoke of the growing level of cooperation he is seeing among authors, publishers, publicists, and booksellers, all who have faced challenges in the changing landscape of bookselling.

Finally, we discussed some of the books that are his “bookseller’s picks”. Several times in our conversation he mentioned Gordon Fee’s Paul, The Spirit, and the People of God, a book deeply consonant with Vineyard’s theological commitments. Two other books Jeff and Meg are recommending these days are John Ortberg’s If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat and Michelle DeRusha’s 50 Women Every Christian Should Know.

While The Bookstore’s primary clientele are Vineyard members, the store is open to the public. Jeff contends that their prices are often better than you-know-who. They also have a Frequent Buyer program that offers a 10% discount on all purchases, email notices of featured books and specials and has no annual membership fee.

Their hours are as follows:

Monday Closed
Tuesday-Friday 12-5pm
Saturday 5:30-8:15pm
Sunday 8:45am-1:45pm
Additional contact information for the store and other resources including an extensive list of book recommendations by topic are available on their website.

The Allure of a Book-Lined Room

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A comfortable nook at Blue Jacket Books in Xenia, Ohio

A comfortable nook at Blue Jacket Books in Xenia, Ohio

I follow various book sites on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter and one thing I notice is the frequency that people post pictures of fantastic libraries, both institutional and personal, or sometimes of bookstores that look like libraries with shelves and shelves of books and comfy nooks and crannies with overstuffed chairs in abundance.

I have two hunches of why we love such images. I’d love to know what others think.

One is that such places represent a place of safety or refuge in a world that can at times feel scary. Maybe this is just me. I was in a seminar where we were asked to imagine a safe space. The image that came to mind was a book-lined room, with lots of old, leather-bound volumes, a fireplace with a good fire burning, comfortable leather chairs and good lighting, a stand at my side where I could place a mug of something warm, and reading tables or a reading desk for more serious work, looking out on a woodland or mountain vista.

So much for my fantasy life! But wouldn’t you love to spend time in a room like that? Maybe if you are a bibliophile, you’ve tried to create, with your means hopefully, a room like that. Yet the funny thing is, that all I need really is the book! I can be in an airline waiting area in a major airport with a cup of Starbucks and a book or my Kindle, and I’m in that place.

East Reading Room at Thompson Library, The Ohio State University

East Reading Room at Thompson Library, The Ohio State University

My other hunch is that these spaces represent something of our aspirations as readers. Sitting in a university reading room studying (or pretending to) a challenging work makes me feel like a scholar, or perhaps a bit wiser, whether it is really so or not! Sitting in a place where we have access to the best of what human beings have thought or written encourages us in the hope that we might gain some of that knowledge.

I’ve observed that some of my favorite bookstores try, within their means and their space, to create this feel. They allow us to slow down, to savor being around all these books. They aren’t just warehousing books. They are welcoming those who read them. I’ve found others, particularly those selling used books that simply pack as many books in as possible. There’s no place to sit to skim a book or read a chapter to see if it is what you are looking for. I’ve found some great books in these places but they aren’t places where I want to linger. That can be mitigated somewhat by a friendly bookseller who is appropriately helpful and enjoys talking about books.

Maybe another word for all of this is that these places, whether mental images or real places, represent places of retreat. They are places where we come away and have the safety to reflect and be renewed. At one time, we might have turned more to religious places, and some of us still do. (I’ve found some of the best retreat centers even have spaces like this!). It makes me wonder whether such imagery, and the real places that approximate this, as good as they are, point us to something more, just as the books we read often do.

National Read a Book Day

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weird-and-wackybooksI don’t usually do posts on Sundays, but just wanted to highlight that today (September 6) is National Read a Book Day! I don’t know who thinks these things up, but I like the idea! (Of course, for some of us, every day is “read a book day”!)

Some thoughts that came to me of how to celebrate National Read a Book Day:

  1. Visit the library with your family and everyone pick out a book to read.
  2. Check your local paper for any authors doing readings of their books–usually at a local book store.
  3. Find out what your friends thought was their best “summer read”. Some good wine and cheese is always a nice accompaniment. You might get an idea of something you’d like.
  4. If you are traveling over the Labor Day weekend, get or download a recorded book to listen to in the car.
  5. Or go low tech and take turns reading to each other in the car. No DWR (driving while reading)!
  6. Visit your “to be read” pile and pull out something that has been sitting there a while and read ten pages and decide if it should stay on the pile, get promoted, or discarded.
  7. Cozy up in a hammock or comfortable outdoor chair with a cold drink and enjoy a late summer afternoon read (and maybe a nap–just don’t get sunburned!).
  8. Pick a book that can be read at a sitting and read it. My reading of most books is broken up. Sometimes it is nice to get the sense of the whole book in one sitting.
  9. Pull out one of your favorite books of all time that you haven’t read in the last five years and revisit an old friend.
  10. And above all, READ something you can enjoy. I think that’s the idea after all.

What ideas do you have for celebrating National Read a Book Day?