We spent our vacation last week on the Oregon coast and ended up visiting a few towns, and somehow found myself in a bookstore in each place—shocking, I know.
Robert’s Bookshop
The first shop was Lincoln City’s Robert’s Bookshop (although the sticker on the book I bought said “Bob’s”, so maybe they’re not that formal). It’s a small place with a good mix of new and used books. And it is packed. Their website says they have 1.64 miles of bookshelves! And there isn’t a wasted centimeter on them—you want to look behind the front-facing books because they’re just covering up others on the shelf behind them. From the floor (literally) to the top of the shelving units is nothing but books. Narrow aisles ensure that every available space is taken up with a book. The Case of the One-Eyed Witness by Erle Stanley Gardner—I haven’t read a Perry Mason book in…decades?…and I don’t think I’ve ever read this one. It’s a used copy from the 1960s and in fantastic condition. I had to restrain myself—I could’ve walked away with a couple of handfuls of these. If I lived in this general area, this would be my store. The way the shelves are just crammed with books makes it clear that they’re about selling books—everything else is second place.
Nye Beach Book House
On Wednesday, we wandered into Nye Beach Book House in Newport. It is pretty much just that—a block or so away from Nye Beach, and it’s a house. The retail space takes up three or four rooms (probably depending on your definition of “room”), and covers your typical genres. Most of the books were used—in good condition but used. There was a small section of new releases, with a larger percentage of small press (maybe self-pub, too, I didn’t spend too much time investigating). The staff (owner?) was friendly and helpful—and there was a (and quiet) little dog running around, too. I picked up a gently used copy of The Big Over Easy, because I’m determined that I’m going to become a Jasper Fforde fan.
Books ‘n’ Bears
The last stop of my Book Shop Tour was Books ‘n’ Bears in Florence. A wonderful, spacious shop specializing New & Used Books and Stuffed Bears. It’s an interesting combination to be sure, but the stuffed bears did look good on the shelves. I was a little confused by some of the shelving choices—for example, a lot of things that normally would be shelved with Mysteries were in General Fiction, etc. I’m guessing that had more to do with the shelf space available for “genre fiction” more than anything. There was a decent amount of newer releases, but the majority of the stock was used. I had a hard time finding something I was in the mood for—plenty of things to choose from, I should stress—and was set to walk out with just a nice used copy of Burning Bright by Nick Petrie and then just before I walked to the cash register, out of the corner of my eye, I see a hardcover Looking for Rachel Wallace by Robert B. Parker on a shelf that needed a stepstool to reach (I’m not used to stores having shelves that high). Any store that lets me leave with a first edition Parker is a fave.
Three Days, Three very charming bookstores—each with a distinct flavor. Yeah, I said I’d shop at Robert’s primarily if I lived in the area—but honestly, I wouldn’t be a stranger at any of these places.
Allyson Johnson
Love this post. When I travel, I find myself checking out libraries as well as bookshops. Something magical to me about all those pages waiting to be read.