Document Actions
Unique Bookstore Tour
March 26, 2008 10:40 PM | Professional OrganizationsMollie Pherson, LSTA Project Librarian
I decided to spend my first day of PLA (3/25/08) taking the Unique Bookstore tour. The tour included visits to three unique Twin Cities bookstores--Common Good Books, Amazon Bookstore Cooperative, and Once Upon a Crime. We got to tour each of the libraries and make purchases if we chose to do so.
The first bookstore we visited was Common Good Books, which is owned by Minnesota's own Garrison Keillor. It's located under a really cute coffee shop called Nina's Coffee Cafe. Keillor makes regular visits and creates displays in his store. He also writes an ode on the dry erase board every time he visits--very cool! The bookstore was just darling with lots of quotes painted on the walls, and it was full of local and Minnesota authors.
Books I picked up at Common Good Books:
Wobegon Boy by Garrison Keillor
Pontoon by Garrison Keillor
(I mean I had to purchase Garrison Keillor's books while visiting HIS store!!)
Next, we visited Amazon Bookstore Cooperative, Inc. Now, this has absolutely NO relation to amazon.com. This bookstore is SO cool! It was founded in 1970 in Minneapolis, it is the oldest independent feminist bookstore in the U.S., and it's a worker-owned cooperative. Amazon has a wide selection of children's books, books celebrating diversity, artistic jewelry, and other novelty items. We even got to pet the dog that hangs out at the store!
Items I picked up at Amazon Bookstore:
An artistic necklace
When Housewives Go Bad! by Nancy Rider Hunt
In Search of MOCKINGBIRD by Loretta Ellsworth
Our last visit was to Once Upon A Crime Mystery Books, which is a bookstore completely dedicated to mysteries, crime fiction, and thrillers. I couldn't believe all of the author signings that little store offers the public! The store also contains an Annex full of rare first editions, out of print books, magazines and journals, and other hard-to-get used copies.
Items I picked up at Once Upon a Crime:
Skullduggery (#2 in the Bloodwater Mysteries series) by Pete Hautman and Mary Logue
Poison Heart by Mary Logue
Bone Harvest by Mary Logue
Check out Flickr to see pictures of the Unique Bookstore tour and others from PLA!
