Whenever I travel to a new destination, one of my favorite activities is to track down a local bookshop and lose myself in the shelves. Over the past year, with both travel plans and associated book-browsing curtailed by the pandemic, I’ve sustained myself with virtual tours of some of the many bookshops I hope to one day visit in person. After the jump, a few of my favorites:
The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA
This highly instagrammable downtown Los Angeles book store is located in a former bank, with soaring ceilings, massive columns and even the defunct vault, now a book repository. New and used books are distributed in deliberately haphazard displays throughout the 22,000 square-foot space, which also houses a coffee bar and a record store. Owner Josh Spencer was the subject of the 2016 documentary, “Welcome to the Last Bookstore,” which chronicled his life as a husband, father, small business owner and paraplegic.
Instagram: @thelastbookstorela
Baldwin & Co, New Orleans, LA
A brand new Black-owned bookshop in New Orleans, Baldwin & Co is named in homage to iconic writer James Baldwin, who features in an eye-catching interior mural painted on book spines. In addition to aesthetically displayed books, the store is a home to a cafe and a glass-walled podcasting studio. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, owner and avid reader DJ Johnson said he ultimately wants the space to serve as both a community hub and a tourist destination.
Instagram: @baldwinandcompany
The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
Located in a former warehouse in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, this sprawling bookshop has over 150,000 titles displayed on its trademark cedar bookshelves, and comfy leather chairs for customers to sink into while considering their purchases. In non-pandemic times, the location hosts over 500 author events per year; Elliott Bay Book Company has now pivoted to a robust calendar of virtual events.
Instagram: @elliottbaybookco
Books & Books, Coral Gables (+ other locations), FL
Mitchell Kaplan, Books & Books founder and creator of the acclaimed Miami Book Fair, opened the independent chain’s first location in Coral Gables in 1982, with the vision of giving the community a place to gather, socialize and learn. Now housed in a historic building across the street from the original store, the Coral Gables outpost customarily hosts author events, live music, movie premieres and more. Due to the pandemic, most events are currently virtual.
Instagram: @booksandbooks
Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN
Parnassus Books was cofounded by author Ann Pachett in 2011 after she witnessed a spate of indie bookstore closures in her hometown of Nashville. “I have no interest in retail; I have no interest in opening a bookstore,” she told the New York Times at the time. “But I also have no interest in living in a city without a bookstore.” A decade later, said bookstore is a favorite with locals and tourists alike, and has expanded beyond its walls with a bookmobile–Parnassus on Wheels–that travels the greater Nashville area.
Instagram: @parnassusbooks
BookPeople, Austin, TX
BookPeople is Texas’ largest independent bookshop–no small feat in a state known for going big. Over its more than 50 years in business, BookPeople (which takes its name from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451) has hosted scores of luminaries within its book-filled walls, from Timothy Leary to Lady Gaga. For now, its popular author events are online only; upcoming speakers include Bill Gates, discussing his latest book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster.
Instagram: @bookpeople
Shakespeare and Company, Paris, France
Probably the world’s most famous independent bookshop, Shakespeare and Company’s history is too storied to blurb effectively. The current iteration of the English-language shop, founded by American George Whitman in 1951, sits on the left bank of the Seine and has long been known as a creative outpost for literary luminaries, as well as a sort of youth hostel for cash-poor authors. The original Shakespeare and Company, founded in 1919 at a different Parisian location by New Jersey native Sylvia Beach, was famously the preferred gathering place for Lost Generation expat writers such as Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and James Joyce. (Beach was the first to publish Joyce’s Ulysses in its entirety.) Beach closed her shop in 1941 during the Nazi Occupation, and never reopened, later passing the torch to Whitman. In November, the iconic book store, now operated by Whitman’s daughter, Sylvia, revealed it was in financial crisis as a result of the pandemic, inspiring a worldwide outpouring of support.
Instagram: @shakespeareandcoparis
Daunt Books, Marylebone, London (+ other locations), UK
Located within an Edwardian building dating back to 1912, and believed to be the world’s first custom-built bookshop, Daunt Book’s Marylebone outpost is known for its wide selection of books related to travel. Artfully arranged over two stories, and grouped by country as opposed to author or genre, the travel guides, memoirs and novels set around the globe are guaranteed to inspire wanderlust.
Instagram: @dauntbooks
Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice, Italy
The name of this whimsical bookshop, situated directly alongside a canal, translates to “high water bookshop,” due to the frequent flooding events it endures. To combat water damage, owner Luigi Frizzo “shelves” his wares in waterproof containers, bathtubs, and even boats. Stuffed to the brim, with new and used books, postcards and maps, the compact shop is also home to several resident cats at any given time.
Instagram: @libreriaacquaalta
El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires
Situated within an ornate former theater dating back to 1919, El Ateneo frequently earns accolades for its stunning interiors. In non-pandemic times, the colossal bookshop welcomes over a million visitors a year to browse the colorful shelves within the former mezzanine and orchestra; to enjoy refreshments from the cafe located on the former stage; and to take selfies against the opulent backdrop.
Instagram location tag (no official handle)
