When I decided to spotlight different indie bookstores, Ali is one of the first people who came to mind. She is a serious supporter of Book Revue in Huntington, New York. I have never heard someone talk about a bookstore like she talks about hers. If I ever make it up that way, I’m going to check it out, for sure. I asked her the same questions I asked Andrea. Here are her answers:
How long have you been shopping there? about 20 years give or take
Do you know the staff? Personally no but I know them by sight.
Are they helpful? SUPER helpful and very very knowledgable.
What sets your indy bookstore apart from chain stores? A few things. The owners are all local residents, the store has a true community store feel-it’s huge, cozy, full of books that no chain store would ever have-a ton of classics, tons of fiction (trendy and not trendy), the selection of books is, imo, far superior than chain stores. And it smells like books-which I love.
Does your store have new and used books or only one or the other? yes they do. they have a huge section of used books as well as older copies of books that are in with the new books on the shelves but for $3, $4, $5 a book. Paperbacks mostly but a new book for $3 is ok with me.
How many times a month do you visit? 2 or 3
Does your store do special events/ author signings/ things like that? Do you attend these events? they do TONS!! i have attended a few and they’re great. see website. they ususally have a few a week and they’re great. see website. they ususally have a few a week.
Anything else you want to add? i thank my lucky stars every time I go in that I have such a great non-chain store in my town. The employees are stellar, the selection is huge, the depth of the types of books/genres is far far past any chain that i’ve been in and they have a glass bookcase with rare valuable books that I love to ogle. They also have a huge section of local books-history, information, outdoor activities on the island etc..
To learn more about this bookstore check out their website.
For the intro to my Indie Spotlight series, hop over here.
To learn more about indie bookstores in general head over to indiebound.org.
To recommend a store to spotlight, email me at jacki@lovelylittleshelf.com.