Thursday, August 23, 2012

Glorious Bookstores

While I was in Colorado I had the pleasure of visiting two of the three Tattered Cover bookstores in Denver. It's a locally owned business, but the store is even bigger than your average B&N or Borders (before they went out of business). Each location had mostly new books, but a small used book section as well. And awesome gifts and greeting cards (such as the 'Yay Unicorns!' magnet I got) (oh yes, I totally did). AND a yummy cafe with coffee and tea and scrumptious treats to eat.

But what was most fabulous was the books. Tens of thousands of books with gorgeous, touchable covers and pretty white paper and glorious black ink. Books in little nooks and crannies, on all different levels (at least two stories in each store), which were so much more creative and magically arranged than the chains I'd been to before. I thought, please let there not be a day when bookstores don't exist. I get the lure of e-readers. I wouldn't mind having one for traveling. But I will never lose my adoration for old-fashioned books I can touch and smell and worship in a way that electronics will never hold a candle to.

Here are a few pics of Tattered Cover, though they don't do it any justice at all:

 
 



Ahhh, I'm going to miss Tattered Cover. So, what are your favorite bookshops? Either in your town, or ones you've visited...

24 comments:

  1. Ummm.... My favorite is the iBookstore in iTunes. Sorry! Yes, I am an eBook convert.

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  2. Hi, Alexia,
    I'm somewhat like you. I love the smell and feel of a paper and ink book. However, my Kindle has made buying books a breeze.

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  3. Aw, it's beautiful! I can spend hours in bookstores just browsing. I love going into bookstores of the different towns I visit--the independent store in Mendocino was the cutest thing ever!

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  4. Very nice! Honestly, I don't think I've been in any non-Borders/B&N bookstore (if that, ha!) in ages. Not counting the tiny airport bookstores I've been holed in before. Bookstores just don't exist in my neck of the woods.

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  5. So pretty! There are loads of small, gorgeous bookshops here in the UK - I don't know where to start.

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  6. I was wondering if you'd get to Tattered Cover. I've never been to one, but I hear about it all the time (and see it on BookTV). Cool. Very pretty. Good thing I live three hours away or I'd be there all the time.

    My favorite store was the Borders in Greeley. It was one of the first they shut down. =o(

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  7. Lovely pictures. I love visiting few bookshops close to my house. My favourite was Crossword, near my house.

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  8. I love this post. Thanks for sharing.

    PS: I still miss Borders.

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  9. Malaprops in Asheville, NC - awesome bookstore - going tomorrow actually.

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  10. Not many book stores left... we will have Dymocks nearby which is good. But I love those quaint little bookstores, especially if they have a coffee store inside.

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  11. Oh, it looks glorious! My favourite bookshop is Daunt in Marylebone. It's gorgeous.

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  12. Ah, a little slice of heaven. I love that name Tattered Book Cover. Never heard of it before, but love it already! There is just something so cozy and satisfying about an indie bookstore... I always like to envision finding a quaint corner shop while I'm strolling down Diagon Alley...lol!

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  13. Oh my gosh! I could LIVE there! We have a small indie store in town but not nearly the size of that one:-)

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  14. What a great store. I don't go too often, but I have a local indie I frequent.

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  15. Looks like a great bookstore.

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  16. I love my local Bookworm. So great!

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  17. Oh what a wonderful bookshop I LOVE real books and bookshops. Loved the name Tattered cover.

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  18. It looks like a lovely bookstore. About the only bookstore in our area is a Barnes & Noble. I mainly go there for the coffee/tea/pastries or to look at stationary and the gifts.

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  19. Love the name of that bookstore. We only have one tiny little book shop left in town, but I'm always amazed at how much they've got crammed in there =)

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  20. I dream of floor to ceiling bookshelves in my house. I love the name of the store and getting lost in a bookstore is about the best way to spend an afternoon, except writing I suppose.

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  21. I was in Colorado a month ago but I didn't get a chance to visit a Tattered Cover. Now I'm feeling bummer about it, it sounds so brilliant!

    Jai

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  22. We have some small, locally-owned shops here, and a larger store in a very small Canadian chain. And yes, we have Indigo. So I have the privilege of checking around.

    There is a huge, old place in Portland (folks may remember the name; it's gone from my head, but it's something of a landmark). I was there a number of years ago; it was grand.

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  23. Just moved to Florida from Colorado last week, and I am already missing the Tattered Cover. What a wonderful mini-chain of bookstores... It was such an important part of my Colorado experience!

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