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Little Blue Pigeon, Denver, CO (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) My only regret visiting Little Blue Pigeon is I know it is going to show amazing and beautiful growth in the coming months and years. Already, in its three short months it is off to an impressive start. In this short time, its success has been excellent and is split 50/50 between tourists and…
Denver Book Society, Denver, CO (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) Denver has a pretty good bookstore scene and there are new indies joining the party since I’ve been here. One of those is the Denver Book Society, only 5 months old and already checking all the boxes just like any long-running bookstore. I knew from seeing pictures online that this was going to…
Rooted Books & Gifts, Grand Island, NE (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) For most people, Grand Island, NE is not a destination. Located in the middle of rural Nebraska on Interstate 80 with a population of approximately 50,000 makes it a giant among its neighboring communities. So Grand Island is simply a town you drive by when traveling east or west through…
Prairie Pages Bookstore, Sun Prairie, WI (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) If you know anyone who might be planning a move to Sun Prairie, WI, boy do I have the perfect place for them. Prairie Pages is located in a beautiful, modern, multi-use building on the edge of downtown Sun Prairie. You can get a great place to live in a luxury apartment above a…
Chester Creek Books, Duluth, MN (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) Used book stores are a completely different animal from new books bookstores. Within that species of used book stores you’ll find a wide range of different models which for me makes them all enjoyable to visit. But Chester Creek Books is a COMPLETELY different animal altogether, in a very…
Chapter Book Lounge, Noblesville, IN (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) You know the old saying, you can’t judge a book by its cover? You can throw that out the window when you visit Chapter Book Lounge in Noblesville. The attractive exterior matches equally with the beautiful and charming interior. The lovely interior with its many places to sit and lounge…
Caveat Emptor, Bloomington, IN (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) Hey indie owners, I found the surefire recipe for you to rake in the money with your next sideline idea. 1) Move or own a store in a college town with a football team. 2) Make sure the football team has a really good coach. 3) Cross your fingers that your team makes it to the national…
I'll Meet You There Bookstore & Cafe, Cedar Rapids, IA (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on Twitter) I’ve driven by this new bookstore many times over the last four months and could hardly stand not stopping to go in. From the outside it looked simply beautiful and now that I’ve visited I can confirm that the interior is not only nice it is stunning. This is the…
Nos Books, Des Moines, IA (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) The Des Moines metropolitan area is a major urban center that for many years was lacking in independent bookstores. Beaverdale Books was the only indie of note for approximately 15 years but since 2020 there’s been an explosion of new bookstores including Nos Books, located in the historic Dogtown…
Leviathan Bookstore, St. Louis, MO (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) Believe it or not, I have not seen the movie “You’ve Got Mail,” but I understand the general premise involving a couple and a bookstore. Similarly, this bookstore was conceived by two people who were fated to meet. Co-owner James was living in Seattle and already experienced in the bookstore…
Read A Book STL, St. Louis, MO (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) When I began this journey over 600 bookstores ago, I thought St. Louis was a little light on independent bookstores. That observation has dissipated over time and the bookstore scene has greatly improved. This resurgence is due in part to newer bookstores like Read A Book STL, located in the…
Bobzbay Books, Bloomingrton, IL (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) Bobzbay Books is going on 17 years of successful business with an excellent location in downtown Bloomington, IL. Liz A. is the second owner of the business but has been with it since its beginnings as a DVD, music, and comic bookstore. She transitioned the store when she took ownership some 10…
The Rogue Bookshop, Beloit, WI (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) If you’re a regular visitor to this terrific new independent bookstore in Beloit, WI, there is nothing I can tell you that you don’t already know. You already know that it’s a home run for the town and for the business community. You also know that owner Jamie A. is the perfect fit for bookstore…
Sisters Books & Nooks, Cedar Rapids, IA (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) I noticed this bookstore when it opened for business back in September. Since then, I’ve been like a dog straining at the end of a leash to get here. I didn’t have to map out a lengthy trip for this one since this new indie is located in my hometown of Cedar Rapids. I’m happy to hear…
The Empire Bookshop, Kewanee, IL (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) What came first, the chicken or the egg? The same can be said for adjacent bookstores and coffee shops since it is such a natural partnership. This is the question in Kewanee, did the bookstore come first or the coffee shop? These two spaces are beautiful twins, but Coco’s coffee shop came…
Ink & Ivy Book Boutique, Madison, WI (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) Most bookstore owners come to their ownership from a different background other than a bookstore. Eden A. is the co-owner of Ink & Ivy along with her mother Shannon. Although she had some bookstore experience at Kismet Books in nearby Verona, that wasn’t her career goal. Her time spent…
Island Books & Crafts, Sault Ste. Marie, MI (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) I’m not sure which is more interesting here, the bookstore or the wonderful stories you’ll enjoy hearing when you meet Les T., the owner of Island Books & Crafts along with his wife Kelli. What an absolutely fascinating conversation I had with him covering everything from his…
The Cottage Book Shop, Glen Arbor, MI (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) I’ve been wanting to visit The Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor because of the many beautiful pictures I’ve seen of the rustic log cabin structure, especially the ones when it is covered in snow. Winter weather limited my opportunities to make it here so it was now or wait six more months.…
Niche Books, Lakeville, MN (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) Is there a town anywhere that isn’t absolutely thrilled when they finally have their own bookstore? In the words of owner Ashley C. at Niche Books, the community of readers in Lakeville were simply delighted. In fact, Ashley can still remember the facial expressions of customers when they first…
Basement Books KC, Liberty, MO (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) I discovered a few years ago that surprisingly, there were a lot of good things that came out of the pandemic for bookstores. For Basement Books, the seed was planted at the beginning of the pandemic when owner Stevie and her husband bought books from a woman who was leaving her bookstore…
Ink Cap Books, Stoughton, WI (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on Twitter) It’s always interesting to hear how new bookstore owners come to their business and what their background was. It seems that many come from backgrounds other than retail or bookstores. That’s not true with Ink Cap books where owner Sydne C. comes to this new business with years of bookstore…
Tomorrow Bookstore, Indianapolis, IN (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) Tomorrow Bookstore is another one of the several terrific indies that have recently populated the independent bookstore scene in Indianapolis. As I looked around the Tomorrow Bookstore neighborhood, it would seem to be a good location with many urban city apartments and condos around the…
The Whispering Shelf, Indianapolis, IN (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on Twitter) The experiences you can enjoy at an independent bookstore far exceed your “click and submit” for a book online. Owner Lena B. was as nice as any I meet at any bookstore. But on this day it was my good fortune to also meet Mark F., a publishers representative from Fujii Associates.…
JC Weddle Books, Rhinelander, WI (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) "Psst. Hey you, yeah you in Rhinelander and around Rhinelander. I’m looking for books, you got any books?” If you have extra books in your home, get rid of them. Run, don’t walk, and take them to owners Jeff and Cindy W. at their terrific bookstore, JC Weddle Books. You can donate them if you…
WordHaven BookHouse, Sheboygan, WI (Like The Indie Bob Spot on Facebook and follow The Indie Bob Spot on X) There is so much going on with WordHaven BookHouse and its wonderful owner CJ that I hardly know where to begin. What I share is merely a fraction of what you need to know about this remarkable indie and all it has to offer. Yes, of course there are books but there is so much more that makes…
