Moon Palace Books - Minneapolis, MN

Moon Palace Books - Minneapolis, MN

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Moon Palace Books in the Longfellow neighborhood of south Minneapolis is the quintessential neighborhood, buy local, independent bookstore.  I think how nice it would be if I could step outside the front door of my residential area and walk a block or two and visit a bookstore.  If you live in this community that's exactly what you can do to enjoy a great bookstore experience.

This indie offers a great inventory of new and used books and believe me, it is absolutely packed with inventory in a smallish one-level space.  Customers who bring in used books are offered store discount on their next purchase.  Because of limited space though, they are particular about the books they will take.  They also benefit from customers who choose to simply donate their books to the store, a great benefit for any indie.  You'll find a few sidelines here but this is also limited due to space.  Greeting cards are one of the sidelines that does well here.  Those cards tie in quite nicely with Moon Palace's best time of year.  Business is very good here from November to January 1 and a card and book always make a great gift.

Jamie S. and Angela S. are the co-owners here and I like their vision.  Jamie defined themselves as a younger generation of owners who haven't been in the business for decades, enduring the many changes all retailers withstood.  He's hopeful that at some point in the future they may be able to move to a new location that will allow more space to accommodate more books (of course!) and make it easier to host author events.  That said, they are still able to host events and book clubs in the store.

As with many businesses, the first year can be challenging and that was the case for Moon Palace.  Just getting people in the door was trying, but now in their 3rd year they've turned the corner and have seen an increase in business.  They obviously have a strong local customer base but will also get visits from people outside of the neighborhood or the occasional traveler on their way to the nearby Minneapolis-St.Paul airport.

When you visit Moon Palace Books, you'll enjoy talking to Angela, Jamie, and Lukas, one of the booksellers.  They'll be able to give you lots of suggestions for a book and I could've talked to them forever about the books they like.  This is always one of my favorite things to do at a bookstore.  Pay a visit to the fine folks at Moon Palace Books and enjoy your time in a terrific neighborhood bookstore.  Good luck getting that experience at Amazon.  Go to an indie and buy a book.  Bonsoir.

CURRENTLY READING:  Fourth Of July Creek, Smith Henderson.

RECENTLY PURCHASED:  Long Division, Kiese Laymon.  Moon Palace, Paul Auster.  The store gets its name from this book.  How could I visit here and NOT get this one?!

This beautiful mural is on the side of the store.  You can park directly in front of the store or in this side lot.  Or just walk over from your home!

Moon Palace events notice.  

Front window display.  

Great view looking through the store from the front entrance.  

A wonderful wall of bookshelves.  

The Twin Cities has a strong literary community and Moon Palace is located in a neighborhood with many authors nearby.  Kate DiCamillo, an excellent author of children's fiction, lives in Minneapolis.  

A few of the sidelines available.  

Pick up a greeting card to go with that book gift you'll get!  

A portion of the children's section.  

View from the back of the store looking toward the front.  

Lots of used books can be purchased here.  

This book aisle runs the entire length of the store.  

The books are organized with the new ones in the front half of the store and the used ones in the back half.  

Co-owners Jamie on the left and Angela in the center.  Thanks for a great visit.