The Indie Bob Spot

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Read A Book STL - St. Louis, MO

Read A Book STL, St. Louis, MO

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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 Dutchtown neighborhood of St. Louis. Read A Book has been open for about 2 1/2 years and I was happy to hear that things are going very well. Congratulations to husband/wife owners Brian and Ellen C.

When Brian and Ellen opened Read A Book it was originally as a used book store. They have since expanded to include a limited number of new books. The store has a nice corner location surrounded by some retail but a lot of residential neighborhoods. Many of their regular customers come as walk-in foot traffic from the surrounding houses, a true neighborhood bookstore. Their used books are acquired through donations or recovered from places where they are freely discarded. They also have some vintage and collectible editions but that is not a part of the business that Brian actively pursues. Best of all, I love that they have their used book inventory on a data base so they know exactly what they have. This also means you can purchase books online if you can’t make it to the store.

Read A Book offers numerous book clubs for you to participate in. If you have an idea for a book club, contact the store and ask if they would help you start it.

Every indie I visit has their own unique business model that works for the owners and their community. Here at Read A Book, the ability to access inventory freely has made a huge difference in revenue. Their success is made all the more remarkable because there are few to no sidelines making their reliance on book sales critical. But what is NOT unique here is getting to meet two wonderful owners and bookseller Misaei. The highlight of this trip and so many others are meeting these terrific people and enjoying a bookstore experience that will never be duplicated online. When in St. Louis, be sure to check this one out for a great experience. Go to an indie and buy a book. Bonsoir.

JUST FINISHED: Operation Napoleon, Arnaldur Indriðason. Excellent historical fiction about a WWII plane that crashed into an Icelandic glacier at the end of the war. The small crew aboard included Germans and Americans. Fast forward to present time and a covert operation commences to recover the plane and the secrets it holds. Highly classified and innocent people lose their lives trying to get to the bottom of the secrets. Recommended.

CURRENTLY READING: The Final Score, Don Winslow.

RECENTLY PURCHASED: White Rage, Carol Anderson. Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison.

Excellent corner location in the Dutchtown neighborhood of St. Louis.

This is the beautiful mural on the side of the building where the bookstore is located. Incredible.

Now this is what I call a bargain. Brian and Ellen do everything they can to get books into the hands of readers.

Expansive front window with lots of natural light for the inside.

View looking across the front of the store from the front entrance.

Looking to the left from the front entrance and through the remainder of the store.

Attractive display with relevant topics.

Display in the front of the store and facing the street.

Just inside the front entrance two perfect seats to sample a book.

These books are So Fine!

Find these shelves to browse some of the new books.

Essential.

I love this map of all the St. Louis neighborhoods.

Join one of the store's many book clubs or start one of your own.

One of the store book nooks.

This is actually very tiny and visitors to the store may not see it. I like it.

Cross section of the main room in the back of the store.

Overview of the smaller room at the back of the store.

View looking from the back of the store to the front entrance.

Essential.

I loved seeing the beautiful church located diagonally across from the bookstore. This convenient location makes it easy for many of the congregates to visit the bookstore.

With Ellen on the left and Brian in the center, the two fine co-owners at Read A Book STL. Thanks for a great visit.

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Bobzbay Books - Bloomington, IL

Bobzbay Books, Bloomingrton, IL

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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 years ago and now the store offers a full line of new and used books neatly arranged in a long, one-level space. Although the used books aren’t on a data base, Liz has a pretty good idea what she has on the shelves. You can find the used books shelved right beside the new ones throughout the store. Customers who bring books in for trade can receive store credit in return. The store’s longevity has resulted in a strong core of regulars as well as customer traffic from the local colleges, Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan. Bottom line? I was happy to hear from Liz that things are going well.

In addition to an excellent inventory of books, Bobzbay offers a nice assortment of sidelines. Greeting cards, puzzles, bookstore candles, and so much more. But as with so many other indies, when I asked Liz what was hot, without hesitation she said the stickers. They also offer an open mic night for poetry, a nice event to bring people into the store.

During the course of my bookstore journey, I’ve been to many that have a theme for their store. I’ve been to indies where the theme is penguins, cats, mythical creatures, whales, birds, and just about anything else you can imagine. But the unique theme at Bobzbay Books is one I don’t remember seeing anywhere else, robots. All sizes, shapes, and colors displayed everywhere. Anyone with small children might enjoy coming here and thinking of it as a robot museum. Hats off to the original owner.

Owner Liz along with booksellers Carrie and Sydney were fantastic to meet and talk to about the store and books. But I don’t need to tell you regulars something you already know. If you’re new to the area, be sure to visit downtown Bloomington and the terrific bookstore you can discover there. Go to an indie and buy a book. Bonsoir.

JUST FINISHED: Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel's Messiah, Charles King. This book is more of a look at the politics and culture in Europe from 1650-1750. Much of this book has nothing to do with Handel and The Messiah. Skip ahead to pages 180-190 or so and you can read more about Handel and The Messiah. I think music majors who studied much of this will be disappointed.

Family of Spies, Christine Kuehn. The author discovers a family history hidden for decades about her grandfather's family living in 1930s Germany, devoted to the Nazis, and suddenly forced to flea. They end up in Hawaii and accumulate massive wealth as spies for Japan before Pearl Harbor. Remarkable, unbelievable, and gripping, narrative non-fiction at its best. Highly recommended.

CURRENTLY READING: Operation Napoleon, Arnaldur Indridason.

RECENTLY PURCHASED; Code Dependent, Madhumita Murgia.

Beautiful storefront in the heart of downtown Bloomington.

Sidewalk boards are a super way to inform your customers and bring attention to the store location.

Bring in your used books during the trade-in hours and receive store credit in return.

View looking into the store from the front entrance. The store is divided into three distinct and open rooms.

A great community service and excellent tool to fact check others who are uninformed.

Something to help you at the next protest rally.

Help assemble the puzzle in the front of the store and immediately to the left.

Looking directly to the left from the front entrance you'll see a nice assortment of greeting cards.

Head down the right side of the store and browse this wall of books.

Display of recently arrived books just inside the front door.

Display of some of the new releases. Be sure to check out the unique caps shown on top of the display, perfect for any booklover.

Near the checkout counter you'll find an assortment of stickers, all of which have been very popular.

You've heard of the "blind date with a book" promotions. This is the same thing with a different name, "surprise books", offered at a great price. A fun way to buy a book.

Relevant books in the center of the front main room.

Now this is what I call a budget buster! They'll also on occasion set up tables with free books outside the store. Way to go Bobzbay!

Bring your child to this display case and see every robot imaginable.

So many bookstores place large print books on bottom shelves making them difficult for senior citizens to access. These are on a top shelf but easily reachable.

Just inside the middle room you'll find the staff picks.

Various sidelines including a few of the bookstore candles offered.

I would encourage all regulars to inquire about this.

This large portrait is behind the checkout counter but nobody seems to know who it is. If you can help, you may be entitled to a reward from the store.