Perennial Pages Bookshoppe - Ackley, IA

Perennial Pages Bookshoppe, Ackley, IA

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For all you readers living in small-town America, take heart.  Ackley, IA is a town of approximately 1600 located in central Iowa.  Perennial Pages Bookshoppe has been open for only 4 months and is already enjoying success in rural Ackley AND the surrounding communities.  Yet, I can visit communities much larger, 20,000 - 50,000+ and find absolutely nothing.  If you want to do something like this in your smallish community, owner Lori H. would be the perfect person to guide you to the starting line.  

This very cute little bookstore is located on Main St in the heart of downtown Ackley.  You’ll find all new books and a variety of sidelines that can be found throughout the store.  Puzzles, greeting cards, children’s toys and games, stickers, various food items, and a variety of Iowa-centric items are all available here.  I thought the children’s section and the food room with various cookbooks and food were especially good.  Lori has a true enthusiasm for both of these genres.  Her inventory of children’s  books and items has made this the ideal local shop for grandparents.  If you’re a grandparent in the Ackley area, this store is a must-see. 

Perennial Pages is not only a blessing for this region but for Lori herself.  For most of her career she has been a tax preparer and continues to do that in addition to the bookstore.  The fork-in-the-road of her journey was a cancer diagnosis that helped nudge her toward bookstore ownership.  As she told me, this is her happy place.  Especially so this time of year when she is in the crunch of tax season.  After the cancer diagnosis, this bookstore ignited her therapy and recovery, and now is squarely and confidently moving forward into a bright future.  Way to go Lori!

Now it’s up to you Ackley.  Support this wonderful new business and its passionate owner.  Bring a friend, explore, tell others, and spread the word.  Ackley, IA has its own independent bookstore.  Go to an indie and buy a book.  Bonsoir.  

JUST FINISHED:  The Heart's Invisible Furies, John Boyne.  Cyril Avery was born in 1945 to a 16-year old rural Irisht Catholic girl out of wedlock.  A coming of age story for Cyril who was adopted by parents who offered everything but love and warmth.  He struggles with his sexual identity and survives homophobic violence and abuse all while searching for place and understanding.  From Dublin to Amsterdam to NYC and back to Dublin.  By the author of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, this epic is excellent and ironically includes some very humorous conversations between characters.  Highly recommended. 

CURRENTLY READING:  The Day The World Ended At Little Bighorn, Joseph M. Marshall III.

RECENTLY PURCHASED:  The Story Orchestra I Can Play, Jessica Courtney-Tickle.  The Wager, David Grann.  Sister Lumberjack, Candace Simar. 

This unassuming storefront is hiding exciting adventures and chilling mysteries. 

Almost 100 years ago, this building was The Strand Theater.  It's very difficult to picture that when you enter the bookstore. 

If you see this sign, it's time to enter. 

View looking into the bookstore from the front entrance. 

View looking to the left from the front entrance.  A variety of sidelines can be found in this area including puzzles, candles, and greeting cards to name a few. 

Timely and relevant table display. 

Variety of locally sourced candles. 

One of the candles was named to honor the bookstore. 

Two different flavors of fudge.  Yes please. 

Many of the greeting cards are from the Iowa Paper Farm in Albia, IA. 

Looking to the left after the hallway entry.  Teen, YA, and middle reader books.  Local kids are still discovering this store. 

Looking into the adult book room, on the right. 

Variety of Christian books available. 

Find a book, take a seat, and give it a try. 

A very popular seller at the store. 

Table display of new and popular releases. 

Another popular seller at the store. 

Overview of the adult room. 

Box set collector's edition of The Hunger Games. 

I love seeing pictures of bookstores in their former lives.  This was the Strand Theater, almost 100 years ago. 

A few of the books of local and regional interest. 

Wide variety of stickers available. 

Partial view of the children's area. 

Overview of the children's area.  Bring your kids to this bookstore, they are going to love it.  Hey grandparents, this store is a must see. 

View looking from the back toward the front entrance. 

The next room down the hall after the adult book room is the food room. 

Plants, nature, and crafts all displayed here. 

Variety of fun food on this table. 

They even had samples.  Of course I did!

Variety of cooking and baking books on these shelves. 

Series of mysteries written with specific national parks as the background for the story. 

I will always encourage gift cards as an excellent way to support your local bookstore. 

Heikens Beef Sticks are a popular local item that has been difficult to find.  They're available here.

With Lori, the fine owner at Perennial Pages Bookshoppe.  Thanks for a great visit.