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.