Bookstore Explorer

Long-time podcast listener Thalia Lewandowski and her business partner visited Matt’s bookstore Airbnb in January to learn all they could about opening their own bookshop. Now they’ve done it! Thalia joins the pod to discuss Paper & String Books, a shop that seamlessly blends reading and crafts. Books We Talk About: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau, North Woods by Daniel Mason, James by Percival...

We're back for Season 3! Today, we are in Capser, Wyoming, to visit Wind City Books. Owner Miranda Berdahl and her bookseller son, Rhys, discuss taking over ownership of the shop during the pandemic, what it's like working for your mother, and more! Books We Talk About: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, I&apo...

Queer Haven Books is a new shop whose mission is to provide a place of safety and refuge for the queer community in the South. Owner Baker Rogers joins me to discuss what inspired the shop and what's ahead for its future. Books We Talk About: The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar, Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg, Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake, Less by...

This week, we visit with Jessie Canute, owner of Canute Books in Portland, Tennessee, and her daughter, Sessily. Their brand-new shop is located inside of Bloomin’ Deals, a 4,000 square foot thrift boutique home to more than 40 vendors. They tell us how they want from being "book dragons" to bookshop owners! Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about lif...

This week, we're joined by author Jonathan Corcoran to discuss his new memoir, No Son of Mine, and his lifelong love of bookstores! In addition to No Son of Mine, Corcoran is the author of the short story collecction The Rope Swing,   which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards and long-listed for The Story Prize. His essays and stories have been published and anthologized widely, inc...

This week, we're in Huntington, WV, to visit Cicada Books & Coffee. This family-owned spot was opened in 2018 by mother-daughter duo Dawn Hylbert and Katie Norman, who join me to discuss the store’s history, its place in community, and its unique blend of books, coffee, and art. Books We Talk About: Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin, Devil House by John Darnielle, Detransition, Baby by To...

This week, we're in Mount Airy, NC, known as "the real Mayberry!" The original home of Andy Griffith is now home to Pages Books & Coffee, and owner Cynthia Taylor joins us to discuss the shop. We're also joined by Barb Collins, organizer and promoter of the Writers Roadshow Tour, a new series of events that's bringing authors to rural North Carolina through a partnersh...

This week, we head to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to visit a store that’s been serving its community for 40 years. Co-owner Shannon Guinn-Collins and Store Manager Robert Flippo take us behind the shelves of Bookworks. We discuss the store’s long history, the amazing authors who have passed through its doors, and a recent change to an LLC structure for ownership. Books We Talk About: Titanium Noir by...

This week, we visit Skylark Bookshop in Columbia, MO, named one of 150 bookstores you need to visit before you die. Owner and novelist Alex George discusses the inspiration and mission of Skylark, as well as the city's prominent Unbound Book Festival, which he founded, happening this spring. Books We Talk About: Splinters by Leslie Jamison, Still Life by Sarah Winman, Now is Not the Time to P...

This week, we visit Hearthside Books & Toys in Juneau, Alaska. Owner Olga Lijó Seráns has owned Hearthside since 2022, but the store has been serving the people of Juneau for nearly 50 years. She takes us through its rich history and how things have been going since she took over. Books We Talk About: If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende, 90...

This week, Stan Zimmerman joins the show to discuss his new book, The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore, all about his career writing for such shows as The Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls, Roseanne, and many more. We chat about those and other projects, plus some of his favorite books and bookshops. The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore is available now! Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real im...

This week, we head to Biddeford, Maine, where owner Michael Macomber shares the story behind Elements: Books | Coffee | Beer. The combination bookshop, bar and cafe has been serving the people of Biddeford for more than a decade and helped usher in a new wave of downtown revitalization.  Books We Talk About: Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay...

Beth Merrick of Sunshine Book Co. in Clermont, Florida, discusses her journey from Disney employee to bookshop owner, and offers up some excellent ideas for bookshop events that drive customers into the shop.  Books We Talk About: A Land Remembered by Patrick D. Smith Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spot...

First opened in 1972 by Willard Williams and family, The Toadstool Bookshop - currently with locations in Peterborough and Keene -  has been serving the people of New Hampshire for decades. One of its longtime customers was Emerson Sistare, who began visiting The Toadstool at age 7. Today, he owns it. Emerson discusses the history of The Toadstool and what it has been like taking over the reigns o...

My guest this week is Stacy Hardin of the Peoria Book Rack in Peoria, Illinois. Stacy tells us how she went from drawing her dream bookshop layouts in a childhood journal to now owning a decades-old shop that she has visited since she was 12 years old.   Books We Talk About: The works of Stephen King, John Saul, Rebecca Yarros, and Sarah J. Maas. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Rea...

The Bookhouse Hotel is a 4-room boutique hotel nestled in the heart of downtown Kennett Square, PA. Housing over 5,000 books, it is a haven for bookworms or anyone else looking for a uniquely cozy place to relax and unwind. Co-owner Stephanie Olenik joins the podcast to tell us how this historic building, which had most recently been a bookstore, is keeping the book magic alive. Learn more and boo...

The Potter’s House is a nonprofit café, bookstore, and event space in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Since opening in 1960, it has been a key place for deeper conversation, creative expression, and community transformation. Joining me to share the shop's story are Executive Director Andrea Lewis and bookseller Eliza Cohen.  Just a heads up: We did have some audio and connec...

This week, we head back to Michigan once more to chat with Joanna Brookshire, owner of Brooks Books in Wyandotte.  Books We Talk About: The works of Johnathan Rands, Ronald Malfi and Kate Morton. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

This week, we're in Mentone, Indiana, to visit with Maddie Anweiler, the "Pete" in Pete & Freddy's Pages Aplenty. In this open and candid conversation, we discuss Maddie's shift from a partnership to a one-person shop, the importance of bookstores to small towns, and of course who the heck are Pete and Freddy!  Books We Talk About: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel...

This week, we welcome Shane Gottwals, owner of Gottwals Books, a shop that began as a used and new bookstore in 2007 and has developed into a chain of stores carrying a wide range of genres for all age groups and interests.  Go deeper into the story of Gottwals Books with Chapter By Chapter: The Gottwals Books Story, available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znsfw_2G_Fk .  Books We T...

This week, we visit with Nannette Crane-Post, owner of Black Ribbon Books in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This unique bookshop is located inside the historic Arlington Hotel. Nannette shares the town's and the hotel's rich history and discusses the balancing act of running  a bookshop while juggling another full-time job. Books We Talk About: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, The Co...

It's a Very Special Bookstore Explorer as we welcome essayist, radio personality and podcaster Julia Pistell to go bookstore exploring. Julia is cohost of Literary Disco, alongside actor and filmmaker Rider Strong and novelist and critic Tod Golderg. We discuss that show, her other impressive literary credentials, and her favorite bookstore explorations. Listen to Literary Disco wherever you...

Happy Halloween! Books Around the Corner is the perfect business to spotlight this time of year. It's an online store specializing in spooky reads. Guest Stephanie Rose discusses taking her woman- and disability-owned bookshop from a successful brick and mortar to a successful online store.  Books We Talk About: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, Starter Villian by John Scalzi, Into the Mi...

This week, we head back to Michigan and talk with Beth Dumity, owner, and Marissa McVety, manager, at R&B Used Books in Grand Blanc. We discuss giving back to the community and how they're still learning after 20 years in the business.  Books We Talk About: The books of Mariana Zapata, Chloe Liese, John Sandford, John Grisham, Jonathan Kellerman and Robyn Carr. Laugh Love Law Real convers...

If you're a regular listener to the show, you know that host Matt Browning recently opened his own bookshop, Plot Twist Books in South Charleston West Virginia. Podcaster and author Sarah Royal steps into the host seat this week to turn tables on Matt and interview him about what it's like to go from bookstore explorer to bookstore owner.  Books We Talk About: The Thursday Murder Club by...