Bookstore Explorer

This week, Matt welcomes author and podcaster Sarah Royal to the show to discuss her love of indie bookshops! Sarah is the author of the new book A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucile Ball, which features a foreward from Amy Poehler! She also co-hosts the popular Enough Wicker podcast, which takes a scholarly look at The Golden Girls.  Books We Talk About: A Bestiary of Bookseller...

Tom Batterson’s love of books and bookselling started young – decades before opening New Story Community Books in Marshall, Michigan. He tells us his journey – including his 20 years working at a chain bookstore and how that differs from running an indie shop – in this fun episode! Books We Talk About: The Murderbot Diaries: System Collapse by Martha Wells, Holly by Stephen King, Chain Gang All St...

It's part two of our deep dive with author and bookseller Danny Caine, part owner of The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas. In this episode, we discuss Danny's viral sensation, "How to Resist Amazon and Why," and his bran new book, "How to Protect Bookstores and Why," available now! Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life,...

On this episode, Matt is joined by bookseller and author Danny Caine. Danny is part owner of The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, and author of the viral sensation "How to Resist Amazon and Why," as well as the new book, "How to Protect Bookstores and Why." In the first of a two-part episode, Danny discusses the history of The Raven. Next week, we deep dive into his books!...

We're back in Oregon to visit Beach Books! Owner Karen Emmerling and manager Alexa Butler share the story of this wonderful shop from Seaside, Oregon, from their active social media presence to their inventory of what they call "potato chip reads" -- and that one odd customer who collects...cat whiskers?  Note: A few audio glitches in this one! Books We Talk About: The Ten Thousand...

We're back in Oregon to visit Beach Books! Owner Karen Emmerling and manager Alexa Butler share the story of this wonderful shop from Seaside, Oregon, from their active social media presence to their inventory of what they call "potato chip reads" -- and that one odd customer who collects...cat whiskers?  Note: A few audio glitches in this one! Books We Talk About: The Ten Thousand...

This week, we visit Cortney Hornyak, owner of The Bookworm, a used bookshop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In addition to a vast inventory of over 20,000 books, Cortney's shop offers beautiful handmade literary lamps and other awesome items. (Check out our Insta to see the one Matt brought home.) We talk about what it was like to open a shop without any prior experience, being a bookseller...

Matt talks with Joseph Shearer, owner of Basecamp Books and Adventure, in Colorado Springs, CO, a shop offering one of the largest inventories of used books in the Pikes Peak Region: a blend of new titles, rare, and collectible books with the goal of bringing bibliophiles and outdoor enthusiasts together to explore more through Books and Adventure. Books We Talk About: The Thief of Always by Clive...

This week, I’ve got another special guest – filmmaker Mason Engle. Mason is someone I’ve wanted to talk to for a while, because his work is similar to my own, in that he too explores the world of indie bookstores – but in film. He is the author of the novel “2084” and “How to Improve Your Writing," and director of the fantastic documentary “ The Bookstour .” He’s now raising funds to release...

This week is the first of a new feature on the podcast: conversations with authors about what indie bookstores mean to them and their careers. I'm joined by Richard Mirabella, whose debut novel "Brother and Sister Enter the Forest" was released earlier this year to critical acclaim. His short stories have appeared in Story Magazine , American Short Fiction online, One Story , Split...

This week's guest is Andy Hunter, founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, an online bookstore with an explicit mission to help promote and financially support the brick-and-mortar independent bookselling community. It is a platform that provides independent bookstores with an easy way to promote their stock and book lovers an alternative to purchase the books they love online without driving sales t...

Welcome to season 2 of Bookstore Explorer! In this episode, Matt heads to New England to visit with Katya D'Angelo, owner of Bridgeside Books in Waterbury, Vermont. Books We Talk About: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay and The Treehouse on Dig River Road by Catherine Drake. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law...

Samara Nicoll had wanted to own her own bookshop since her teens. After years of working in one, the dream became reality when she opened Notably – A Book Lover’s Emporium – in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, in 2021, featuring new books and stationary items. Books We Talk About: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, The Woefield Poultry Collective by Susan Juby and The Wild Heavens by Sara...

Ahu Terzi opened The Hound Books, named after her beagle mix pup, in Roscoe, New York, last fall. In this episode, she shares how she's managing to learn the ropes of the bookselling business while balancing the store with a full-time job and a commute from NYC. Books We Talk About: Upstream and Felicity by Mary Oliver, Hiking the Catskills by Randi Minetor and Stacey Freed, Upstate by Lisa P...

This week, we visit Hanapepe, Hawaii, to learn about Talk Story Bookstore, the western most bookstore in the United States. The doors opened in 2004, when owern Ed Justus was offered a month’s free rent to start a business. Books We Talk About: The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker, How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff, and The Automatic Millionnaire by David Bach. Laugh Love Law...

Sarah Bagby spent years working at Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, Kansas, before taking over the reigns of ownership. She walks us through the store's rich history and shares some of the best-selling titles, including a few spring 2023 releases that she predicts will be hits. Books We Talk About: I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Inciting Joy by Ross Gay, Death Comes for...

This week, we're back in Texas to visit with Jane Estes, one of the founders of Lark & Owl Booksellers in Georgetown. It's a fun shop specializing in new books and community spirit. Jane discusses how they developed their unique name, their varied takes on the traditional book club, and why a bookshop is no place for haters. Books We Talk About: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You Sh...

Thanks to good timing, Maple Grove Books in Williamson, West Virginia, went from an idea to an open business in less than two months! Owner Maryanne Lendearo joins me this week in a "live taped" episode right inside the shop. Books We Talk About: The Mate Games by Meg Anne and Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast...

Nicki Stanton & Jamie Wood and partnering to bring a bookshop to Pocatello, Idaho, and have found some creative ways to raise funds, from pop-up shops to book box subscriptions. Books We Talk About: Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin, One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle, Sea of Tranquility and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, All the Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doe...

Blacksburg Books in Blacksburg, Virginia, opened its doors in the summer of 2021, filling a much-needed void in the college town as the city’s only independent bookstore. Owner Laurie Kelly and manager Ellen Woodall are here this week to tell us all about the shop. Books We Talk About: Shit Cassandra Said by Gwen E. Kirby, City of Orange by David Yoon, The Employees by Olga Ravn, The Field Guide t...

This week, we visit a shop in the making! James Curtis, founder of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, art studio Outside Stimuli, has launched a creative fundraising campaign as he prepares to open Baton Rouge Books in 2023. He's elevating the everyday pencil holder into a medium for works of art, activism and awareness. He tells us how listeners can order their own hand-carved pencil holder, celebr...

Main Street Books has been a Frostburg, Maryland, staple for over three decades. Owner Fred Powell joins us this week to discuss this quintessential small-town bookstore, including how it has - and hasn't - changed over the years. We also tease an exciting episode coming up in the new year! Books We Talk About: Matrix by Lauren Groff, The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Milller and...

With its high ceilings, exposed brick walls and hardwood floors, Zenith Bookstore is a warm, comfy, and inviting space that has been serving the community of Duluth, Minnesota, for five years. Store manager Sarah Brown walks us through the shop and its history, as well as her own history as a bookseller, and shares some fantastic book recommendations. Books We Talk About: Duluth's Grand Old A...

On this episode, we're in Running Springs, California, to visit Pages in the Pines. Owner Becky Morgan walks us through this tiny but mighty shop, part of a collection of retail and event spaces. With only 120 square feet, Becky discusses how she makes the most out of a small space. Laugh Love Law Real conversations. Real people. Real impact. A podcast about life, law and... Listen on: Apple...

Loganberry Books has been serving the greater Cleveland area since 1994. Bookseller Elisabeth Plumlee-Watson is here to share its unique history. Plus, if you've ever been "that customer" who comes in searching for a book from your childhood with nothing but a vague description to go on, Loganberry has a cool service to help find it. Books We Talk About: A Thousand Was to Pay Attent...