Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Places Where I Would Love to Open a Bookstore



Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

Here we are at the first Tuesday in October. We had some rain last night, and might get some today. We still haven't made up for this year's drought, but Mother Nature is working on it.

This week's topic is supposed to be Top Ten Favorite Bookstores or Bookstores I Would Like to Visit, but I wasn't feeling either one of those, so today I will share...

Top Ten Places Where I Would Love to Open a Bookstore

  1. Here in town - This is a no-brainer. We used to have a bookstore, but it went out of business in 2012 when the owner retired. If I ever opened an in-town store, I would want it in the center of town, near the library and a coffee shop. 
  2. My Hometown - Consider this a silly one, because that's only about 20 minutes away from where I live now. However, I know they have been aching to bring business into their center for quite some time. 
  3. Kill Devil Hills,  NC - This would be hard because there is a successful one in Manteo. They moved to a smaller storefront several years back, and their location is right along one of the roads leading down to the waterfront. KDH has tried bookstores in the past. One was on Rt 158 where the Lowe's now sits. They also had a book warehouse with discounted books in one of the other plazas along 158. There was also one in Jockey's Ridge Crossing years ago. There are several others on the Outer Banks, so not sure if another one could be successful.
  4. Wilmington, NC - This area also has several bookstores, so not sure how feasible another would be. I guess you would need to create something unique that the others don't have.
  5. Hawaii - Our family enjoyed our visit there. Might not be feasible because they have several, but the weather would make it worth trying.
  6. Prince Edward Island, Canada - There are less than a dozen that I know of. Here is a list from 2020: https://jilly.ca/2020/08/every-bookstore-on-prince-edward-island-a-new-goal I would love to blend a coffee shop or ice cream shop with this one.
  7. Seattle beach town - I'm thinking a real Cedar Cove type town where the bookstore can see the lighthouse or maybe is in a rented space of a B&B's first floor.
  8. Colorado Springs, CO - For some reason I've always liked Colorado Springs. I've never been there, but I researched the area for a book I ghostwrote and fell in love. They have an abundance of bookstores, so most likely I would be working at one of the existing ones. Maybe I would buy out a retiring owner. 
  9. Hobart Book Village in New York - As I was browsing around looking for unique places for a bookstore, I came across this. Can you imagine being surrounded by bookstores? I would go broke, but I would be happy.
  10. Traveling New England Bookstore - What if you bought a large van or RV and turned it into a traveling bookstore? Now, that sounds like fun!
What did you think of my list? Where would you want to open your bookstore? What unique things would you add to attract patrons?

14 comments:

Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense said...

I don't have an independent bookstore in my town either which is such a shame. Love how you spun this week's topic!

Cheryl said...

Thanks, Alicia. I truly miss having a bookstore nearby. I don't mind visiting Barnes & Noble, but it's not the same thing.

Lark said...

Love your fun twist on this week's TTT! I wish we had a really good independent bookstore where I live, too.

Cheryl said...

Glad you liked it, Lark. Thanks for stopping by.

Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies said...

Fun list! I love the idea of a traveling bookstore -- I once read a super cute book with a converted van as a bookstore, and it sounded perfect!

Lydia said...

I hope you do get to open up a bookshop in your current town or your hometown someday!

My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-fictional-bookstores-id-love-to-visit/

Cindy said...

My husband always says we need to open a bookstore, LOL! We would open one anywhere and would want it to also have a coffee bar...but we think the best location would be in a strip mall near a Chick-Fil-A since they get so much business, LOL!

Cheryl said...

Lisa, that sounds like a fabulous book.

Lydia, I hope so, too. Might have to come up with a business plan...just in case.

Cindy, that sounds like a neat plan. Every Chick-Fil-A has a line out the door.

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone.

Susan said...

All of these sound like great locations! My husband and I will be in PEI next year, so I'll definitely plan on visiting at least some of the bookstores on your list.

Happy TTT!

Cheryl said...

Thanks, Susan. Hope you enjoy PEI.

Pam said...

I love your twist on this week's topic. I would love to have a mobile bookshop, like in The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan. It could be a lot of fun, but you would have to be able to really match your customers with books.

Thanks for stopping by my post earlier.

Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/nine-favorite-fictional-bookstores-libraries/

Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse said...

A bookstore on the WA coast would be nice...also a little dreary. I visited one in Seabrook, WA (costal town) that was fun.

Cheryl said...

Thanks, Pam. Wouldn't a mobile bookshop be fun?

Deanna, rather dreary, but I guess I would get used to it.

Thanks for visiting this week.

Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads said...

Such a fun twist to the topic! And wow, a traveling bookstore does sound like fun.