From NYT best sellers to local authors and first edition antiques, you’ll find it all at your local independent bookstore.
Offering a window into the past with reasonably priced favorites and a nod to the future with new releases, places like Turn the Page Bookshop in the Williamsburg Outlet Mall, Yorktown Bookshop in beautiful Riverwalk Landing and The Way We Were Bookshop in the Phoebus neighborhood of Hampton enjoy a steady stream of customers.
Travelers and locals alike can find just the thing on their Books to Read (BTR) lists:
- Easy paperback beach reads and DVDs that can be donated to local libraries, AirBnBs and hotel shelves as tourists drive out of town,
- Hardcovers that can be bought in bulk and displayed page side out on home and retail shelves to create a modern and monochromatic aesthetic,
- Antique and vintage collectibles that add to a storied past,
- And best of all, for lovers of all things books, new favorite titles are found to be enjoyed again and again, adding to that visceral experience reading brings, like the comforting hug of an old friend.
Turn the Page Bookshop in Williamsburg is hopping with browsers and buyers the day we popped in. “About 85% of our customers are locals,” says owner, Ralph Tedeschi, who opened the store in late 2023, though with its easy location in the Williamsburg Outlet Mall, he also sees a steady stream of visitors. With so much turnover of books, DVDS and CDs, the inventory is always fresh with new releases arriving nearly daily from distributors, and used book donations as part of their very popular program that offers discounts on future purchases. Tedeschi also helps estates to pare down their libraries. All of this enables enthusiastic readers to go on a Blind Date with a Book, enjoy author events and book signings, and join their loyalty program that also offers discounts on bulk purchases. There are always new books on the shelves and their many display tables.
At Yorktown Bookshop, collectors of rare and antique books are able to find many first and early editions and The Way We Were Bookshop in Hampton offers aisles and aisles upon rows and rows of books stacked floor to ceiling – history, fiction, biographies, coffee table books. It’s a sensory experience and a used book lover’s dream. Each of these independent bookstores offer an extensive military history collection, catering to the interest of the large active duty and retiree population in Hampton Roads.
On August 9, World Book Lovers Day, make a plan to head to your local independent bookshop for something new to read, learn and enjoy. And, set aside some time for browsing. Part of the fun of an independent bookstore is the thrill of the hunt in finding the perfect book. Then cozy up on a couch or on a beach chair and allow yourself to be transported someplace entirely new by the words on the page.
With so many titles to catch your eye, you never know what you’ll find… or where your reading adventure will take you.
https://www.turnthepagebookshopburg.com
5707 Richmond Road, Suite 40, Williamsburg, VA (located between Banana Republic and White House Black Market)
Yorktown Bookshop
328 Water St, Yorktown, VA
The Way We Were Bookshop
32 East Mellen Street, Hampton, VA