A Love Letter to Bookstores

What if I told you that there was a way for you to travel to different worlds? And No, I’m not gonna tell you that my closet takes me to Narnia. I’m talking about stepping through the threshold of a bookstore.

Where you can hear the sound of people hungrily flipping through pages in order to find out what happens to the main warrior, the sniffling of teenage girls as the main love interest dies in their romance novels, the curiosity and wanderlust filling the imagination of explorers as they study the pages of maps and National Geographic novels, and even rumbling stomachs as adults look through recipe books. Bookstores also have a distinct smell of paper that reminds one of a rainy day curled up by the fire with a cup of coffee and a good book.

Bookstores and libraries have been around since the printing press was invented. Some have survived wars, bombings, floods, earthquakes, fires, and even pandemics ;) But lately bookstores have been struggling to keep themselves afloat.

The digital age is upon us and almost everyone can be seen with phones in their hands at all times, extremely focused on the little screen in front of their eyes. Our attention spans have decreased drastically and many people have stopped reading novels, especially in print and that means a decrease in people going to bookstores.

Bookstores deserve to be protected, they have the ability to carry us into other dimensions, time periods, and even parallel universes. Bookstores carry pages and pages of adventures and lessons. Within the pages of a book, one can feel safe and find a place where they fit in. The shelves of a bookstore carry more drama, romance, mystery and knowledge than any movie or television show ever will.

I’ve been going to bookstores since I was little. I’m the kind of girl that can grab multiple books off the shelf and sit there for hours. I easily become entranced by the lives of fictional characters, eager to know how their story will play out. I would go into the kid’s section, grab a pile of books and find a place on the floor or a small couch and I could sit there for hours. Being in the bookstore made me feel safe and like I was in my own bubble, nothing and no one could reach me. I felt like I belonged to the characters and they belonged to me, and bookstores were their home.

As an only child, fictional characters were essential to me. They were my friends and the people I spent time with when I was at home. I went on many adventures and learned a great deal through the characters I found in bookstores.

The most remarkable bookstore I have ever been to is Powell’s City of Books located in the heart of Portland, Oregon. Powell’s is a family owned, chain of bookstores in Oregon but this specific location is mind blowingly spectacular.

Occupying almost an entire city block and housing over one million books, this is a place where you can definitely lose track of time. This remarkable bookstore is like a portal into another dimension. Anything you could ever want to learn you could find at Powell’s.

Between the countless rooms and rows of books and the scattered benches, you feel a warmth and the familiar smell of paper. It’s easy to become distracted and feel like you are the only one there among the books.

The small computer in your back pocket can become insignificant and forgettable when you’re in a bookstore. The knowledge is already all around you and is much more tangible in a bookstore than on your phone screen, it might take more effort to find it but you might learn more along the way

Bibliophiles, people who love books, feel at peace at bookstores. With each page of a book, you find yourself immersed in a different time period or universe. It is easy to make new friends and learn about cultures and customs when immersed between the pages of a good book. Books can serve to educate, entertain, and even inspire creativity.

We must protect bookstores and keep inspiring future generations to take a break from screens and pick up a book every once in a while!

Photo Credits: https://www.powells.com/locations/powells-city-of-books