Book Corner

Books stores are a quickly disappearing work of art… but here is a wonderful independent bookstore in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana — home to Indiana University. As the chains such as Borders leave the field, the independents take control of the market and I’m so glad. There is nothing quite so familiar as wandering through a bookstore, picking up various titles and flipping through the cream colored pages lettered with strong black print. I am all for e-​books, but there is nothing that will replace print on paper.
The Book Corner is on one — the corner at Walnut and 1^st Street in downtown Bloomington… right across the street from the Monroe County Courthouse. The selection of books (and magazines) inside is very well chosen… someone selects excellent non fiction and fiction titles (as well as a number of large-​format art books) that are either current or very popular. We are always able to find something in here that is interesting and challenging. As an independent, you won’t find current best sellers marked down 40% like the chains, but what you pay for in a few extra dollars is more than made up for in service and selection.
The people inside the book store are very nice… they have that individual and personal touch that chains cannot match. We bought a couple books near the holidays and store personnel offered to wrap them while we stood there… and they did, with no charge. This is customer service that is almost a thing of the past. Give this place a try… they have earned it.

I’ve lived and visited book stores all over the country and after living in San Francisco for a while, I assumed no bookstores could beat the onea out there. Bit here, in small town Indiana, is one of the finest bookstores out there. The selection of books ia just… artful. There is no other word for it. The new material is comprised of incredibly interesting nonfiction; things I would never be interested in or think to look up draw me into reading about them because of this store. The selection is so interesting and displays such high quality of non fiction that I learn something profoundly new with each purchase. They have a great fiction section, a very nice selection of the classics and a killer cookbook section The children’s corner in the back is delightful and beautiful originated. The selection of children’s books are wonderful and not just standard, shitty bullshit people write for kids, but the good stuff… kids poems and the likes.
The staff has been friendly enough… not overly warm and amazing, but nice enough. I always felt a little like they were a bit. I dont know… annoyed, when I would hang out in the kids section and read with my son. He is a huge lover of books and just wants to sit and read books for a long time. We bought something every time too, so we weren’t free loaders or anything. No one was ever rude to us, it was just a feeling. A bookstore isn’t the place you go for warm and cuddly service, or to be talkative, so it didn’t bother me all that much. Still a 5 star place in my opinion.

This is one of my go-​to bookstores in Bloomington. They have a great selection of children’s books. They also have a shelf of best sellers and I don’t mean the latest from that author who writes six versions of the same book every year — you know who I’m talking about. The Book Corner also has lots of magazines and classics and is set up in a way that makes it easy to browse and find something new. Staff is helpful but not overbearing. They don’t do gift receipts which is sort of weird.

This is a cool store. At this point, most independent book stores, to survive, will probably need to take something like the Book Corner’s approach: choose some specialties and strengths and develop those. The B.C. has, for example, something closer to a complete run of Penguin Classics than I’ve ever seen; an amazing magazine selection with tons of great independent literary magazines and the like (the Believer, McSweeny’s, etc); more Dover books than I’ve ever seen, including many dozens of those cute little Dover sticker and activity books (perfect for preparing for a car trip with kids); lots of kids’ books.

Great little independent bookstore.* I don’t know the man who was working here when I went in to purchase Lorrie Moore’s A Gate at the Stairs, but he was very friendly and helpful. I’ve been to independent bookstores and while I love ‘em, some staff members can be a bit snooty; this guy, however, made me want to hang out more. The store itself was clean and well-​kept, and laid out in a way that makes you want to mosey around and browse. It feels like a nice oasis on a busy day – plus it has that great book smell.
*Although honestly, is there such a thing as a BAD independent bookstore? It’s kind of like sex… even when it’s bad, it’s still sex, right?

Hooray for independent bookstores. This place has a lot of character; I didn’t see just a bunch of the same usual suspects as at a chain store. They have a large children’s section, where, after thirty minutes of browsing, I found two great birthday gifts for my nephew.
I like the way that they arrange their displays, and all the stuff is in good shape, not as if it’s been pawed through by half the population. In some way, shape, or form, their entire selection demonstrates some quirk or personality or special interest, which makes for a great browsing experience and a lot of unexpected treasures. They have lines of books that I’ve never seen elsewhere, such as the New York Review Children’s Collection and the 33 ¹⁄₃ series of books about seminal music albums.
They have a standing discount too – 10% off a purchase over $ 29.99 and 20% off a purchase over $ 75. I could have spent another two hours in the store (and a lot more money), but I will definitely stop back on my next trip to Bloomington.