Inklings’ Books Shoppe

I wanted to like this place. The lady is so inattentive and slow. It feels like she really doesn’t care about the customer’s needs, she just wants you to pay and get out. Lol. I get way better customer service at Half Priced Books and the selection is better too.

This place happily reminded me why i like to read– to escape the reality and rudeness of the world today. THis place also reminded me why AMazon exists. the woman working was absolutely rude– would not help me– once i asked for help trying to find a hardback Harry Potter set– she took a call screaming back and forth to whomever was on the other line, completely unprofessional and left me standing there. I left and ordered what i want for far less than anything for sale in that dump and did not have to work with that rude brunette woman. Tried to give local business a chance– never again

City dwellers now have two reasons to visit the suburb of Blue Springs. The first of those reasons being the mouth-​watering succulence that is the Mexican fare at Real Jalisco, a place I swear by to anyone curious about the existence of good south-​of-​the-​border cuisine outside of the SW Boulevard strip or the few gems peppered throughout the west side.
The second of those two reasons is a little strip mall bookstore stuck uncomfortably in a pot-​holed parking lot behind a chain bagel shop. Had it not been for Facebook, I would have never even known that the owner of the Prospero’s bookstore in the Volker neighborhood bought out what used to be Parkside Books, an achingly average bookstore with remarkably high prices.
On my most recent visit to the area, I remembered to stop in and see what the place was working with and how the business had developed since my last purchase at the original location some eight or so years ago. Upon entering, I was greeted by the owner of the 39^th Street location, a familiar face, though I’ve not spoken with him much in the past. We had a moment of small talk, then he left me to wander around at will, at which point I gravitated toward the science fiction section.
After regretfully passing up a few stand-​outs like the novelization of the original Star Wars trilogy for only $ 5 (might have to go back for that one, now that I think about it), and trying to ignore a wall’s worth of propaganda from L. Ron Hubbard, I continued counter-​clockwise around the store. I hovered for a few moments in psychology, then briskly walked past romance, eyed a few selections in true crime, before starting again on the south side of the store, in my comfort zone of fiction.
I browsed in a serpentine fashion through the fiction section while the speakers overhead scored my visit with The Flaming Lips, The Avett Brothers, and some old rhythm and blues and jazz cuts I couldn’t even attempt to recognize. The owner once again started up some small talk, this time to inform me of the store’s attempt to garner some more attention from the culture-​hungry by hosting events on the first Friday of the month. Next month’s festivities will feature a performance from a local playwright, in-​store work from two visual artists, and live music from a vastly underrated singer/​songwriter.
I ended my visit by making a verbal bargain with the owner, something I don’t tend to do very often out of respect for local businesses. He was nice enough to oblige my offer, sending me away with The Best American Non-​Required Reading and Bukowski’s South of No North for the cash I had in my pocket.
Though it may be hard for an independent business in the suburbs to flourish, Prospero’s Parkside has a first year celebration on the horizon, and I hope for the good of the area that they are around to celebrate many more.

I was invited, through Facebook, to attend the First Friday at Prospero’s Books in Blue Springs. How can I turn that down? I didn’t even know Prospero’s bought out Paradise Books. But they did. How cool is that?
To say I’m a bookstore addict is beyond words. I own a Kindle. I go to bookstores for hours, and the smaller the better, even better and more inviting, if they are independently owned. I’ve never been to Prospero’s on 39^th street in Kansas City.
The Prospero’s in Blue Springs had an alcove with musician sings folksy music. They had wine and cheese and cookies. And it was packed full of delicious offerings you’d not find everywhere. The first thing in any bookstore, I go to the «k’s» for Kerouac. People don’t get rid of Kerouac books, I just have a habit of looking for them. (I get this odd form of excitement if I see a Jack Kerouac book in a used bookstore. The staff said they sometimes get Kerouac in, but he sells out quick.)
Then I look up and down every aisle for anything, and stay there. Pondering every title. Fondling every book. Prospero’s is cool. Cause there’s books stashed in corners, and treasured in hidden cracks and everywhere.
Even better, this is a small bookstore. The object of my curiosity. For a small store there are alot of books. I bought one. And there were still more books to see after I bought one.
There is a large bathroom. The children’s books are bright, with a large table, and child sized chairs. There’s a couch and chairs through the store. Outside in the back, there’s a lake or a pond, with a park. I’m not sure which park it is. Very nice background. The staff is very nice, and helpful. This store is very much needed, and quite possibly the coolest bookstore in this area.