Books On Bay

As Mark said, book lovers will love Books on Bay. We went in today and did get to talk to Betsy and her husband Richard. They are a lovely couple who are so friendly and engaging. I was intrigued by Photoplay books and bought one with a gorgeous Katharine Hepburn portrait on the cover. Betsy had so much information to share with me about the Photoplay books, it was wonderful.
I have to say that bar none, this is the most amazing antique/​vintage bookstore anywhere! Tended to with love, spacious, organized, complete… booklovers be prepared to spend a lot of time here.

This place was a gem away from the neck toting, camera laden mouthbreathers that waddle down River street’s sidewalk. Alright, so not everyone on river street is like that, but I only mean to illustrate a point; theres no tourists in this store.
While listed under bookstore, I should add the descriptor that this is a vintage bookstore; no «Hunger Games» or «Twilight» are available here. I don’t mean to by snobby, but if you’re not a book collector or interested in literature than this place isn’t for you.
If you are interested though, he selection here is pretty great. The earliest book that I saw was 1787, but there were loads of books in glass cabinets that I couldn’t look at. The books are well organized by genres as dynamic as «Books with your name in the title.» That’s not something I’d ever seen before. The store has a vast collection of young adult novels like the Hardy boys, Nancy Drew and other heros of the tween years.
Atmosphere is great. No places to sit and read beyond a table, but I don’t think Betsy, the owner, would mind if you sat down for a spell. Unfortunately, I only got her business card and wasn’t able to talk to her, but the woman in the connected store gave the impression that Betsy is a very sociable and talkative if you like to talk about books (and other things I’d guess). She’s an English professor at a college that I can’t remember the name of and only in the store Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (I assume you can buy books from the other woman. Didn’t think to ask about that one.)
I think a large part of it’s low key nature is that it’s not on the main drag. You’ve got to walk around the back of the front row of stores and it’ll be back there. Keep your eyes open for signs and if you can’t find it, just stop in somewhere and ask.
It may not be a favorite spot for everyone, but if you like books, literature, or just want a quiet place to browse some great installments in the history of the English language than hop on up here.