SubText – A Bookstore

A delightful bookstore in downtown St. Paul. I visited from Michigan and needed a book for the long drive home, and I’m so glad I stopped in here before leaving. The shop was less than a mile from my hotel, but I ended up spending more than a half hour simply browsing the shelves, trying to choose only one book. Prices are normal market prices, but you know your money is supporting an actual community instead of a corporation.
I love the short review slips of paper promoting/​describing some of the books. It’s actually the reason I purchased the book I did — Blackass by A. Igoni Barrett. They have an extensive indie publisher section, a ton of poetry, chapbooks, local (Minnesota) authors, and popular books. I also noticed that they sell a good number of autographed copies, in a variety of genres from werewolf fiction to famous essayist Eula Biss. I even found a limited release album from the writers of «Rad American Women A-​Z», which I’m really excited to listen to. :)
The owner was so kind, helpful, and friendly. We chatted about books, supporting indie bookstores, and all the events they held at their store. When I publish, I will try to visit this store. They care about everyone from the writer to the publisher to the readers!
Last little tidbit is I even got a beautiful indie broadside for free!

They hit the jackpot landing in downtown St. Paul as the only bookstore. The place is so cool and seems to be in an historic building. Yes parking is a challenge, but it’s attached to a garage. I won’t pay for parking, I’ll come a couple of hours early and find a place on the street. This sets up a perfect evening, I walk up to Amsterdam for an awesome dinner. (Kincaids or Pazzaluna if you want to spend the money). Then I walk back to the bookstore for a book launch of a fellow sister in crime author. They have a spot to set up food, a spot for books to sell, and a spot for the speaker. Comfortable chairs and a great staff make it a great place for any book launch. They weren’t able to take the bar set up from the old location. So Killer Cocktails will have to be more creative this year. The bathroom is on the 7^th floor. There’s always something with St. Paul buildings.

It’s a very cute small bookstore. I went there on July 4^th weekend and there wasn’t much open. Luckily, this bookstore was and I was able to pass by the time. There are some lovely books in there. The majority of the books are new and they are sold at market value. I found a paperback of 1984 by George Orwell. It was the perfect size to carry around my bag for leisurely reading.