In trying to come up with interesting things to blog about, I had a writer friend of mine had the incredible idea to blog about local independent bookstores! I thought it was a perfect blog subject because personally I would LOVE to read about and get a sneak peek into the wonderful world of small bookstores. So I stole shared her idea and we started with my favorite little bookstore, FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA.
Ok, so I may be a little biased on this one because it is only 10 minutes from my house, and right in the middle of one of the cutest (and fastest growing) communities in Georgia. There is so much to do in Downtown Woodstock, and FoxTale is one of the few businesses to witness the growth first hand. FoxTale has been open for almost 11 years and the owners are Karen & Jackie. Nestled between an outside amphitheater, a park with beautiful white gazebos, a railroad track and a super cutesy shops, FoxTales is in a perfect location for a darling bookstore.
One of the first things I noticed when coming to drool over research this adorable book haven was the hours of operation: 10:00am to Dark -Thirty Monday through Saturday (And sometimes Sundays). Yes! They had me at hello. The window displays were fall themed with beautiful fall leaves and pumpkins. Which made me instantly (and stereotypically) assume that women were to blame congratulate for the welcoming décor.
When I rounded the first book shelf I was greeted by a friendly woman who I’m sure said, “Good morning!” or “How can I help you today?” but I was distracted by her BLUE hair. Yes, it was fate. She could have said anything, but she had me at azure coiffure. As if things couldn’t get any better she introduced herself as “Hyphen”. What? Could she be any cuter?? Hyphen graciously showed us around the store while I made a mental note to name a future child pet of mine “Hyphen”.
The store itself was perfectly organized into various genres of books including staff picks which is always one of my favorite things to look for. Hyphen was clearly excited to talk about the favorites on her shelf and it didn’t take long to figure something out about Hyphen- girlfriend LOVES books. Which makes me love Hyphen…but I digress.
Of course my favorite part of the shop was the children’s book section. A separate room with wooden French doors (to keep out boring adult talk I guess) filled from floor to ceiling with yummy picture books. Actually the ceiling was taken by a big colorful hanging bicycle. Hyphen, who is also the storytime reader at FoxTales, says she tells kids they can touch ANYTHING in the kid’s room except they may not go behind the curtain at the back wall. When kids sarcastically ask to touch the bike she offers to pick them up. Because Hyphen is as cool as her name.
I was just about to ask her to hoist me up when she said, “Wait! I have something for you.” My friend and I looked at each other in surprise while she slipped away behind the now very intriguing (and off limits) curtain. She came back with two bags with two books inside. They were left over from a recent event and she GAVE them to us! How cool is that!!
Needless to say my impressions of FoxTales Book Shoppe in Woodstock were exceedingly more than I could have hoped for from MY local bookstore. The ambiance, the staff, the selection and the events that they offer were enough to make me grab a copy of their calendar and subsequently fill up my own. I even loved the little touches like the stained glass fox, fox pillows,stuffed animal foxes (or is it foxii?), and the gorgeous accessories like scarves and necklaces to please any bibliophile. If you are anywhere near the Woodstock area I highly recommend visiting FoxTale. And tell my BFF Hyphen I said hello.
With each of these delicious bookstore reviews, and in anticipation of the release of my book The Yucky Words, I am including the scoop on YUMMY treats near by! Here’s what I found in Downtown Woodstock:
Need I say more? Once you’ve worked up an appetite enjoying FoxTale Book Shoppe, walk on over to Cupcakealicious and grab a a sweet treat like gourmet cupcakes, ice cream, King of Pops and more!
And then there is the Pie Bar which needs little explanation except that these pies are handcrafted and “made for the masses”. The owners of Pie Bar, an adorable couple, encourage patrons to enjoy pie everyday instead of only for special occasions.
Can’t wait to show you around the next bookstore! Until then…
Be Yummy,
Bonnie