Bookstore Blog Tour #6: The Story Shop

Posted on February 18, 2020February 18, 2020 by Bonnie Clark

I have heard of and followed The Story Shop for some time, and I have wanted to visit for years! Located in the heart of Monroe, GA (about an hour and a half from where I live), this dedicated kidlit wonderland did not disappoint! The eyecatching window displays are beautiful and inviting as you walk in the doors. But this door is one of the main attractions…

As you enter, taking in all of the colorful book shelves and seasonal displays, your eye is naturally drawn to this huge wardrobe directly across from the front doors. Yes! It is! THE wardrobe from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It is HUGE and completely impossible to ignore. My kids came with me on this visit because we had just finished the book for our family-read-aloud and I promised them I would take them to The Story Shop after we completed it. Of course we opened it…

And it was magical! Fur coats hung on either side and the back opened up into a dreamy wonderland with snow like lights hanging from the ceiling, a plush red rug to sit and hear a story, and a green velvet chair for the storyteller. We were in luck to have arrived just before storytime and my kids and their cousins were excited to hear 3 picture books read by a very expressive employee. I snuck out to snap some more pictures of this bookish heaven.

The creativity behind this reading wonderland is simply amazing! There are themed book nooks around every corner, a hobbit hole, a reading teepee, Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard for the little ones (complete with A Very Hungry Caterpillar chair), a hanging swing, and even a yellow brick road to follow through the store! And then I saw the party room…

How beautiful is that? They were setting up for a 6 year-old birthday party and I suddenly came down with birthday party envy. This room is perfect!! It’s no wonder they offer photo shoots at The Story Shop because the creative design is beyond belief. You really need to come experience it for yourself.

Of course I had to take advantage of a little product placement and get this picture of my daughter reading Taste Your Words to my adorable niece and nephew!

Ok. Back to the bookstore…

My 4th and 5th grader felt right at home in this curated section of middle grade and young adult books. There was a potions wall and comfy chair with a platform 9 3/4 pillow. The color palette of this room was dark and cozy. And my child, who should not be named (but was the best behaved) scored a book of his or her own before we left. 🙂

Permission to photograph the adorable blonde children was given by this beautiful blonde…my sister Amy. 🙂

I was beyond impressed with imagination and joy of The Story Shop (not to mention the helpful and happy employees!) Every crafted nook and character theme was full of well-intentioned sparks of wonder. They even had a huge book opened to The End at the literal end of the hallway!

My visit to The Story Shop was even better than I imagined, and I hope I get to come back through the wardrobe REAL soon as a guest author!

If you haven’t visited The Story Shop, don’t wait as long as I did! Road trip it out to Monroe and experience the magic for yourself. And go ahead and buy a book or two for your ~~best behaved~~ children.

TASTE YOUR WORDS available April 7, 2020!

Bookstore Blog Tour Episode 4: Underground Books

Posted on February 15, 2018February 25, 2020 by Bonnie Clark

Our latest Bookstore adventure was one we have been looking forward to for a while! After visiting Hills and Hamlets Books Shop in Serenbe, GA and hearing about their sister store Underground Books in Carollton, GA, my book buddy Steen Jones and I couldn’t wait to check out this quaint book shop with a very romantic story…just in time for Valentines!

Just as the name implies, you literally have to step down into the entrance to explore the bookish treasures in the Underground. We were met by a smiling employee, Miranda, who was excited and clearly to proud to show us around. They boast of Rare, Used and Anitiquarian which we got a taste of at Hills and Hamlets, but this is Underground’s specialty. They have a curated offering of popular titles in all genres, but they also have a highly satisfying quirky collection of used and vintage books that you didn’t even know you wanted.

You could tell every space and shelf was well thought out. I wanted to look at everything, but of course I was most interested in the children’s section. I walked through a tunnel of books into another area of the store and…bingo. Mixed between the fan favorites were adorable children’s classics and even fun oversized books like this gem by the Queen Bee herself, Jane Yolen. I felt like a kid holding this huge book and watching the feet of passerbys outside the half window. The atmosphere was cozy and full of imagination and artistic flair.

Right smack in the middle of the store is the “signature piece” of the Underground, the famous Book Arch that was actually made for owners Megan Bell and Josh Niesse for their wedding! How romantic is that? I had to get a picture and file it away because suddenly I had book arch envy. Underground Books has a very unique personality in every corner and shelf. The glowing lamps and Edison bulbs mixed with the comfy chairs and even the music made you feel like you were in another bookish world.

Underground has another “signature” practice, and that is Megan’s “book face” photos that she frequently posts on social media. Forgive me Megan because you are way better at this than me, but here is my attempt…also known as Poe Face:

Miranda was quick to make sure we didn’t miss Megan’s favorite addition to the store, the Call Me Ishmael phone near the front desk. You could pick up the receiver of this vintage phone, dial a corresponding number for a displayed book, and someone on the other end would give you a review or recommendation of the book you are interested in. There are clever things like this throughout the store from buttons and journals made in-house as well as other fun gift ideas. There is definitely something for everyone

We could have definitely hung out all afternoon with Miranda, but we were hungry, so she recommended the Charleston-esque Brown Dog Restaurant just around the corner of the historic downtown square. Super good food and super fast service. We didn’t realize until we noticed the decor inside that we were visiting on Fat Tuesday so that was a bonus. If you are ever in Carollton enjoying the fun and unique shops downtown, you have to stop by Underground Books and say Hi to Megan and the gang. You’ll find all manner of comforts and curiosities in a book lovers heaven.

Bookstore Blog Tour Episode 3: Little Shop of Stories

Posted on December 12, 2017December 12, 2017 by Bonnie Clark

My third stop on the Bookstore Blog Tour was to Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA. My bookstore buddy Steen and I braved the frigid temps to explore Decatur “where it’s greater”, which has become a trendy fun little area of Atlanta with tons of cute shops and yummy food- but, we were on a mission.

I was so excited to be visiting this adorable bookstore because I knew they catered to children and I absolutely LOVE the store name. Little Shop of Stories has been open since 2005 and is owned by co-owners Dave and Diana. Also to note, they are right next door to a popular coffee shop so you can sip a latte while you browse. Two thumbs up.

Sure enough, I was welcomed with a gorgeous wall of picture books and beautifully displayed Christmas themed books and gifts. I noticed right away that they had huge framed illustrations with author signatures bordering the ceilings (including a blank one with BIG signature from B.J. Novak. HA!) They had some pretty impressive names and Justin, the manager told us that they had just hosted Oliver Jeffers!

At the back of the store there was even a dedicated section of board books which I think is pretty cool because board books are the super fun introductory for little minds and hands and I think they deserve their own space. And just when I thought the kiddie fun was over- I saw the wall. It was Platform 9 3/4! I had to go through the wall to see where it led me…

It was the Great Green Room from the classic Goodnight Moon! Seriously, this was my most favorite part of the store. It looked exactly like the illustrations from Margaret Wise Brown’s most famous bedtime story. There was a red balloon… and a picture of a cow jumping over the moon. And three little bears sitting on chairs. There was even a comb and brush and a bowl full of mush! And an adorable curly head boy whispering “hush”. Kidding. But he was really stinkin’ cute. I mean- what an amazing idea! We were told that this creative space was co-owner Dave’s idea and just one of his (many) fun projects.

When I finally decided to leave the green room (sniff,sniff) I found the middle grade and young adult books. They do have a small selection of adult titles in case you want something boring to read. Totally kidding. Actually because their adult section is small it is also very curated so you’ll be sure to find a great book. If you look closely at the shelves you’ll notice little cards sticking out of different spaces. These are handwritten “reviews” done by the employees on a weekly basis. What a fun way to highlight a book! I’m always wanting a good recommendation.

We asked about the loft area above and Justin told us it was extra space for author visits, book clubs, summer camps and even birthday parties! (side note: if you are a kid and celebrate your birthday at a bookstore, YOU ARE OFF THE CHARTS COOL!) Justin let us go up there and check it out and we got to see an awesome view of the store including this floor mosaic made completely of pennies! Another cool idea from Dave. (He plans on covering the entire concrete floor.)

I snagged a present for my littlest one and the bag they put it in featured first lines from famous novels. How fun is that? On our way out there was an entire wall of books about kindness, which is the theme of my picture book The Yucky Words, available August 2018. I couldn’t help but envision it on the shelf, because I know that the kindness revolution will continue on into 2018.

I was very impressed with Little Shop of Stories in Decatur. I couldn’t wait to get home and show my kids the pictures. Of course they were instantly mad at me for not taking them, so it looks like we’ll be back soon for them to walk through Platform 9 3/4 and read in the great green room, while mommy sips her latte and inhales the best smell on earth: Books.

Next time I’ll be sure to leave enough time to visit some of the yummy places to get a sweet treat nearby like Cakes and Ale or Jeni’s Ice Cream. Until our next stop…

Be yummy!

-Bonnie

Bookstore Blog Tour Episode 1: FoxTale

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Bonnie Clark

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