Elise Maxwell Personal Blog #2

I absolutely love to read. If I feel like I have extra money to spend, I'll most likely spend it on a book. However, I find that I don't feel very comfortable in huge chains like Barnes and Noble or Borders. Perhaps this stems from an early exposure to the movie You've Got Mail, but I'd much rather go to "The Shop Around the Corner" than "Fox Books."

Because of this, there will always be a special place in my heart for locally-owned bookstores. The pictures in this post are of my four favorite bookstores around Salt Lake City: King's English, The Central Book Exchange, Ken Sanders Rare Books, and Sam Weller's Books. Each has a different atmosphere. Each is located in a unique community. And I love each one of them.

King's English is on 1500 South and 1500 East. It's nestled in a tiny shopping area that is densely surrounded by homes. When you walk in, you're immediately helped. If you so please, you can be left alone to wander among the mishmash of rooms filled from floor to ceiling with books. Each Christmas, they have various parties where you can meet authors or listen to different readings (last year I had Pat Bagley sign a few books). This is just in addition to the readings and discussions they host year-round.

The Central Book Exchange is actually located less than a block north from the Sugarhouse location of Barnes and Noble. Unlike the other bookstores in this post, this bookstore sells used books. You can bring in old books to exchange, or simply buy ones they have on shelf. All of the books are in excellent condition for being used. You can often find out-of-print books or books for a unique taste. Or if you're a poor student like me, you can find novels for cheap.

Ken Sanders Rare Books is a bookstore I was just recently introduced to. It's downtown, located on 268 South and 200 East. Although it doesn't look like much from the outside, this bookstore is filled with amazing books. With an eclectic feel, the owner and workers will always help you find what you want. They also have a collection of postcards and maps. I spent almost an hour just looking at postcards. Some were new and never written on, but other still held the messages that people had sent years ago.

Sam Weller's Bookstore is in the heart of downtown on 254 South and Main Street. It's highly accessible as it's right across the street from the Gallivan Plaza stop on both lines of Trax. Inside the store, there's a small coffee shop (The Coffee Garden, which has its main location on 9th and 9th). There are three levels of books to browse, with mainstream books on the first and second level. If you venture downstairs, to the basement, you'll find bargain books and old magazines and textbooks. While I was there for my group's Gallivan Plaza walkabout, I got two works of Shakespeare for $4. Because of it's location, Sam Weller's is full of all kinds of people, whether it be business people on lunch breaks, college students browsing, families shopping, or even the occasional homeless person. Sam Weller's is welcoming to all, and I've never left without making a purchase.