Over the last few years, as I’ve reclaimed and re-prioritized my love of reading, I began to notice independent bookstores while traveling, and how they are the heart of a community, reflecting the local spirit.

A prime example is New York City’s Drama Book Shop. Situated in the heart of the theatre district and bedecked in vintage show posters and “bookworm”, the shop has fed the soul of theatre lovers for over a century. Visitors can pick up titles ranging from celebrity memoirs to play scripts to musical scores. Check out the series of short videos on their website About page. Listening to current shop co-owner Lin-Manuel Miranda talk about the importance of bookstores and small businesses is an inspiration.

During the past year, much of my travel took me to California where I was able to explore some amazing bookshops.

In San Francisco, my family and I visited the City Lights Bookstore. Opened in 1953 by poet Lawerence Ferlinghetti, it quickly became a beacon of the city’s counter-culture. City Lights Publishers soon followed, with the publication and selling of controversial literature resulting in a landmark First Amendment court case. Today, the three-story shop retains its beatnik spirit, straddling San Francisco’s North Beach and Chinatown neighborhoods.

Over the course of a week-long South Central Coast roadtrip, my good friend and I popped into several indies. Our first stop was Santa Cruz where we checked out Bookshop Santa Cruz, in the heart of downtown. 

From our southernmost destination, Santa Barbara, we made day visits to Solvang and Ojia. The adorable The Book Loft in Solvang is known for its second story Hans Christian Anderson Museum. The author’s life story is told through various art and artifact displays, including vintage copies of his literature. The Danish-American town is worth a visit for its bakeries, cafes, and local goods. 
In Ojai, nestled within a residential neighborhood, is Bart’s Books, an open-air used bookstore. The shop’s inventory boasts everything from classic literature to current bestsellers. I’m still kicking myself for not tracking down a bookseller to inquire about the vintage copy of Babar and Father Christmas (by Jean de Brunhoff) that sat on an easel within a locked rarities room…

As we made our way back north, we stopped in Salinas, home of John Steinbeck. My high school knowledge of his impact on the literary world had faded, so the exhibition of his life and works at the National Steinbeck Center was not only informative but entertaining and well done. The adjacent gift shop, of course, carries all iterations of Steinbeck’s work, but also local authors. I picked up Songs We Fell In Love To by PL Hernandez, and it will easily be one of my top reads of 2025. Just down the street from the museum is The Steinbeck House Restaurant, where a delicious menu is served by volunteers (a not so surprising amount of whom are retired librarians and English Lit teachers) in the author’s childhood home.

Every January I make a pilgrimage to Fabled Bookshop & Cafe in Waco, TX. The shop is featured in the yearly January episode of the Currently Reading Podcast’s Patreon member’s Indie Press List show. I listen to the episode during my drive, making a mental list of which titles I’ll pick up.

Fabled is the most aesthetically curated bookshop I have ever seen. It’s impossible to make it beyond the front, seasonal, table without already having a large stack of books in your arms. Then there’s the remainder of the store, with “shelf talkers” galore, beckoning you to titles old and new. And an adorable children’s section that can be entered through a Narnia-esque wardrobe.

While I don’t have to travel in order to shop there, I’d be remiss in not mentioning my local Austin indies: BookPeople, Vintage Bookstore & Wine Bar, First Light Books, Lark & Owl Booksellers, Birdhouse Books, Flutter…and more. Spending time among their stacks is a breath of calm within the day-to-day hustle and bustle. And they offer some incredible author events.

Each holiday season, armed with my gifting list of books for family and friends, I make the rounds of these independent bookstores, securing the titles I already had in mind for each of my loved ones, and more often – much, much more often – than not, finding a plethora of additional volumes to giftwrap.

For my own upcoming storied travel & adventures, I’m excited to be planning visits to Brome Lake Books, Knowlton, Quebec – Inspiration for Myrna’s Bookshop in Louise Penny’s Three Pines series, and Strand Book Store, NYC – with its “18 miles of books.” Both are institutions within their communities.

Which indie bookstore can I help you plan a visit to?

Happy Traveling, Jen