Bookshop Visit//Books in Stock

I did not intend to visit a bookshop. I know that sounds unlikely but it is true. My husband and I went to Wooster, Ohio to visit the Secrest Arboretum. This was supposed to be a lovely day out for my husband. My intention was to do things that would make him happy since I have been very busy lately and he has been slightly mournful about my lack of free time while he is retired now and has all the time in the world. I thought we would try out one of the coffee shops in the town and then spend the afternoon wandering around the arboretum. My husband loves coffee and being outside so I knew he would be happy with this plan.

The first coffee shop we went to had a ridiculously long wait so we decided to walk down the street to try a different shop. Imagine my joy when I realized we would be walking straight past a lovely secondhand bookshop. There was no way on earth I was going to ignore that kind of serendipity. I did, however, allow my husband to enjoy his coffee and pastry first which was very thoughtful of me.

The first thing I noticed when we walked in was the lovely old book smell. It reminded me of the library I used to go to as a child. It is a comforting, soothing smell. The store looks small from the outside but, once you enter, you realize that it is narrow but very long and there is also a second floor. Books in Stock has been in downtown Wooster for thirty years and they say they stock over 85,000 used and rare books. So, basically, heaven on earth.

I really did want this to be a fun day for my husband and, while he likes bookshops, he is not quite as obsessed with them as I am so I did not spend a long time browsing. I walked through the whole store in order to get a quick overview and then I checked a few of my favorite authors and topics. It is definitely a store that will repay a return visit. They have a huge selection and it includes a lot of the older books I am always on the lookout for. Some of the books were beyond my budget and the prices were slightly higher than other stores I have been in recently but I thought that was justified by the wide range of books available. I quickly found three books that I was pleased to buy and, despite my husband encouraging me to browse for longer, we moved on to the arboretum.

The bookshop was bigger than I expected and the arboretum was smaller than we thought it would be. It was pretty and a pleasant place to stroll around for a while but it definitely did not lend itself to an extensive walk. That was fine though because our time was limited since we had to pick our daughter up from school in order to get her to an appointment. We enjoyed an hour or so wandering around and then moved on.

I think we will have to return to Wooster one of these days. It is a pretty little town with coffee shops and parks still to be visited. A longer and more in-depth visit to Books in Stock is definitely necessary. Books, coffee, and a park. Those are all the vital ingredients to a lovely day.

Books in Stock

140 E. Liberty ST

Wooster, Ohio 44691