With Wordsmiths Gone, Little Shop Looks To Fill The Void
Decatur Metro | March 22, 2009Known as THE children’s bookstore within Decatur’s city limits and beyond, Little Shop of Stories has long been the go-to spot for parents when kids outgrow their most well-worn books or you find yourself in need of a great gift for a child. But with the recent closing of adult-focused Wordsmiths Books, Little Shop now sees its opening into a broader market.
As far back as I can remember, Little Shop has had a smaller, smart, adult section amidst the rows of candy-colored book spines and undersized chairs. But Dave Shallenberger says that in the coming months, that smaller, over-shadowed section will take on a new prominence.
“Growing our adult section is something we have wanted to do for a long, long time, but was put on hold when Wordsmiths came in. We’ve added a good number of adult titles already this month and more will be gradually coming in. Some kind of permanent signage will be going up in our window next month indicating that we have books for adults as well. We’ve started talking to publishers about working with them to bring in authors of adult books.”
And while the adult section may expand, Dave reassures us that the store will remain dedicated to its first love, children’s books. “We want to retain our identity as being a great kid’s bookstore, but would love to be known for also being a real community bookstore.”
In a city where children are at the center of so many activities and conversations, creating a “community bookstore” with a strong emphasis on children’s books sounds right on target.
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Little Shop has always been a great bookseller, not just a great children’s bookseller. Their small general section (in the trade, folks avoid the term “adult” as it gets confused with a more unseemly type of publishing) always struck me as remarkably dense with great titles. A good place to shop is a place where you go and see something you weren’t looking for, but can’t live without. Carrie Bradshaw doesn’t want endless rows of shoes–she wants a Manalo Blahnick showroom. think Little Shop stocks lots of Blahnick and very little Payless. Of course with books, you pretty much pay the same for both of them.
The shop local movement is so important to our quality of life. I never will understand why someone is willing to drive many miles to purchase, at a so called bargain price, an often inferior item at the mallmart store, not considering their transportation cost, environmental impact, usually an inferior item, from an uncaring clerk, made by a slave in “China”. Local is beautiful.
Don’t forget to shop at the children’s book section at Eagle Eye, at the
corner of Clairmont and North Decatur Road. EXCELLENT selection and
prices!
Little Shop’s adult-book selection (sorry, Daren, I love walking into the store and knowingly asking Terra or Rick or Dave, “Hey, where’s the adult book section?”) has always been carefully and thoughtfully curated, and I’ve always found novels for myself even when I’m there on a mission to buy picture books for my daughter. You just can’t quantify the intangibles here: the serendipitous joys of browsing and discovering books in a pleasant environment, staffed by people who know their merchandise.