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The Book Seller

The Book Seller in downtown Grass Valley is celebrating its 40th anniversary next weekend!  The independently owned bookshop has been in business since 1977 and specializes in books on the history, nature, outdoor activities & touring information for the Gold Country, in addition to a great selection of non-fiction, contemporary literature and children’s books.  When Angie took a poll of the current staff on how many years they’ve been working in the bookstore, they collectively have 142 years of bookselling experience.  In addition to the 40th anniversary celebration, The Book Seller will be a part of the nationwide Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 29th.  Over 460 bookstores around the country are participating in the celebrations.   The Book Seller has 40 prizes to giveaway over the course of the day.  Local poet Kirsten Casey explained, “Independent Booksellers represent the best of our culture. They are the tireless defenders of literacy and creativity, and we should never take for granted their devotion to the written word. And the best independent bookstores sometimes have resident cats named Romeow, and irresistible fish tanks in their children’s’ books basements. Online booksellers do not have the secret algorithm for really loving books, and knowing their customers by name. Nothing can replace that.”

Local author Kim Culbertson will be in the bookstore at 3pm on Saturday, April 29th to sign copies of her book “The Wonder of Us.”  “This community thrives because we are actively engaged in the work done here. We take pride in our small businesses. The Book Seller has nurtured me as an author and as a reader. My daughter grew up around their stacks. They know her, understand her reading interests, and set aside books they know she’ll love. This kind of human interaction can’t be recreated online. My new novel The Wonder of Us comes out next week and when they invited me and my book to be a part of their celebration, I was honored! This is a valued relationship in my life and I’m so grateful for the work The Book Seller does in our community.”  

And this post wouldn’t be complete without some sort of giveaway, so please post a comment on this blog post for your chance to win a $20 gift certificate and a canvas Independent Bookstore Day tote bag, winner will be announced on Saturday, April 29th.  If you’re on social media, check out The Book Seller’s Instagram giveaway.  For other local businesses, if you’re interested in more information on how to use Instagram, check out the workshop I’ll be a part of next week with the Nevada City Film Festival’s Visual Storytelling series.  *Edited to say the winner is Crystal Blu.

The Book Seller, photos by Erin Thiem

© 2017 InnSide Nevada City, Photos © by Erin Thiem

18 replies
  1. Susan Meagher
    Susan Meagher says:

    Erin, thank you so much for promoting them! They were a huge part of our lives when my son was younger; he loved the downstairs kids section, and I loved filling up their frequent buyer card for discounts! They are an example of a small business that has thrived due to outstanding customer service and finding their niche.

  2. Tara Kellermann
    Tara Kellermann says:

    Congratulations to The Book Seller! This is one of my girls’ favorite places to walk to downtown. They are great for recommendations for quality literature for adolescent and teen girls- Thank you!

  3. Kari logwood
    Kari logwood says:

    I was just there for the first time and purchased “49er Irish”. I look forward to going back for more local history reads.

  4. Ingrid Knox
    Ingrid Knox says:

    The Book Seller is a fabulous store. They have a great selection and they have an excellent kids section!! I love going there – sometimes just to browse around to see what’s new.

  9. Jenny
    Jenny says:

    I always make it a point to find the best bookstores in a new town I moved to – Book Seller was the first I found here, and still a favorite.

  10. Denise Bryant
    Denise Bryant says:

    Forty years… that’s amazing! I have fond memories of browsing their store about 25 years ago, when we first moved to this area! And I loved seeing their store cat, Romeow, greeting the customers! It has continued to be a pleasure to stop by their store through the years!

  15. Tracy OBarr
    Tracy OBarr says:

    What a fabulous bookstore – I’m so glad to have an independent bookstore so close to home.

  16. Diane Richards
    Diane Richards says:

    Finding a great book store, sadly, are quickly becoming a thing of the past, especially a locally owned one.
    Awesome to see The Book Seller is surviving and is celebrating an incredible 40 year anniversary!
    Long-live printed books!

Comments are closed.