Looking for the perfect beach read? Or the book to tackle those prickly issues of social injustice that your child keeps asking about? Or how about a book that can tell you exactly how to make a delectable fruit tart with summer’s beautiful berries?
Serendipity is the experience of discovering unsought treasures or unexpected delights, and shopping for books in Old Takoma offers that lovely experience.
Old Takoma has bookstores galore that can satisfy just about any need. However, in typical Takoma style, the bookstores don’t look like other bookstores; they lead double lives as gift shops, pet supply stores, vintage stores, grocery stores, and so on. Shopping for books in Old Takoma offers the opportunity to explore and discover, to seek a specialty niche you wouldn’t find in more main-stream bookstores. Part of the fun is the search itself: follow the muse that leads you to a store and chance upon a book that takes you further. You can find a new blues CD and a book on the history of blues along with it. You can catch some sunshine in between shops, chat with a neighbor you bump into unexpectedly, and chance upon your beach books and a hand-woven scarf for a friend all at the same time.
So where to start?
Almost a dozen stores sell books in Old Takoma and, predictably, they are not easy to categorize. However the books do “fit” the store, that is, each shop carries books that extend the theme of the store. If you were to stroll from the Takoma Junction to the Takoma Theatre, the two bookends of the downtown business district, these are the “bookstores” you would serendipitously find.
Takoma Park-Silver Spring Food Co-op carries an extensive collection of books on nutrition, cooking, vegetarian and vegan eating, organic gardening, health and diet, herbal therapies, and life purpose, as well as some light-hearted, humorous reading. The Co-op also has a wide array of magazines including Sun, Utne Reader, Mothering, and Mandala as well as more main-stream publications.(201 Ethan Allen; 301-891-2667 — www.tpss.coop).
Fair Day’s Play has gone into books in a big way with children’s picture books and novels, and an extensive array of sports books for fans of all ages. Titles include: Rabble Rousers: 20 Women who Made a Difference by C. Harness; Moon Ring, by Randy DuBurke; and Hooway for Wodney, by Helen Lester. Select books are discounted 20 percent off now (7050 Carroll Avenue; 301-270-4999).
House of Musical Traditions sells instructional books for almost every musical instrument as well as artist songbooks, music theory books, and books on recording and production in the music industry. “Our most popular guitar books are Bruce Emery’s Skeptical Guitarist series,” says Kristen Jones, store manager. General interest books are on sale now (50 percent off) for artist biographies, histories of blues and jazz and books on various world music traditions. (7040 Carroll Avenue: 301-270-9090 — www.hmtrad.com).
Takoma Vintage Vault has a selection of used books on history, politics, classics, crafts and children’s fiction. You can find Future Shock and Pearl Buck and the History of Nations, volumes 1-23. (7000-B Carroll Avenue; 301-270-0018).
Madam X’s Vintage Planet carries all kinds of classics and off-beat used books. You can find everything from a ‘60s pop culture book to Tolstoy, and get yourself an ice cold bottle of Coke from the old coke machine while you’re there. (7000-B Carroll Avenue; 301-270-6380).
Rerun carries used books on spiritual and social issues, with a wide range of religious teachings including Sufi, Zen, Buddhist, and Christian, as well as books on religious and political leaders like Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela. They also carry “365,” a series of books with a meditative passage for each day in the year. (7001 Carroll Avenue; 301-270-0360).
Now and Then has books handpicked by Jude to “soothe your soul, tempt your palate, and tickle your funny bone,” says store manager, Elizabeth Brinkama. Categories include luscious cookbooks and gardening books, knitting books, philosophical musings, and blank books. Children’s books include cloth books for the newest family member, chewable books for toddlers, and picture books to read aloud. (6927 Laurel Avenue; 301-270-2210).
Willow Street Yoga carries books about yoga, health & healing, wellness, and spirituality, as well as yoga mats, clothing, and supplies. (6930 Carroll Avenue Suite 100, Takoma Business Center; 301-270-8045 — www.willowstreetyoga.com).
Big Bad Woof has books on pet wellness and longevity, animal training and behavior, and a general celebration of pets. Dogs 24/7 and Cats 24/7, photography booksedited by Rick Smolin and Elliot Cohen, celebrate the shared lives of people and pets. They also have children’s books and gift books on animals, as well as periodicals such as: Bark; Animal Wellness; and Whole Dog Journal. (117 Carroll Street; 202-291-2404 — www.theBigBadWoof.com).
Blue Lotus Treasures specializes in both non-fiction and fiction, from the classics to the contemporary, to nourish the mind, body, and soul. Subject areas include inspirational works, self-development, Eastern and Western philosophies, health & healing, and the sacred sciences by such revered authors as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Paul Ferrini, Byron Katie, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Manly Hall to name but a very few. And if you don’t see what you are looking for, Blue Lotus will be happy to order it for you. (314 Carroll Steet; 202-291-3003 — www.BlueLotusTreasures.com).
The Culture Shop's inhouse bookstore collaborates with Teaching for Change, to promote social and economic justice by offering multi-cultural resources. According to owner Valentine Davies, “From literature to history, poetry to politics, children’s stories to educational resources, The Culture Shop focuses on providing socially conscious reading materials for the young and young at heart” Suggested titles for summer reading: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv; A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Rev. Martin Luther King; The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho; How To Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, by David Bornstein. (341 Cedar St NW; 202-726-2211 — www.CultureShop.com).
The fact that Old Takoma sells books in its own quirky way is no surprise to those of us who live or work or shop here. Searching for just the right book in the local shops also feeds our own local economy.
Want to see more books in Old Takoma? Then shop for more books here, and you will discover the impact your shopping patterns have on our downtown.
Rosalind Grigsby is a local Takoma Park, MD resident, and is Executive Director of the Old Takoma Business Association / Main Street Takoma project. This article was originally publishing in the Takoma Voice.