Supporting local businesses plays an instrumental role in the continued health and growth of our communities, and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to supporting your local bookstore. I’ll be the first to admit to spending an unhealthy amount of time at my local Barnes & Noble (and there’s nothing wrong with that!) but there’s also a plethora of incredible local vendors all throughout the Buffalo area.
On Saturday, April 22nd, the Buffalo Bookstore Passports program began! Buffalo is going to give you a week to visit 10 independently owned bookstores AND our pop up market! Our Read It & Eat Book Fair & Market is a great place to meet some new bookstores on their own journeys to full store fronts! You need to stop by 10 bookstores and our book fair to collect all 11 stamps.
Over the next few articles we’ll be highlighting a whole slew of some of our absolute favorite stores!
Set one foot inside of Rust Belt Books and you’ll immediately understand why it’s remained a community staple for almost 30 years. This cozy little spot, located over in Buffalo’s West Side, is over brimming with a wonderful selection of used paperbacks & hardcovers, a collection carefully cultivated by owner Kristi Meal - including many valuable (and some extremely rare!!) first-editions. I even found an amazing, hard-cover copy of a book by one of my personal favorite authors, Loren Eiseley’s Invisible Pyramid.
There’s even a couple of bookstore kitties hanging out from time-to-time, and if you play your cards right they just might just approach you to say hello (just watch out or these lovable little furballs might try to steal your Toasty mascot when you’re not looking…).
Located in the heart of the Elmwood village, Talking Leaves Books has been servicing the greater Buffalo area for over an astounding 40 years!
The staff are always ready to help, usually with a great book suggestion or two, no matter how esoteric or obscure your tastes might be. There’s a real sense of community here, with a healthy selection from a slew of local authors, both current & past, as well as copious space for outdoor seating where patrons can sit and read or chat for hours on end. Even better, its location directly next to popular Elmwood destination Cafe Aroma right next door leaves reader aficionados with a suitable retreat if you’re looking for another place to sit and read and maybe enjoy a drink or some food.
West Side Stories has changed and grown over the near-decade it’s existed. First established as part of Joe and Jeanenne Petri footprint on the Westside, it later changed hands during the Pandemic, moving to Kevin Christner before finally settling with Keri Thomas-Whiteside and Bob Whiteside. Since reopening on Buffalo’s West Side, West Side Stories has seemingly found new-footing in a post-pandemic world. The new space is sizable, yet cozy, with a growing collection of old and new books, alike, and further plans for summer events and future expansions.
We’re still far from finished on our literary odyssey. Come back next week as we visit three more wonderful stores. Burning Books, Gutter Pop Comics & Alice Ever After!
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Article by Byron Gillan
4.24.2023
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