I wrote this some time ago and posted it on Facebook.   A friend’s post about McKay’s Books today reminded me of it, and I decided to post it here on TheVeryStuff.com.  

In the past, I have thought about and written about what the qualities are that make a great bookstore. This is serious stuff. There’s nothing like some good uninterrupted time just wandering and browsing in an amazing little bookstore for just putting things right with the world.

A leisurely trip to a really good “book space” is my surest cure for the blues.  Sad that so few good bookstores exist anymore.  Davis-Kidd was one.  Joseph-Beth in Lexington was one.  The old Mills bookstore in Hillsboro Village was one … though I’ll admit that the fondness of my memories of the place may exceed the reality of the space.  La Lumiere in Jackson, MS is truly a hidden gem.   A little place in downtown Chicago near the river that I was in a couple years ago, but whose name escapes me now. Left Bank Books in St. Louis.  Elliott Bay Books in Seattle.   Kramerbooks in DuPont Circle in Washington DC.   Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.   The list goes on.  Powell’s in Portland, City Lights in San Francisco, etc.     With all due respect, Parnassus in Nashville… the joint venture from Karen Hayes and Ann Patchett is *almost* there, but not quite.  I can’t quite put my finger on it.   I really have wanted to love that store .. but somehow I just don’t.   It’s probably six or seven years old now, and I still hold out hope  that one day I will truly love that store.   I’m willing to say that if I had visited Parnassus in another city on a business trip, I may have loved it more.  But being in my backyard, maybe I’m holding it to a higher standard?   I just don’t know.

The point though, is that there are several recognizable features that are common to good “book spaces”.   In no particular order, some of the qualities that make a great bookshop are listed below.   A great bookstore should have a preponderance of these qualities.  It’s probably not necessary for a store to have ALL of these things, but it ought to at least have MOST of them.

• Well organized, well categorized selection of books.   That should go without saying.
• Lots of little private nooks and crannies to disappear into for some uninterrupted time thumbing through whatever catches your eye, piques your interest.    This is paramount.   A good bookstore must have “spaces” that just sort of surprise you when you stumble upon it.
• Well lit, but not OVERLY lit. The lighting is so important in creating a welcoming space.  It should be natural, comfortable and inviting. Dark stacks in unvisited corners? Ack!  Glaring overhead lights ? Double Ack!
• A knowledgeable, helpful staff. A kind and empathetic staff. A staff that makes you feel like a valued part of their clientele, and motivates you to want to come back. When you do come back, they make eye contact and give you a genuine, heartfelt “Hello! Welcome back.  Great to see you.”
• Integral to the importance of staff… I’d say “History”.   There should be a connection to the community. You get the feeling that at least *somebody* there is a lifelong resident of your town, and can talk knowledgeably with you about local color.
• Comfy chairs, plush couches scattered about through the store in unexpected places, where you can sit and take a more in depth browsing through the titles that speak to you. (along with a sign gently reminding you to re-shelve whatever you’ve decided not to buy this trip.)
• If you ask for a specific title, they can tell you IF they have it, where it’s shelved, offer to help you locate it, and offer to order it if they DON’T have it.
• A nice selection of “Staff Picks” that changes each time you go in.    It’s comforting just to know that the staff are readers.  And that they have varied tastes, and aren’t afraid of suggesting something that’s a little “out there”.
• A handy cafe or coffee shop tucked away in a corner where you can plunge right into your purchase over a stellar cup of coffee and maybe a muffin, pastry, or bowl of soup.
• A place that becomes a hub of community. Where you know you’re likely to see a friend or acquaintance. Maybe at a special event. A lecture, a songwriter night, or a book signing.
• A place that actually HAS author events. From small relatively unknown authors, to the big names out on book signing tours. Local flavor talks and special events.
• Whatever time of day you go, it’s a little busy, but almost never *too* busy.
• A great selection of over-stocks and cheap clearance books. Not the typical “This is the junk we couldn’t sell” section.
• Compelling children’s book events. Nothing feels better than a good merchant that encourages young readers. Important!!

Those are just some of the things I think go into making a great bookstore.

Given the opportunity, I think I could do that. Make a great bookstore, that is.  Give me the financial backing and the time & space to make it happen, and I think I could open and run one of the world’s truly great bookstores. Yes I could.

I’ve been in enough bad ones, and enough good ones to know the difference in my bones. I understand why it is those kinds of great local shops are quickly vanishing, and who really knows what bookstores will look like 10 or 15 years from now? Thinking about it makes me sad.

Anyway, I said all that to say this:

Given the above criteria, why is it that this place pictured here, McKay’s Used Books, CD’s, and DVD’s …. .which meets absolutely NONE of my criteria listed above …. Why does this place make me so happy? Every time I go, I find something (or some things) that make me sort of give a little yell. I actually laughed out loud at two of my finds tonight. One of them I actually hugged. I found a Jerry Jeff Walker DVD, just him and his guitar, 22 songs. For $2.95. I found a mint-condition hardback anthology of short stories by southern authors. For 75 cents. I found a Kevin Gordon CD that I didn’t have. 45 cents. I got another pristine copy of Harper Lee’s 50th anniversary edition of To Kill a Mockingbird (for my office)… $2.50.

Against all odds, and in spite of all the stuff they do “wrong”, I love this place.

McKay’s, I hope you’re here for a long, long time.     But I’d like to have a talk about the lack of nooks and crannies.