Today we went to Piedmont for a birthday brunch and found ourselves with 20 minutes to kill and a dirty diaper to deal with. Magically, I looked up to find that we were standing in front of Lucciola, a children’s bookstore. It was the type of place that Meg Ryan would have had in You’ve Got Mail, if only she lived in Oakland instead of New York City. The bathroom is open to customers and has a changing table. There is a story time room behind the main bookshelf shopping area that has a mural on the wall. Julian immediately walked in there and pointed animatedly to the rugs. Apparently he liked the interior design.
The owner of Lucciola was behind the counter and was very enthusiastic about the activities she was hosting this week. She proudly told me that Meng, the author of “Now, Louie”, had been there yesterday, drawing personalized pictures for the kids.
Action item: Look for an independent book store near you. Although the retail giants B&N and Borders have their own appeals, some of the little guys offer even more charm. And cleaner bathrooms.
Update: Lucciola has closed. All the more reason to frequent these independent stores. Let’s keep them in business!
How sad! That was a great store.
[...] find a local indie bookstore near [...]
Hi Rookie Moms!
Agreed, agreed, agreed, and lots of cheering.
If you’re looking for cool indie bookstore events, look no farther than blue manatee children’s bookstore and decafe’, an award-winning independent in business in SW Ohio for over 20 years. “The Manatee” has events nearly every day, from classic preschool story times, to foreign language, art programs, nature programs, science, Yoga for Youngsters, signings, contests, birthday parties, and the ever-popular ManaTots and ManaTea time. We also stock one of the country’s largest selections of kids’ books – over 25,000 titles – all hand-picked for quality and no TV tie-ins. Our cafe was designed with kids in mind, with custom, organic all-fruit smoothies named for popular kids’ book characters (e.g The Curious George), local pastries and ManaTreats, luscious Lorax Lattes, and the best hot chocolate and mochas in the universe made with bittersweet syrup from our neighbor, an almost-100-year-old ice cream shop. And yes, we do depend on support of our customers, where every single one matters and is treated as such. Whether by foot, car, helicopter, plane, or boat, we invite you to come experience the difference – and discover a sense of community to boot! For those a tad to far for a trip today, we also offer e-commerce via blue manatee boxes (www.bluemanateeboxes.com), a “retro-lutionary,” brain- and planet-friendly new mode of gift giving for the 3 and under set. Thanks for reading, and for reading with your kids!
John – owner, blue manatee in chief