Hi Art of Staying Up All Night readers! I’m Kam of Campfire Chic.
I have to admit, one of the biggest reasons I began following Andrea’s blog was her feature on amazing bookshops around the world. As an avid reader who prefers to buy her books secondhand, I adore this regular feature and since I live in the United States, I hope to one day visit the bookshops featured on this blog.
While I don’t have enough photos of each shop I visit on a regular basis to put together a comprehensive post, I do have some photos to share. I also try to keep my list of bookshops on Yelp! up-to-date as I’m always finding new little joints. The title of my Yelp! list is “What Happens at Storytime, Stays at Storytime“, which is blatantly taken from an online comic about the people who work in a library and the shenanigans that occur, titled Unshelved
The photos above where taken at the bookshops listed on my Yelp! reviews. I look like a bit of a creeper with that guy in my photos, but it is my boyfriend. I enjoy stalking him and snapping photos while he is least expecting it 
Things I look for in a used book store:
- The smell of books-if it smells like cats I get a little worried
- A section dedicated to juvenile/young adult novels
- A clean bathroom–just in case I’m there for a while
- A trade-in system where I can get store credit for any books I bring in–I’ve only done this once, and I felt like I was abandoning a box of kittens. I don’t know if I’ll ever part with any more of my books
- Plenty of space to sit. This can be on the floor, in comfy chairs, or a stool in the corner
- Other people…I love seeing what other people are picking up!
If you’re even in Southern California, I hope you visit some of these bookshops! My list will keep growing as I visit more and more of them. Hopefully I’ll get some out-of-state/country on the list soon
What do you look for when you visit a new bookshop?