Love My Indie Bookstore with Author Joanne Rock

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors share their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is:

Author Joanne Rock

The first time you visit Flying Pig Books in Shelburne, VT, you know you’re somewhere special. The store carries 35,000 titles, but co-owners Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Leavitt seem familiar with everyone of them, deftly steering each customer toward a book they’ll love based on favorite past reads. Tell Josie, Elizabeth, or any one of their book-passionate staff what kind of book you’re in the mood for and you’ll soon have a highly personalized suggested reading list of other releases you might enjoy.

Personal, friendly, book-savvy attention is just one of the reasons I love my indie store. Flying Pig Books is also an advocate for local authors, making sure their customers know about working writers in their area. As an author, I’ve visited lots of bookstores for signings, but my visit to Flying Pig was the first time I’d been greeted with balloons and a chalkboard in front of the store where Elizabeth sat with chalk in hand, writing a message for passers-by about the signing. I’m not John Grisham—I don’t see red carpet treatment from most booksellers, but Flying Pig made me feel like a star for the day. Even better, I know they talked about my visit to customers throughout the week, boosting my visibility with regional readers.

Karen and Joanne Rock, aka J.K. Rock signing at Flying Pig

Another reason I love my indie store… you can’t beat it for shopping ambiance. Housed in the former Shelburne Inn,  Flying Pig has lots of nooks and turns high shelves and smartly organized sections. This is the kind of store that makes you want to take your time browsing. There are benches, chairs, and quiet spots to flip through pages. And since the store is run by dedicated readers, everyone here appreciates the fun of that. You’ll never be rushed. I like to make a day of it and then visit the Bearded Frog restaurant next door for an amazing dinner or drinks with my shopping partner. It’s a good spot to admire all your beautiful book purchases and anticipate settling in to read.

Visit Elizabeth and Josie’s Shelftalker blog for Publisher’s Weekly. Follow Flying Pig Books on Facebook and Twitter.

**Follow romance & YA author Joanne Rock on Twitter and Facebook.