A Zion Bookstore, Done Right
Last Friday, due to poor planning on my part, I found myself in a truly unfortunate situation: I was alone in the middle of downtown Salt Lake City, a long-ish journey on TRAX ahead of me, and I had forgotten to put a book in my backpack. As I contemplated the endless, dreary minutes of public transportation that stretched before me, without hope even of a magazine to keep me company, I looked up and saw my salvation: Sam Weller’s Zion Bookstore.
I hadn’t been in a real, live bookstore in quite some time, partly because I work in a library and get to read for free, and partly because I’m lazy and Amazon.com is just a click away. But I’ve always wanted to visit the celebrated Zion Bookstore, and that seemed like the perfect opportunity. Despite the name, this is no Deseret Book; Sam Weller’s does have a large selection of LDS titles, but it rises above that to be a full-service bookstore in the old tradition.
As soon as I stepped in, I knew I was in the right place. The walls are lined floor to ceiling with books—new titles, first editions and rarities—with those cool rolling ladders to provide access to the higher shelves. The air is redolent of paper and coffee. The staff is helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. After the bookless wasteland of the train platform, it was like coming home.
An hour later, I left the store with two books I didn’t know I wanted but had to have as soon as I saw them. Today I went back and got a third. This “paying for books” habit might get expensive fast, especially with the way I read.
[This post is dedicated to a certain private bookseller, whose head will explode when she reads my confession about Amazon.com, and whose Breaking Dawn release party is coming up on August 1, if y'all are anywhere near Easley, SC.]
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May 29th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Hey, keep buying. You are buying my paycheck buddy. Thanks for the compliments, Sam’s is awesome.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Hey, Rachel! I’m not sure I could stop buying at this point. And I foresee many, many visits to Sam’s in my future. My near future. Sam’s houses a satellite location of my favorite coffee shop! How could I stay away?
Guys, I forgot to mention that my friend/coworker Rachel works at Sam’s, which is just another point in that bookstore’s favor.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
You have to visit Powell’s Books if you ever find yourself in Portland. As long as you can deal with slightly too-cool-for-school employees, it’s by far the best full service bookstore in the old tradition this side of the Mississippi.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I respectfully disagree with Todd and most people of the free world about Powell’s. Everyone loves it and I don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong – it has everything. And I had a friend who worked at the B&N in Portland and when they didn’t have a book the customers would flounce out of the store saying, “Well I’ll just get it at Powell’s then.” <—- That made me laugh a revenge fueled chuckle since I hear the opposite of that often.
But.. but.. it’s just like a big warehouse with no atmosphere (or I guess the warehouse is the atmosphere and I just don’t like it). I think that’s the best thing about independent bookstores is their personality — how it’s shaped by the owner, the employees, and the community it’s set in. If you’re ever in Asheville, NC you HAVE to go into the bookstore there, Malaprops. It sums everything about Asheville in one little store and since Asheville is awesome and unique – so is Malaprops. Also, I really loved Elliott Bay Books in Seattle much more than Powell’s. It’s the most beautiful bookstore I have ever been in.
And – no – I’m not finished! Sean – I can’t believe you hadn’t been in Sam Weller’s before but I’m so glad you were finally able to go. I love that store! It has a TON of books but still a lot of personality. I realize the appeal of amazon – who doesn’t want to buy books in their pjs – but plundering through a bookshop is where I really have found my most treasured books.
One of the pretty girl clerk’s at Sam Welalr’s once complimented me on my Tin Tin watch – they obviously have fashionable and fantastic employees. Yay for bookshop girls!
May 29th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Now I want to visit ALL of these bookstores! Thanks a lot, guys, for fueling my unrequited wanderlust.
But seriously, if I ever make it out to your neck of the woods, Miss L., I will visit Poor Richard’s and Malaprops. There will be an agenda, and they will be on it. And my friends in Portland and Seattle–if I ever get around to visiting them–will just have to deal with me checking out the local bookstores. And the liberries! I love me some liberries. Even if the Seattle main library looks like a bad LSD trip.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Oh, the fond teen memories of Sam Wellers. I used to spend hours there, combing the used books in the basement (back before the store interfiled new and used) for some new gem. I much preferred a musty old classic fantasy book from the sixties to the derivative pop dreck published in the 80′s available in the new section. And I loved the large history, biography, mythology, and folklore collections on the main floor–so much more expansive than the pitiful selection at Waldenbooks (remember, this was the 80′s). Great times.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
There was a book exchange store next to ACE hardware in the town I grew up in. Hardware stores are fascinating, but whenever my dad went I almost always abandoned him and the saber saws in favor of the dense warren of overflowing shelves. I would find some Piers Anthony or Lensman or Conan book and sit and read until he came and got me. I remember I bought Frank Herbert’s The Dosadi Experiment there. I need to re-read that.
May 31st, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I want a Tin Tin watch.