Hi Everybody,
I’m back with part 2 of my 3-part edition of my “Literary Travel” series focusing on my home state of Michigan. All of the photos used were the ones I took, and they can be seen at the bottom of the page.
Today, I’m going to show you my visits to a bookstore in Taylor and a library in Allen Park, both located in an area called Downriver. For those who don’t know, Downriver is the collection of 18 suburban cities and townships located south of Detroit along the western shore of the Detroit River.
Why was I Downriver? Back in July, my husband and I made a day trip to that area to meet up with his friend’s girlfriend, and he wanted to visit a Vespa dealership. We ate at the Bierkeller Eatery & Tavern – a German-inspired bar and restaurant. The food was delicious!
Afterwards, my husband and I visited Another Look Books – a local bookstore in Taylor. It opened in 1995, and it was offering some pretty good discounts to celebrate its 30th birthday as of late. Moreover, it encourages its customers to read, relax, and repeat.
It was a small bookstore, but it was packed with books both upright and laying on their backs. That certainly added to the shop’s quirkiness and call for people to read. It offered a variety of genres for both adults and children along with displays for local authors; banned books; vintage; “Golden Oldies,” which was described as “Your Hard-to-Find Favorites!”; and discontinued titles. The store also provided cute little carts and baskets for those who were looking to buy plenty.
Some shelves were taller than others, but there was enough space between that customers like my husband and I could walk around with no problem. They were decorated in fun ways. My favorite was the Outlander poster that had Jamie wearing a lei.
With the relax part, Another Look Books definitely provided spaces to do just that. At the front of the store, there were two plush chairs with backs perched by the store’s motto. In addition, the main books area contained two other pieces of furniture: a fancy bench that could hold up to two people and another chair in the nonfiction section. Both had the same dark pink upholstery as the ones at the front of the store. The book selection and seats will absolutely have customers coming back for more.
In addition, Another Look Books offers non-book items and special services. Near where the checkout was, book-related items like mugs, book chains, pens, pillows, and signs were available for purchase. I may or may not have bought a thing of that sort for a friend who’s birthday is coming up later this month.
As for their special services, they include trade centers, holds, and a wonderful perk for teachers. Trading in books allow users to receive store credit, so they can spend less on more titles. Additionally, customers can place holds on books not available at the store, so the staff can order them to be shipped in. Finally, if you’re a teacher, you get a special discount of 75% off in-store purchases without requiring trade credit. It’s hard out there for teachers, so I’m glad Another Look Books is making it easier for them.
In case you’re wondering, I bought the books The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (it was on the Banned Books display) and Love Marry Multiply by Sara Geiersbach (she’s a local author).
Throughout our time at Another Look Books, several people came up to the lone staff person working and mentioned that they were longtime customers and enjoyed its atmosphere. From what I’ve seen, I completely understand because of its relaxed, fun, and accommodating environment. You can check out that bookstore on Facebook and Instagram.
The second and last place we went while Downriver was the Allen Park Public Library. It was a quick drive from the bookstore, and we had an ample amount of time to kill before we went back home.
The Allen Park Public Library is located in Allen Park. It was originally a branch of the Wayne County Library before transitioning to a municipal library. Its mission is to “provide and support quality library services that meet the informational, educational and recreational needs of the diverse citizens of Allen Park.”
The library certainly lived up to that motto. Before we walked in, I noticed that it had a well-kept garden surrounding the building to make it look nice. It also had a StoryWalk featuring Butt or Face by Kari Lavelle around the premises. It was funny and informative for both kids and adults because I’m sure that some of the latter would be fooled as well.
Inside, the layout was simple. On one side, there’s the children’s area. On the other side, there’s the adult and teen sections. In the middle, there were a circulation desk, various displays, and a calendar showing what programs are going on each month. In addition, the library had a game out where people could guess how many eyeballs were in a jar. It was one way to keep patrons engaged.
The children’s side contained neatly organized shelves containing a variety of books, displays on the shelf ends, a nice play space, and an Imagination Station. The latter is where kids over the age of 7 can make a craft. It’s right across from the circulation desk. The children’s area also had cute visuals like the birds that hung from the ceiling. My only complaint was that the signs denoting what kinds of books (ie juvenile fiction, picture books) were placed too high. Some kids are not that tall, so they won’t notice them unless they look up. I guess the birds are supposed to help them out.
The adult and teen side was spaced out. The latter was along the wall with its reading challenges, young adult titles, and displays like the “#BookTok Made Me Read It.” The adult area contained books on tall shelves with nice displays on the end caps. It also had a spacious study area; plenty of charging stations; and a board containing information about jobs, training, and volunteering. The most impressive thing in the adult section was the DVDs. Some libraries have the cases out on the shelves, so patrons can take them to the circulation desk, where the actual DVDs are stored. At the Allen Park Public Library, they have binders that people can look through to find the movies and shows they want to check out. Once they find the titles, they have to write down the numbers to take up the desk. It’s a bit more work, but it assures that whoever wants those movies are the most respectful.
The Allen Park Public Library was simple, but most effective in catering to its diverse citizens. Along with their website, you can check out the library on Facebook and Instagram.
And that concludes the thirteenth installment of “Literary Travel!” I hope all of you had a great time on this trip. Next month, I’ll focus on the bookstores and libraries I visited in Petoskey, Michigan.
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Book Reviews by a Chick Who Reads Everything 