This time, in researching independent bookstores in Pennsylvania, I decide to look outside of the big cities because the bookstores in Philadelphia remind me of bookstores in Seattle. There’s the college bookstore, a couple of big bookstores, the LGBT bookstore, an artsy bookstore and some used bookstores. I’m sure they’re all great but I think I need to cast a wider net. Pennsylvania is vast. Maybe I need a rural or small town perspective. I log onto the internet and find Whistlestop Bookshop in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I’m not sure why it appeals to me. The website is not very fancy. But I love their philosophy, The objective of our business is to put the right books in the hands of the right people. This is clearly the place for me! I’m also drawn to the bios of the booksellers. There are so many of them and they all sound like people I’d like to meet. Of course, Carlisle is a college town. I imagine it filled with bookish students and professors. Whistlestop originally opened in 1985 in Gettysburg, with a second shop in Carlisle a few years later. After nineteen years, the Gettysburg shop closed and moved to Carlisle. Find it here: http://www.whistlestoppers.com/
The official site of author Rachel Bukey
