Book enthusiasts excited about increase in GR-area bookstores

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Despite the seemingly endless options for entertainment, bookstore managers say the enthusiasm about books has exploded in the last few years.

“I think a lot of people have had this idea that reading or being a reader, can only look one way, which is not true,” Anna Swanson, manager of Orchard House Books and Cafe, said. “Publishing now is more diverse than it ever has been. It’s getting more and more diverse, which I think is fantastic and there’s something for everyone.”

Orchard House opened in Grand Rapids in June after its owner, Amy Squires, saw so much success with the sister location, Plumfield Books in Ada.

“It’s crazy that Plumfield has only been open for nearly two years, and we’re already opening a second location,” Swanson said. “A lot of things just fell into place for us to be able to do that, but a lot of it is that people are really excited about local bookstores.”

According to Crain’s Grand Rapids , at least three new bookstores opened in the Grand Rapids area within the last year. Those include Orchard House , Rolling Rabbit Books , and Black Dog Books and Records , which has already sold close to 6,500 books in just three and a half months.

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Two more bookstores, Lovebound Books & Gifts and another Barnes and Noble location , are set to open in the next year.

“There’s a lot of distraction in today’s world. I think a lot of people want to slow down. They want to unplug. They want to be able to sit on the porch with a physical book and a cup of coffee and just like have that peace of mind and get sucked into a story and that’s really exciting to me,” Swanson said.

She added that the pandemic drove a lot more people to find a new hobby.

“I was already a huge reader, and I read more than I think I’ve ever read in my life during lockdown. I think a lot of people were, yeah, kind of left with nothing to do, and they were sick of just scrolling through TV, and so they got back into reading, and got sucked into it, which I think is fantastic,” Swanson said. ‘Geek about collecting’: Inside Grand Rapids’ newest record shop

In addition, social media has become a place for book enthusiasts to share reviews and get recommendations on the latest reads.

“‘BookTok’ has been huge in kind of like the reading boom, like that explosion. It’s such a good thing that no matter what people are reading, as long as they’re reading it’s great,” Katelyn Churchill said.

Churchill lives in Grand Rapids and was excited when Orchard House opened just a few blocks from her.

“I like that (bookshops) are small local businesses. That really excites me, like I love going out and supporting my community in that way and I think this place is really cool because it also has a cafe and places to work, so it’s a place where people can gather,” Churchill said.

Reading, Churchill added, also offers new opportunities for connection.

“I think it just opens doors, like talking to people that are different than me. You know, we have like this common ground of oh, we read this book now let’s talk about it and I really do enjoy that,” she said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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