Fun Detour - Northshire Bookstore

For me, bookstores have always been more than books and shelves. They are sanctuaries of creativity, knowledge transfer, community building, and free speech. I love wandering through the aisles never knowing what I will find.

Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, VT

I meant to write about bookstores everywhere, but a recent trip to Vermont reminded me that some places deserve their own story. For me, that place is Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont.

This independent community bookstore has been operating since 1976 and is held up as one of the best of its kind in the country. I first walked through the doors in 2019, and I have returned at least ten times since, most of which with my son and daughter. The books my children choose there have become a window into their interests and a quiet way to watch them grow as both people and readers.

There was the evening I attended the reading of an author and was inspired to share my own stories. There was the day I stumbled on an anthology of poems I still return to for wisdom and perspective. There was the moment my daughter found what has became her favorite book, and the team member checking us out shared her passion for the same book with us. There was the quiet pride I felt when I saw my son in the poetry section, choosing a book from the same shelf where I have also discovered some of my favorite books.  There was the time we walked up to the store for the first after Russia had invaded Ukraine and saw a Ukrainian flag from the store waving above the sidewalk.

These are just a few of the memories I hold dear from this special place. Northshire Bookstore has become part of my family’s story, and it is a place I look forward to visiting again.