INCEPTION
"We are Nick and Julia, your Staunton Books proprietors, and we want to share our love of reading with you. Our shop and interests are eclectic, with an academic bent and an optimistic view of the human experience. We think outside the box and are visual as well as literary, so most of our books are "face out", and spill onto the floor and across tables; they're just too amazing to sleep stuffed into bookcases, so be prepared to roll up your sleeves and grab one of our cushions, then dive in and explore! In pursuit of one interest, you'll bump into many new discoveries you never expected to meet. Because most of our books are in nearly-new condition, we're often asked if we just sell new books, but in fact, each one is a gently-read discovery we found during our literary treasure hunts across Virginia. Our goal is to allow everyone to be inspired by a great find at a great price! […] We have an amazing collection of works in many themes, including classical, modern fiction, non-fiction, art, travel, history, philosophy, spirituality, cooking, children books, and more. […] We're kid/pet/gelato friendly, so please drop in during your stroll around our magical town of Staunton, Virginia.”
This text was posted on our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram) in July 2015, when we started Staunton Books.
Since then, we have switched to several downtown locations and formats. We started in a tiny location in East Beverley. We were on the second floor of Staunton’s Masonic Building with an unforgettable display in the entrance lobby with hundreds of books in our honesty bookshop open 24/7. Pre-pandemic, we tested food business ideas while thinking of opening a book café. Who remembers the crepes at the Staunton Farmers Market? Post-pandemic, we were one of the first vendors at The Foundry Pop-Ups. In early 2023, we reincarnated our used bookstore with some additions at 16 W Beverley Street.
REINCARNATION
@StauntonBooks
16 W Beverley St., Staunton, VA.
Used books, art, and performances.
At his location, you will find a curated collection of gently used books at affordable prices. We believe that knowledge and development should be affordable, and it is always a hard decision for us if we need to raise the price of used books to keep this part of business alive. We will keep following our values here and provide you with a great selection of affordable books.
This location also hosts Staunton’s Smallest Art Gallery, where you can find tradecard-size art from all over the world.
In late 2023, we started collaborating with Staunton’s local theater group, The Off Center. We hosted two successful “An Evening with Poe” performances and are looking forward to hosting more theater performances in our space.
This location is open a few days a week, and when closed, you’ll find our honesty bookshop facing West Beverley Street under our door. You can grab a book and pay online.
EXPLORING NEW CONCEPTS
@StauntonBooksAndTea
34 W Beverley St., Staunton, VA.
New books, teas, sweets, gifts, literary events.
During these years, we have been regularly receiving compliments from our customers about our carefully curated book selections. This is very inspiring! From the start, our only rule to buy books was: “If we did not sell it, we would keep it.” That means we get for you books we love, books we recommend, and books we want to read. Over time, we realized that some books we want to share with you are not yet available on the used books market. We also have regular requests from our customers for specific books. So we decided that it was time to cover this need. With that, we proudly introduce our new second location - Staunton Books & Tea! At this location, we will introduce the selection of new books, specialty and premium loose-leaf tea, international desserts and gourmet snacks, cards, gifts, and other sidelines.
Our soft opening date is March 17, 2024, when we will host the second part of the “Half-Life of a Stolen Sister”: Festival Preview in Staunton event, which is part of the 2024 Virginia Festival of the Book. You can meet with Rachel Cantor, the author, buy the book, and have it signed. We also plan to have a cake celebrating the Bronte patriarch’s 246th birthday.
With the soft opening, we are introducing the retail part of Staunton Books & Tea, while planning to serve drinks and light desserts starting this fall. We are also working on events programming. We would love to hear what you think is missing in Staunton that our venue can offer. Link to the survey.
Thank you for your continuous support, curiosity, and love of reading!
The Staunton Books Tribe