Tours of the Literary South: Joe’s Place Bookstore of Greenville, SC

Are you a fan of bookstores? Is that a stupid question? (Hey, in the digital age, you have to ask these things.) Growing up, the library was my drug of choice, but as an adult nothing makes me more excited than spotting a new indie bookseller when I least expected it.

Earlier in the summer, I had to travel to Greenville for work, and one day as I was driving to the office I just happened to glance to my right and saw a sign for a bookstore in an old historic house. Before I headed back to Columbia, I stopped for an impromptu tour (though I’d totally been planning it the entire day), and it was everything my nerdy little heart could hope for.

The bookstore was named Joe’s Place after one of the owner’s brother, Joe, who reveled in literature and intense debate with friends. In this vein, the bookstore became a place for such books to be cultivated and inspire the same discussion that so riveted Joe. And with such an expansive collection and decorative space, the bookstore inspires just that. I wanted nothing more than to pull up a chair at the bar, order a glass of wine, and chat up the booksellers about their lives as lit pushers. Although I did walk away with one book (just one—which was, like, really hard to do), I decided to save the former for a later trip. And, of course, I didn’t leave without taking A BUNCH of pictures.

Feast your eyes, my friends.

So, how did you like your tour? Interested in making a personal trip for yourself? Let me know what you think. You can drop me a line at sodacityreads@gmail.com or find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can learn more about Joe’s Place here.