WCCO Viewers' Choice For Best Bookstore In Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- There's nothing better than curling up with a good book, especially during a cold snap in the middle of spring.
But where's the best place to find a good read? You voted, and sent WCCO to St. Cloud to discover Books Revisited.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away -- OK, just St. Cloud -- there was a bookstore. And just like the volumes inside its walls, Books Revisited has stood the test of time.
"We're sort of a throwback to the bookstores of yesteryear," co-owner Jon Lee said. "We've got creaky wood floors and, you know, old shelving and the smell of the books. And so it's kind of a tactile experience."
Lee is the keeper of the books. The store opened in 1991 by another owner, and Lee bought it right out of college in 1995.
"Some of my earliest memories here in St. Cloud were going with my parents to the Carnegie Library, and going in and looking at the books," he said. "The smell of the books must have imprinted on my brain."
The best way to describe the Books Revisited bookstore is like a good book: Interesting at first glance, full of twists and turns and a cozy nook to get lost in around every corner.
"The interesting part, the fun part of the used book business is just you never know what you're going to find and you're exposed to so much. And you really can't even realize how much there is until, you know, you work with it every day," Lee said.
It's a grand, 12,000-square-foot space with books upon books.
"It's kind of a moving target, but I would say there's close to 100,000 books," Lee said. "And we stock books in all areas; the hardcovers, the paperbacks, older books, newer books."
Stores like these are becoming scarcer as the landscape of the printed word has shifted from paper to Pentium.
"It isn't that people have quit learning. It's just the printed word in some areas has lagged behind," he said.
But Lee is slowly seeing the e-reader pendulum swing back the other direction. Many readers have turned the page on electronics in favor of a printed word.
"Lately I've seen a lot of those customers come back," he said. "There's a lot of people who just a book. They like the feel of a book, to hold the book."
And there's also the accidental books, something you can't experience online.
"For me, the neatest thing about a bookstore is being able to walk in and finding something you didn't even know you wanted. That serendipitous find of, 'I came in for this and I left with three other things,'" Lee said.
In a busy world, where everyone is seeking inner peace, reading really is the ultimate "me" time.
"Sometimes you want to remind people that, 'Hey, we're still here.' And in the busyness of life, you know, take some time and still pick up a book, whether it's from your bookstore or a library," Lee said.
After all, every life is a story.
"How would I start my book? Probably, 'Once upon a time.' You know, almost like a fairy tale," he said. "For me, I just, I love the books and hope to continue doing so."
Books Revisited has a second location in the Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud. Most books are about half the normal cover price.
