Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The Last Bookstore

Book stores have always been some of my favorite places in the world. When I got my allowance, it was to the book store I sped. I couldn't wait for those order forms to go around for the Book Days at school, and when your order finally arrived, how exciting that was! I just love how many ideas and stories and information swirls around in book stores, though I almost start to panic when I think I'll never be able to read them ALL.



So, last weekend when it was cloudy at the beach and I was all about field tripping, I added The Last Bookstore to my list of stops on our downtown L.A. adventure. I'd been meaning to get there for a couple of years, but it just never worked out. But now it was a cloudy day, we'd just had our minds blown by the spheres at MacArthur Park, and now it was time to blow our minds even further in an awesome book store. Perfect.



The place is huge. It's spread out over two levels, and the amount of writing contained in these walls is just short of overwhelming. There are books everywhere. There are sculptures made from books.



It really is a labyrinth, with new surprises around every corner. I love the way the books are displayed, not in just your standard rows, but sometimes horizontal, sometimes by color, making every aisle interesting and appealing to the eye. There is a vault containing the mystery and science books, that looks very genre-appropriate.



There is a tunnel made from gravity-defying books, giving it all a very Alice In Wonderland vibe, as indeed most of the day had felt (only more so when we stopped for macarons at Bottega Louie after!).



Once outside of the upstairs maze, you come upon a long hallway full of art and galleries and little indie Etsy type shop stalls. There was a lot to see, and a lot to covet, like this piece from Patrick Haemmerlein that I will be back for. Books! Art! Cute stuff! I was loving it.



The Last Bookstore hosts events and readings all the time, and now that I've been there,  I intend to go to them all. It feels good in there.

There were a lot of books I wanted right then and there, but as much as I enjoyed The Last Bookstore, I LOVE my local book store, Small World Books, the most. I want them to be around for a long time in my neighborhood, so when I want books to own, I get them there. To thank The Last Bookstore for their time and for just still being there, I did get a card though, and am now telling everyone to go there, because it's great.


It's called The Last Bookstore because this kind of place is an endangered species. They are treasures to get lost in for an afternoon, and to be inspired by for a lifetime. Support them all, so this one will never truly be the last.


The Last Bookstore
453 South Spring Street
Ground Floor
Downtown L.A. 90013
#213-488-0599
www.lastbookstorela.com












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