Yesterday, my art director and I took a mini-road trip to The Velvet Spine in West Reading, Pa. The bookstore specializes in “books for a darker state of mind” in the genres of horror, thriller, dark romance, true crime, and fantasy.
Gayle and I were wonderfully surprised to see a busy and vibrant downtown in West Reading. Gayle was also excited to find a Eureka vacuum cleaner ghost sign.
When we entered the small shop, there were people in there buying books.
The vibes of the shop reminded me of Alice’s Haunted Little Bookshop in Mystic, Connecticut. The size was more like a specialty shop in New Hope, Pa. But they have done a stellar job with curating their inventory and merchandising the space. Which, in everyday terms, means they have carefully picked books from local authors, classic stories, and the hottest new titles within their preferred genres.
They have divided the shop into genres and highlighted local authors within each. They have maximized the atmosphere with spooky music (which was a pinch loud while we were there), lush red and matte black walls, heavy leather chairs and creepy props. An old doll in her own red velvet chair… An antique baby carriage with a single copy of Rosemary’s baby waiting inside… And if you’re paying attention— the book display inside the front door stands on some sort of medical cabinet… The decor alone is worth a visit.
My daughter— not realizing we were visiting a themed bookstore— asked me to bring her any interesting books about dogs I might see. I almost bought her Cujo.
Part of the reason I wanted to visit is because Jessie at the bookstore has ordered a few of my Fashion and Fiends novels, as they criss-cross genres. I think William Prystauk put it best when he called them horror with elements of paranormal romance. At least, I think that was Bill.
Learn more about those books here.
The Velvet Spine has invited me to schedule an event, probably a book signing/meet and greet, so our visit yesterday was our own little recon visit.
One note of caution: If you visit the bookstore— they are located above street level, and it requires walking up concrete stairs to reach the front door. There is a sturdy railing.
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