Photos by C. Whitney-Ward
We had a library in our house when I was growing up. It wasn't a huge space but it had a wall of shelves filled with leather-bound books. I don't remember reading any of them, I just remember that they were there and I loved looking at them. If I close my eyes I can still smell the musty-leather scent. I guess that's why I love bookstores. They are a wonderful visual stroll. And independent bookstores, like Santa Fe's circa 1978 Collected Works Bookstore & Coffeehouse, exude a personal warmth that is very appealing.
This 4,000 square foot space is brimming with books - books by local authors, cookbooks, travel books, poetry books, books on the southwest, best-selling books -more than 30,000 in all.
And there are lovely places to sit and ponder and read...
Especially if you're a kid. There's a nice children's book section.
If you're hungry, you can get a snack at the inviting coffee bar
Love the beautiful old "bakery" case...
And then you can sit in the sun and munch & read away.
But, there's more. Collected Works offers a rich selection of lectures & author/poet/storytelling evenings with the likes of Hampton Sides, Alan Arkin
and N. Scott Momaday, just to mention a few. Go to their website and check out their weeklycalendar of events. And if you want to find a great read,
they offer book reviews as well.
What a swell bookstore.
COLLECTED WORKS BOOKSTORE & COFFEEHOUSE
202 Galisteo Street Santa Fe, NM 87501
505.988.4226
