Indie bookstores? Texas has 'em, east to west

 First in an occasional series about Texas independent bookstores

A Facebook friend posted about a bookseller's West Coast vacation visiting independent bookstores. And I wondered: are there enough indie bookstores in Texas to populate a blog post? Turns out there are enough even within a half-day's drive or less to populate multiple posts. Since I began this indie odyssey a few years back, I've been saddened to see old friends fall by the wayside but gladdened by new startups.

I'll begin with the east side of the state and work west to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and beyond in later posts.

I had first headed east from Dallas along the 1-20/1-80 corridor. Originally, I located three independent bookstores in Tyler. Since then, old friends Fireside Books and Once & Again Books are no more. 

However, the venerable Pea Picker Bookstore, 2803 University Boulevard, is still going strong. The selection of romance volumes at this shop near the University of Texas at Tyler is jaw-droppingly amazing. But that's not all, including a section of new books. Hours are 9:30-5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. I lost track of time during my stay and browsed until closing, buying an early Elizabeth Peters archaeological mystery, Alfred Lansing's nonfiction volume of Antarctic explorer Ernes Shackleton, and an Illustrated Classics version of Treasure Island for my then elementary-aged grandsons.

Pea Picker books galore

Continuing east, I reached Gladewater. Don't be put off by the drab Highway 80 entry to this little town. It has a lovely antiques district, including a bookstore, Gladewater Books, 109 E. Pacific Avenue. It's open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday. The proprietors have turned an antique building -- the pressed tin ceiling alone is worth a look -- into a store filled with used books, toys, and ephemera, with emphasis on books. I bought a hardback copy of Tanith Lee's Black Unicorn with dust jacket. The best contact option is the store's Facebook page, since the website is seriously out of date.

Luckily for my search, Texas writer Gary Borders (who I know from his interest in stories of my great-uncle, Milzie Williamson, lists several newcomer East Texas bookstores. I'll give a list, but for more details, see Gary's full article in Texas Highways magazine. Stores include:

• The Bosslight Bookstore, 123 E. Main St., Nacogdoches
• Absolutely Fiction, 903 S. Redditt Dr., Lufkin
• The Blind Pig, 129 S. Main St., Paris
• The Bookstore in Kilgore & The Coffee Cherry, 1023 Houston St., Kilgore, for books with a side of joe!