A bookstore fan is inspiring readers across America
In a special episode (first aired on November 6, 2024) of The Excerpt podcast: Bob Manson is a retired teacher from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I’m also a big fan of independent bookstores. So much so that he has visited more than 600 across the country. At each, he interviews the owners and other regulars, then writes about what makes that bookstore tick for his ongoing blog, The Indie Bob Spot. Although he was not named as anyone’s running mate on the presidential ticket, Bob’s story of an ordinary small-town guy who took a passion and made it his own is now inspiring book lovers and readers across America. . Bob Manson joins us at The Excerpt to discuss his travels and why he finds independent bookstores so fascinating.
Click the player below to listen to the podcast, and follow the text below it. This article was originally published and edited for clarity in its current form. There may be differences between audio and text.
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Dana Taylor:
Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I’m Dana Taylor. Today is Wednesday, November 6, 2024, and this is a special episode of The Excerpt. Bob Manson is a retired teacher from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is also a big fan of independent bookstores, having visited more than 600 across the country. At each, he talks to the owners and other regulars, then writes about what makes that bookstore his favorite on his ongoing blog, the Indy Bob Spot. Although he has yet to be named as a running mate of anyone running for president, Bob’s story of an ordinary small-town guy who took a passion and made it his own is already inspiring. book lovers and readers across America. Thanks for contacting me, Bob.
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Bob Manson:
Thank you, Dana. It’s great to be here.
Dana Taylor:
I must begin by asking you to share your inspiration for this bookstore odyssey you are on. What gave you that idea?
Bob Manson:
Well, it started with just a book. And this book came out probably about 12 years ago, a book called My Bookshop. And it’s a book where writers celebrate the places they love to read, read and shop, and create a conversation about this bookstore. So there were 81 bookstores that appeared in the book, and I picked up the book and thought, well, I’ve heard of a few of these. I thought, I’ll start visiting. Because at this time I was no longer teaching, so I started visiting other bookstores that appeared there, and I asked the owner to sign the page of the book where they were written. The gentleman who was editing this book, his name is Ron Rice, and he found out that I was doing this, and I remember he and the owner of the bookstore in Brooklyn both said, ” So, are you writing this?
And I said, “No, I’m not a professional writer”. They just said, “We don’t care. We just want an outsider”. And I remember Ron Rice telling me, he said, for every bookstore they introduced to the book, they would have added five more. And clearly, it’s clear that there are many wonderful bookstores that deserve recognition, publicity. Big stores don’t need someone like me, but independent bookstores, I’ve become a one-man spokesperson or agent, and like I said, it snowballed. And I’m sorry, I’ve been to more than 600 bookstores and I just visited one yesterday, and the next one I’m going to will be number 613.
Dana Taylor:
Bob, was there anything surprising about the first bookstore you visited?
Bob Manson:
It’s kind of a funny story, Dana, because when I found this book and I was looking at bookstores, I thought, “Well, I’m going to start visiting these just for fun”. And at that time, my mother was still alive and she was a big reader, so I showed her the book and said, “Look at this and look at the bookstores and choose a one or two, and we will go out to them”. He was always alone. He liked to travel. He totally had it. This book has bookstores popping up all over the country, and I’m thinking, okay, what are you going to choose? We will go to Florida, California. Iowa, is only about four hours from Chicago. So he looked in there and said, “Well,” he said, “there’s one in Milwaukee and we can move to Chicago”. And I say, “Okay”. So that’s how I started. And I remember in Milwaukee, the first one I went to was the Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, and the owner was just great. And he says, “Yes, I’d be happy to sign your book as part of Bookstore Bingo”. So that’s how it started. So I don’t know if there was a real resonance when I started, but as I went along it definitely got better throughout the journey.
Dana Taylor:
By the way, you just mentioned Bookstore Bingo, is that a thing?
Bob Manson:
No, it doesn’t matter, just saying. But there are places around the country that do bookstore passports where they list a dozen bookstores in a certain area, and the bookstore owners and booksellers are really creative, and this it has become more widespread across the country. The first one I really noticed was down in the Kansas City area and into Missouri. There used to be very few independent people who had passport advertising for the bookstore, and now it has become popular in many parts of the country.
Dana Taylor:
What is it about bookstores that makes them special to you?
Bob Manson:
Well, what I didn’t know before I started but I quickly learned how amazing people are. From owners, to booksellers, to buyers. I had great conversations with customers and, of course, great conversations with people in the bookstore. So everyone was very nice. And I talked to the owner of the bookstore, and I remember this well, and I was in Wisconsin, and I said to him, I said, “What about bookstores, why does everybody is she so beautiful? why are the customers so nice?” And that’s a pretty obvious answer from the manager when you think about it. He thought about it for a second. He said, “No, I don’t think the knuckleheads read”. And I thought, oh, well, I think that kind of makes sense. It’s special that the people I meet, Dana, are really nice.
Dana Taylor:
In a way, Bob, you’ve become an indie bookstore rep. You were also able to help those affected by the recent hurricanes Helene and Milton. Tell me about that.
Bob Manson:
In fact, although most of the people I met I met them only once, some I saw several times, but most of them only once. But I feel such a connection to everyone I’ve met. Lately I’ve been very concerned, as everyone has been, in Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia. And one of the things I’ve done in my travels is to make sure that bookstore owners know about the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, people just call it BINC. And this is a big safety net for them, which provides emergency aid, for example, for natural disasters, which have been bigger than the last month or so. And I don’t know if anyone has ever taken advantage of that, but there it is. The people at BINC are, I’ve met a few of them, really great people, very dedicated to their work in supporting bookstores. So like natural disasters, emergency assistance for domestic violence, housing stabilization, serious medical expenses, things like that. They also offer scholarships for professional development. So I think the organization and foundation available to bookstore owners and anyone associated with a store is great, and I’m happy to share that when I visit bookstores.
Dana Taylor:
I live in central Florida, so thank you very much for your work there. In the last 10 years, you have been to 49 states and three countries. First, which country did you miss, and what’s next on your list?
Bob Manson:
Well, 49 means. I’ve been to all of them except Hawaii, and there are bookstores I like to visit. I’ve been to bookstores in Canada, Mexico, most recently in Canada. One of the best Canadian bookstores I’ve ever been to was right across the border at the bottom of Lake Huron, just north of Detroit. The Book Keeper in Sarnia, Ontario, is a great bookstore. Bookstores in Mexico. I was in a bookstore in Porta Morales, which is south of Cancun if I remember, Canadian owners, and their story is amazing to me. So they sell used books. They are open from November to May. So in November they live in Canada, I think they were in the Toronto area. They put in this big trailer full of books and drive from the Toronto area down to Puerto Morales in Mexico, which is unbelievable to me, and when their term ends in May they go back to Canada.
Dana Taylor:
Let’s end with the question that all our listeners are dying to know, among the hundreds of bookstores you’ve visited, which one has to be your favorite?
Bob Manson:
It’s really hard to pick a favorite, Dana, because they all deserve attention and care. I only name one, and I would like to say two, but I will say one. It’s Powell’s Books over in Portland, Oregon. It’s a famous bookstore, they don’t need my endorsement or anything because they’re doing well. But the store is unbelievable. You go in there and you get a map of the store. Types are divided into rooms, so green room, yellow room, red room, blue room. They have a nice coffee shop in there. They sell new and used books. When you’re ready to check out, you go to the snake rope line you’re working on to the front of the line, and one of the 10 cashiers will say, “I can help. Who’s next?” “. 10 contributors. So it’s a bucket list for people who enjoy this.
Dana Taylor:
Bob, it was great talking to you today.
Bob Manson:
My pleasure, Dana, thank you so much for having me.
Dana Taylor:
Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon Rae Green and Kaely Monahan for their production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a message to podcasts@usatoday.com. Thanks for listening, I’m Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.
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