Books! Age-old treasures of entertainment passed from generation to generation. Today, we’re seeing a surge. Thanks to social media platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok, certain novels and authors have become quite popular.
For the past year or so, content-creating bookworms have been sharing their recommendations, wiping book retailers clean in a week or less. This book-sharing resource has become known as “Book-Tok” on the Tik Tok app. If you’re looking for something new, type in “Book-Tok” in the search bar and I guarantee that you’ll find various, enticing reads. Author Colleen Hoover’s famous novels It Ends With Us, November 9, and Verity have dominated the romance drama section. Taylor Jenkins Reid has stolen the hearts of fiction readers through her best-sellers Malibu Rising and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Swedish male author Fredrick Backman has also turned heads with Anxious People, and A Man Called Ove. This form of book promotion is certainly a great way to increase sales and reader retention.
In this day and age, large companies such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon have been the go-tos for book shopping. However, these places take significant business away from small book retailers. One familiar to Myers Park and Charlotte is Park Road Books.
Park Road Books is an independent bookstore nestled away in Park Road Shopping Center. It has been operating since 1977; a true establishment. Many Charlotteans have childhood memories of visiting for storytime specials or getting lost in a book in one of the comfy chairs. Book signings are held here, along with book clubs and author Q&As. You can also meet and hang out with the store’s sweet trademark dog, Yola. They are a literature-loving staff who, with a smile on their face, will always aid you in your reading questions and desires. They’re trendy too, carrying many “Book-Tok” novels in stock. They’ve got you with Frankenstein, Kindred, Persepolis, or any other books you may need for a course at school. Park Road Books oftentimes has a running list of Myers Park and CMS required books for English classes. No need to fret if you haven’t gotten your copy of Frankenstein yet, or are dying to read the It Ends With Us sequel, It Starts With Us. Park Road Books will help you out! Its location is close and convenient.
So before you purchase that book in your Amazon cart, make a quick run to Park Road Books. It’s very important to support small, local businesses, especially one that’s been so loyal to the community since the 70s! Park Road Books is a cozy, friendly, and quiet space with interpersonal customer service, an experience unlike any other.