Welcome to Literary Ashland

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I would be truly shocked anyone familiar with Ashland has missed out on Bloomsbury Books. Located downtown Ashland next to Pangea, Bloomsbury is a fixture of Ashland literary life. Although it is smaller than a Barnes and Noble or any other corporate book chain, it has a larger feel than many of the other bookstores in the area don’t have. Bloomsbury carries new books of all genres. To me, Bloomsbury is the biggest little bookstore around. My favorite section downstairs, to the left of the register, is History. Like most Ashland locals I have spent plenty of time inside Bloomsbury throughout the years.

I learned about the history of the bookstore’s name, from the Bloomsbury group of writers who met in the Bloomsbury district of London in the early 20th century. Virginia Woolf, of course, was part of the group and she is the bookstore’s leading logo lady.

Aside from the History section, what I like about Bloomsbury are the great old wood floors you see when you first walk in. For years, on my break at work, I would wander into Bloomsbury every morning to buy The New York Times. The papers were always stacked at the front and often times I would spend two minutes inside, crossing the old wood floors. I liked the sound that they made. Maybe it’s just me but I felt the wood invited  literary explorers for a special inside. My second favorite aspect of Bloomsbury is the cute, cozy cafe located on the back wall of the upstairs portion of the bookstore. You have everything you need: a book, food, coffeee and even a treat for the sweet tooth. My fondest memories as an English major were passing time reading novels like Frankenstien and Gulliver’s Travels while enjoying a sandwhich or a chai tea.

Bookstores such as this do not pop up just anywhere. They are big enough to order in specific books, carry a large amount of covers that are in high demand but stay personal enough to be a part of the community and not just another corporate mass. For a community like Ashland is, a bookstore like Bloomsbury is the hub of the literary scene. See you there.

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Down on the Plaza, next door to Eden Vale’s wine tasting room, is a cozy, magical bookstore all for youngsters. The Tree House Children’s Bookstore has been in business for 33 years. The fourth owner of the store, LadyJane, bought the bookstore in April of 2010. I had the pleasure of talking to her daughter, Brenna, who described the family-owned atmosphere in the bookstore as fun, lighthearted and appealing for all age groups and families.

The Tree House is one of two bookstores in the state of Oregon designed and specific to literature for children; the other store located on the other end of the state in Portland. She shared the history of the bookstore, explaining that the shop was a bank before a bookstore. The room in the far back of the store, once examined, clearly resembles a vault.

Brenna shared with me why working in the family owned and operated bookstore is such a blast. She loves kids, which surely the bookstore gets a lot of. Its a creative shop and there is always something new and exciting. She also said it brings her back to a simpler time; back home.

The Tree House specializes in children’s literature (obviously) but it offers so much more. There are books for young children, high school level and even a small section reserved for adult best sellers. The shop also offers whimsical objects, art work, cards, little knick knacks and even puppets. I found myself lost in colors. Everything I looked at was covered in bright colors or sparkle, taking me back to my carefree childhood instantly.

Unlike the future of paper back, adult fiction and hard backs, children’s literature will always have a market with traditional, glossy hard back books. Brenna voiced a common theme from many of the other bookstores around town: people like having a physical book in front of them and within their hands. She continued, along a different path than the other bookstores, by stating that children books are “creation in front of you- special.” Will we ever get to the point where we will see four years olds cozied up reading Winnie the Pooh on the Kindle?

If you are a local of Ashland or have the chance, while traveling through, to visit this little bookstore, do not miss your time to experience the magic. Just because the sign reads “Children’s bookstore” should not hinder adults of all ages to enter into a land of literary magic. The atmosphere, friendly faces and colorful splendor of the Tree House will take you back to your childhood, where you can sit down and enjoy a big, glossy picture book.