Besides wandering through crop circles, catching sunrise at Stonehenge, visiting the stone circles at Avebury
and exploring other parts of heart chakra territory in England during a
tour this summer with a co-leader and seven customers of her store,
Susan L. Weis, owner of breathe books, Baltimore, Md., spent some time
in bookstores. (Check out her blog to see pictures and notes from the trip.) A columnist for Shelf Awareness
on New Age books, the woman we agreed to stop calling the most
enthusiastic bookseller in the country was enthusiastic about the
bookstores she had seen in that realm of England.
"Glastonbury is a hotbed of New Age stores," she said, and one of her favorites there is Labyrinth Books, which Sue Render opened in 2004 and expanded earlier this year. The store originally focused on used books but is starting to carry new titles, too, including many by Hay House. "It's a little shop, and on every shelf, you find a gem," Weis commented. "Some titles are really esoteric and you never see them in the U.S. I've been there twice and bought 15 books."
Another Glastonbury favorite is the Speaking Tree, a remainder store owned by Gareth Mills. (Labyrinth's Sue Render used to work for him.) With about 1,500 square feet of space, the Speaking Tree is full of metaphysical titles, and wandering around inside is like "being in a candy shop," Weis said. The Speaking Tree stocks books on shamanism, magic, reincarnation, Buddhism, kabbalah, yoga, holistic living and sustainable living. "The most fun section is books on building your own yurt," she added.
Weis called the store "gorgeous, with high ceilings, lots of charm and creaks in the floor. The staff is delightful and seem to love their job." The Speaking Tree also has a wholesale warehouse. (Incidentally Weis wrote a story in the August issue of New Age Retailer extolling the virtues of bargain books called "Remains of the Day: Bargain Remainders Offer Profitable Margins.")
Like Labyrinth and the Speaking Tree, Glastonbury's many other bookstores feature titles on ley lines and crop circles as well as many books from Counter Culture Book Distributors. Counter Culture is both a publisher and distributor owned by Peter Gott that offers "fantastic little books on esoteric subjects like sacred numbers, ley lines, Stonehenge and more," Weis said. Counter Culture's Wooden Books line is printed on recycled paper.
The Henge Shop in Avebury is "my favorite favorite bookstore in England," Weis said. The store, in a building with sloping floors and ceiling, features crystals, gemstones, jewelry, books, calendars as well as gift items based on celtic and druid culture. The owners are Philippe and Dominique Ullens, who had a gallery in Brussels, visited Avebury, fell in love with the place and bought the store two years ago. A photographer, Philippe Ullens has taken many pictures of crop circles from planes that hang in the store; in the summer, the store posts information daily about crop circles. The Henge's manager is John Wilding.
The Bookstore at Chalice Well (with lush gardens and where people can put their feet in healing water) is only about four feet wide and 25 feet long, but "they know how to merchandise," Weis said. One wall is all books, including Doreen Virtue books and books on angels and pendulums. Other products include jewelry, greeting cards. "It's a fascinating, beautiful little shop."--John Mutter
"Glastonbury is a hotbed of New Age stores," she said, and one of her favorites there is Labyrinth Books, which Sue Render opened in 2004 and expanded earlier this year. The store originally focused on used books but is starting to carry new titles, too, including many by Hay House. "It's a little shop, and on every shelf, you find a gem," Weis commented. "Some titles are really esoteric and you never see them in the U.S. I've been there twice and bought 15 books."
Another Glastonbury favorite is the Speaking Tree, a remainder store owned by Gareth Mills. (Labyrinth's Sue Render used to work for him.) With about 1,500 square feet of space, the Speaking Tree is full of metaphysical titles, and wandering around inside is like "being in a candy shop," Weis said. The Speaking Tree stocks books on shamanism, magic, reincarnation, Buddhism, kabbalah, yoga, holistic living and sustainable living. "The most fun section is books on building your own yurt," she added.
Weis called the store "gorgeous, with high ceilings, lots of charm and creaks in the floor. The staff is delightful and seem to love their job." The Speaking Tree also has a wholesale warehouse. (Incidentally Weis wrote a story in the August issue of New Age Retailer extolling the virtues of bargain books called "Remains of the Day: Bargain Remainders Offer Profitable Margins.")
Like Labyrinth and the Speaking Tree, Glastonbury's many other bookstores feature titles on ley lines and crop circles as well as many books from Counter Culture Book Distributors. Counter Culture is both a publisher and distributor owned by Peter Gott that offers "fantastic little books on esoteric subjects like sacred numbers, ley lines, Stonehenge and more," Weis said. Counter Culture's Wooden Books line is printed on recycled paper.
The Henge Shop in Avebury is "my favorite favorite bookstore in England," Weis said. The store, in a building with sloping floors and ceiling, features crystals, gemstones, jewelry, books, calendars as well as gift items based on celtic and druid culture. The owners are Philippe and Dominique Ullens, who had a gallery in Brussels, visited Avebury, fell in love with the place and bought the store two years ago. A photographer, Philippe Ullens has taken many pictures of crop circles from planes that hang in the store; in the summer, the store posts information daily about crop circles. The Henge's manager is John Wilding.
The Bookstore at Chalice Well (with lush gardens and where people can put their feet in healing water) is only about four feet wide and 25 feet long, but "they know how to merchandise," Weis said. One wall is all books, including Doreen Virtue books and books on angels and pendulums. Other products include jewelry, greeting cards. "It's a fascinating, beautiful little shop."--John Mutter