Neighborly

It’s time to wrap up my walk through the libraries and bookstores of my life and we’re going out in style. I’m pleased that a new bookstore opened in downtown McKinney a few months ago. It’s a great addition to the scene in our city square and so far it’s been crazy busy almost every time I’ve stopped in. Neighbor Books is the name and the owners have done a great job putting a bookstore into an old building that doesn’t seem like a great configuration for a bookstore. When we moved here, the space was one of those antique/knickknack/junk spaces. To their credit, the bookstore owners have kept the space open, partly because a row of columns runs down the middle of the store. That relegates the books to the side walls, with some on display around the columns, but they didn’t feel the need to cram racks of books in every space, instead opting for a place where people can walk around and not bump into the fixtures. It’s more relaxing that way and allows people to wander. I’ve already bought several books I probably wouldn’t have otherwise by browsing through the shelves. It’s a far cry from online shopping and it’s a nice, unexpected addition to the area. I hope they stick around a long time and I’ll do my part.