Looking for a romance friendly bookstore in the Asheville, NC area..Know any?
If so, can you leave the name in comments? Again, has to be in Asheville, folks.
I’ve checked the web for the bookstores, but I can’t get the info about which ones are romance friendly unless people who actually shop the stores give me feedback…
SQUEEE!!!! Does this mean you’re coming to Asheville? SQUEEE!!!!
Okay, so, here’s what I know – and I’ve lived just outside of Asheville all but the three years I spent in Raleigh.
IF the Waldenbooks was still open (it closed January 2010), that would be an excellent place to do a signing. About half of the (former) staff reads romance, myself included.
Malaprops – our oldest independent bookstore – welcomes everyone it seems. I know Diana Gabaldon did a signing there with in a week or two of her last release. I’m pretty sure she done several there in the past. Only problem with Malaprops is it’s downtown. Parking downtown sucks.
There are other independent bookstores in town, but I’m not familiar with any of them. (I have a friend who is, though, so I’ll send her the link to this post and hopefully she’ll be able to tell you more.)
The Barnes & Noble at the Asheville Mall has a pretty friendly staff, who don’t bat an eye when I’m in there asking about new romance releases. Of the three big chain stores in town, I like that one best. The B&N at Biltmore Park is nicer looking, but it’s almost impossible to find staff. Same for the Books-A-Million on South Tunnel Rd (across from the Asheville Mall).
I think that about covers it. Let me know if you have any questions. ^_^
<3,
TL
P.S. You actually might want to talk to/email Jacquelyn Frank about this; she lives in/near Asheville.
We’re going to be in the Smokies in March… thinking about setting something up, just don’t know yet. It depends on timing, finding something that will work-but I’m working it into a family trip so things have to flexible. We DO want to come to Asheville and see Biltmore.
If nothing else, if enough people show interest, maybe we could do a meet and greet at one of the bookstore-that would be a bit more informal, although if we do that, it will likely be during the week.
Ooh, March is a good time to visit the Biltmore House. It’s very pretty with the flowers just beginning to bloom… Actually, March is just a good time to be in these mountains period.
I ended up just sharing the link to this post on Facebook and asking for input, so maybe some more people will come by.
I moved to Asheville in May 2010 and love the Asheville mall Barnes and Nobles. Most of the used bookstores in downtown cater to a different fiction reader group, not so much romance 🙁
But I am still hopeful I will find a non-mainstream bookstore that shares the romance / urban fantasy love.
Biltmore is gorgeous. The Blue ridge parkway has gorgeous hiking trails and some pretty spectacular waterfalls.
A GREAT site to visit for local info is: http://www.romanticasheville.com/index.html
It’s not focused on romantic interests… the name of the site is a bit misleading, it actually just lists cool things and places in Asheville. Hope you do visit!!! Elaine C.