Binding Love At Indy Reads

The rare books collection sits near a sunny spot in the window next to a record player.Photo by Tony Valainis

IF YOU’RE READY to hunker down for the rest of winter, pick up a few stories for company at Indy Reads, an independent bookstore affiliated with the nonprofit of the same name. The beloved shop recently moved from Mass Ave to a marquee location in Fountain Square (its former public-library branch), and proceeds support adult-literacy classes, which have seen a jump in attendance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perusers of used books will find a bargain, as only a few pre-owned options cost more than $10. Bigger budget? Check out the shelves of rare volumes with familiar names like Dostoevsky, Hawthorne, and Brontë on the spines, or the selection of books signed by their authors, including several by Indianapolis’s own John Green. Visitors are invited to plot their home base with colorful stickers on Naplab’s Neighborhoods of Indianapolis map, and tiny stools beckon the littlest readers. Before leaving, take a seat in one of the windowside vintage armchairs and relax to the tunes floating from the store’s record player.

SCOUTED
(1) Prehistoric Antiques of Indiana by Eli Lilly, $200 (2) Novelty socks, $13 (3) Change Sings by Amanda Gorman, $18 (4) Pronoun pins, $15 (5) Tote, $20