I Opened a Bookstore

Meander is here — and you don't have to live in Paducah to shop it

I’ve announced it on Pantsuit Politics and on social media, but let’s make it official here in my little literary space on Substack.

I opened a bookstore.

Meander Bookshop is open (softly, figuring-out-how-many-books-I-need open) in Paducah, Kentucky, with a grand opening coming later this summer. It started as an idea for a bookshelf in our local coffee shop. When I reached out to the owners of Pipers Tea & Coffee, they said, “Yes, and we’ll do you one better!” That’s how a bookshelf became my very own (tiny) space inside the coffee shop featuring hundreds of the books I have loved for years.

And because my reading life and this shop are now indelibly linked, this Substack is changing its name. By Plane or By Page is becoming Meander.

meander /mē-ˈan-dər/ verb. 1. to wander without hurry. 2. to follow a winding course, as a river does through soft ground. 3. to read for pleasure, to browse for joy, to take home the book you weren't looking for.

Everything will mostly stay the same. The America 250 Book Club will keep rolling on. (Friendly reminder: our next meeting on Ragtime is on Thursday, June 25th at 7pm CST on Zoom!) If you haven’t gotten our next read Roots yet, highly recommend getting started because it is a beast.

My monthly reading logs will continue as usual with additional dispatches from a brand new independent bookstore owner learning as she goes. I’ll share what I’m stocking and why. Not to mention, lean on all of you for book ideas, event inspiration, and merch creativity. Plus, I have decided to give a little bonus to all the paid members who’ve been supporting me in this space. I have made all my travel itineraries available for free to paying subscribers! Meander Bookshop exists in no small part thanks to all of you and I wanted to show my appreciation. Don’t worry, if you just want one itinerary, they are still available to purchase here!

Now here’s the best part: you don’t have to live in Paducah to shop at Meander.

📚 Order any book through our Bookshop.org and Meander gets the sale.

🎧 Audiobook person? Switch to Libro.fm and pick Meander as your bookstore — same audiobooks as the big guys, but your money supports an indie.

If you’ve ever finished one of my recommendations and thought “I would buy every book Sarah recommends.” Great news! Now, you can.