145 Main Street, Hoosick Falls, NY

Out among the rolling hills and farms of eastern Rensselaer County is the small town of Hoosick Falls, and tucked behind a house on Main Street a few blocks from the brick storefronts of downtown you’ll find Red Well Books. You’ll know you’ve found it by the little red well on the front lawn, painted bright to catch your eye. It’s a relatively new shop, just a few years old as of late 2019, but there’s a nice enough selection inside to make you think it’s always been here and you just overlooked it, as I had until just this October.

I started my visit by strolling through town and admiring the large brick buildings downtown and some of the larger homes dating back to the mid-nineteenth century dotting the edge of town. Unfortunately many of these have seen better days, but don’t let that sway you thinking about what you might find in town if you look hard enough. This shop is a nice addition to the local array of booksellers in the greater Capital Region.

The shop is just one room, but there are long rows full of books, almost from ceiling to floor, and they’re all packed with titles wedged in sideways and stacked on the floor here and there. But it doesn’t feel messy. It felt like the kind of throwback used bookshop where you go in to browse with the idea that a book will find you, not the other way around.

Most books were in the $5-ish range, and another mass market paperback section had books at $2 each. The shop has a robust selection of history and Russian-related titles because they just came into possession of a collection by a professor who specialized in Russian studies, so if that’s your thing you better get out there. But the selection is broad for a small shop and I made a couple passes through, looking at the memoirs, the cookbooks, the children’s titles, and they had romance, gardening, sports, etiquette, and so on.

The books are used and run both new and old, and you’re likely to see a recent paperback bestsellers right next to hardcovers from the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and the like, all mixed in together. It was a fun walk through and I enjoyed speaking with the owner, and most importantly, I can definitely see myself stopping by again soon. If you’re cruising along Route 7 between Vermont and Troy, NY, I highly recommend stopping in.

Atmosphere — A small but bright shop tucked behind a house along Main Street, and inside are rows and stacks of books of all sorts, perfect for random browsing.

Quality — The books range from recent titles to careworn classics, but they’re all in good shape.

Quantity — The shop has a good amount of books for its size, enough to keep you browsing and scanning for a while.

Diversity — A solid range of styles and genres, with a bit extra literary fiction, romance, and history (especially Russian).

Affordability — Very affordable; I bought two books (a recent paperback and a hardcover nonfiction) for $8. The mass market paperbacks are all $2 too.

Amenities — There are a couple stools throughout, but you’re there for the books. There’s a coffee shop and a pizza shop a few blocks away, but downtown was otherwise on the quiet side.

Location — On Main Street in Hoosick Falls, located a few minutes from Route 7 and another great bookshop, Dog Ears Book Barn. Hit both!

Customer Service — The owner was friendly and kind, and spoke with me for a little while about her shop and stock.

Overall — Red Well Books is a pleasant small town bookstore and a wonderful place to pick up some used titles at very affordable prices. If you’re passing through, it’s well worth a stop.