6422 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY

Located just a block or so north of Rhinebeck’s vibrant little downtown strip is a red brick building that is home to a much larger bookshop than I expected at first glance. Not only does Oblong have an impressive selection of new books, but they hit a lot of the key traits that I think makes up a perfect bookshop.

The first is sheer volume. As I said, the shop is bigger than I thought after my first impressions walking up the parking lot, and there are a number of great sections to wander through. When you walk in there’s an area for food writing and cookbooks to your left, and just past that is a large nook for fiction, including several table displays for brand new titles and plenty of staff selections. Across from this is a large half-moon series of shelves containing a robust mystery section. Further back you’ll find sci-fi/fantasy, classic fiction, poetry, graphic novels, and an area with chairs and couches surrounded by nonfiction nooks for science, sports, fashion, math, gardening, animals, writing, travel, history, psychology, philosophy, essays and memoirs, bios, all the major categories. On top of that, there’s a large room in the rear of the shop for younger readers, with everything from picture books and classics to YA and educational titles. It’s a clean, bright, and spacious store with impeccable organization.

Another trait is going beyond books. In every section of the store you’ll find gifts, toys, puzzles, clothes, and games (they even have a full section dedicated to board and party games). And near the front is an area for music, and not just music biographies (which they have) but CDs and vinyl shelves covering everything from jazz and country to the latest releases.

And my personal favorite trait that all the best bookshops share: discounts. Bookworms love a good deal, and while Oblong only had one display table of discounted books, the selection was excellent and the books were all more than half off. One particular title, The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge, is a book I’ve been hunting down all over the place, from Strand in NYC to local favorites across upstate New York, but Oblong Books & Music had it brand new for just $7 (original price $17) and so I grabbed it without hesitation.

Another big trait I like to see: community participation. Oblong hosts a ton of great events with bestselling authors and local favorites alike, so be sure to check out their calendar. This shop was a pleasure to explore. If you’re in the Hudson Valley, you won’t regret spending an hour or two browsing these stacks.

Atmosphere — A big bright shop with an excellent selection and plenty of places to sit for a minute and thumb through your next favorite book.

Quality — The books are all new, but some of the music offerings are used and discounted.

Quantity — A lot more books than I expected, especially the children’s section, fiction, cooking, and mystery.

Diversity — The individual sections have enough in them to keep the offerings diverse, and the poetry section looked small at first but had a lot of great authors in there, big names and indie favorites alike.

Affordability — The books are new so expect typical pricing, but there’s a great display of discounted titles that will save you quite a bit on great titles.

Amenities — There were some chairs, benches, and couches around with plenty of gifts and extras sprinkled around the shop.

Location — Just a block north from the main strip in Rhinebeck, just a few doors up and across from a very cool looking movie theater in town. I drove from Albany and it took me around an hour or more, but it was a bright afternoon and with so much else in the area, it was definitely worth my time.

Customer Service — The staff I met were very polite, and they had four or five folks there to help.

Overall — This shop is well worth the drive, especially when you consider all the other offerings in the area. With so many books in such a bright, organized space, it was a pleasure to shop. I’ll be sure to check out their other location soon!