81 Alden Street, Cherry Valley, NY
I first heard about the Cherry Valley Bookstore from some other bookshop hunting friends, and we found the tiny yellow house in the middle of the village with fresh snow adorning the little roof and the fireplace inside pumping warm air throughout the main room. The shop gave off a welcoming feeling after our chilly walk from the car, and even better, the stacks of books inside were full of surprises.
Upon walking inside, I found a display of children’s books with some new and older titles mixed together, including a few I recall owning as a kid, and also small section of older kid’s books broken down by decade. Below were some early 20th century school books, hardcover classics, and educational primers. Further back on taller shelves were books covering botany, art, pottery, glasswork, cookbooks, science, and a little area for new arrivals, which had a mix of everything. The main wall to the right just inside the door held a lot of regional interest titles, including outdoor guides, local historical texts, bios of famous New Yorkers, American history books, and closer to the door, more politically focused titles. Along the back wall near the owner’s desk are the first editions and signed copies, and also where the very adorable shop dog rested peacefully after sniffing us out upon arrival.
Creaking past the fireplace along the wide-beamed wooden floors, we found two back rooms with many more history books, biographies, memoirs, science, poetry, drama, religion, language, and much more. Some titles were just a few years old and others went back to the late 1800s. The raw wood shelves and creaking floors gave the little shop a vintage and throwback feel, hinting at the many rare and vintage items one might find within, almost lost to time but not to those who look hard enough.
The small room upstairs held most of the shop’s fiction offerings, with a healthy dose of vintage sci-fi, mystery and thriller, short stories, westerns, and other assorted nonfiction (such as agriculture and a small stack of older newspapers). There’s also a table and some chairs set up, and the room feels like a bookworm’s den from the mid-century, but there were newer releases as well, especially in the mystery, thriller, horror section (with some Stephen King, Denis Lehane, and the like). The old sci-fi paperbacks were especially interesting, with some of the older pulp titles in plastic coverings.
I walked away with a memoir about E.B. White I had never heard of, and the hardcover was just a few dollars. Well worth the time spent browning. The owners were very friendly and eager to assist, and they should be very proud of their shop. The cozy environment and the adorable bookshop dog made for a very enjoyable and unique experience.
Atmosphere — This little yellow house in the center of the village has two floors of books, a cozy fireplace in the wintertime, and friendly owners happy to shoe you around.
Quality — The books are almost all used, and many are older editions or vintage copies, but there are some newer items mixed in, especially in the children’s section.
Quantity — They make good use of their space for such a tiny shop, and there are books piled into four rooms, three downstairs and one upstairs.
Diversity — They hit many of the main categories, with a lot of children’s, regional interest, art, political/biographical, gardening, and more downstairs, with fiction, mystery, westerns, sci-fi, etc., upstairs.
Affordability — Very affordable. Most of the books I looked over were in the $4 to $8 dollar range.
Amenities — There are some chairs and a table upstairs, a bookshop dog, a fireplace, and a cozy environment.
Location — Cherry Valley is a fairly trip from the Albany area, and I followed Route 20 (Western Ave.) almost the entire way. It’s certainly not as far as it seems, and a very pretty drive.
Customer Service — The owners were extremely polite and welcoming!
Overall — This cozy shop is full of gems you wouldn’t find elsewhere, and it’s well worth the casual trip from Albany. Please check their hours before you drive out.
