In early June, I had a 4AM moment of inspiration to visit 21 charming bookstores and introduce myself and Flourish. 33 days later (including a second round of Covid), a tour began. I covered over 9,000 miles in 21 days. Here are the charming shops visited on a most interesting and enlightening adventure! To see a visual of each day’s tour route, and some other pictures captured on the way, please check out my Instagram highlight. The content below is slightly different from the Instagram posting I did daily while on tour.

Charming Bookstore #21

Spiral Staircase (link)

128 Old Topanga Rd. in Topanga, CA

I picked Spiral Staircase for my final stop because of a conversation in May with a literary agent who lives in LA. We met last year when she reached out about a book she represents. She was going to eat at the Inn of the Seventh Ray that weekend and said could see my book at the bookstore next door. The whole vibe felt magical. 

Arriving here did feel magical. There’s a high spiritual energy, almost like you are walking into a place without time. And serendipitously, while in the bookshop, talking to the shop buyer about Flourish, someone eating in the restaurant walked in and asked “Somewhere in Time” be played. (Also cool because of my love of time travel movies).

Many books featured in Soulful Reads are here. The book shop also sells spiritual items and gifts such as crystals, incense, jewelry, pendulums, and more. The shop buyer is reading Flourish for consideration. For Soulful Reads, I purchased a book she said was very representative of the store, Thought Forms written by Annie Besant and W. W. Leadeater and published by Dover Publications.

Outside are two strings of hearts in a tree branch near a stone with the words “Way to go!” I honestly felt like I was supposed to have done this whole tour and landed here. I went back to my AirBnb, for a little bit, where there was a butterfly on the deck door and the host gave flowers, and then returned for dinner to celebrate finishing. The setting of the Inn of the Seventh Ray is surrounded in greenery, alongside a creek, with tree lights. It felt like being in the middle of Flourish at the midpoint celebration.

Charming Bookstore #20

Bart’s Books (link)

302 W. Matilija in Ojai, CA

I picked Bart’s Books after reading about it on several beautiful bookstore listings. Richard Bartinsdale opened the shop in 1964 and it is the largest outdoor bookstore in the world. “Bart’s hosts a collection of over 130,000 used and new books, ranging from rare out-of-print gems to well loved paperbacks.” The center of the bookstore is Bart’s former home. There is a July 27th Los Angeles Times article about Bart’s (link). The article states that Paris was Bart’s inspiration for creating an outdoor bookshop. It’s currently owned by Gary Schlichter who was a landscaper prior. 

This shop is interesting to walk around and in! One side is dedicated to non-fiction and the other side fiction. New books are inside the house. What I love most is the uniqueness, endless books, and overall vibe, including the feeling of Ojai. I found a signed deck of inspiration cards from Gabby Bernstein. Because of all traded books, the booksellers get to see bookmarks from all over. Bart’s Books asks authors to email the new book buyer for possible consideration.