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Ravenna's Third Place Books
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The interior of Third Place Books
Third Place Books, contrary to popular belief, are not the books that didn’t make varsity their sophomore year. Rather, the name of this atmospheric book store comes from the theory of sociologist Ray Oldenburg. His theory, outlined in his book The Great Good Place, states that for an individual to live a rewarding life, each individual needs three places. The first place is the home, the second is a workplace or school, and beyond that they require a place where all kinds of people from all walks of life can interact and celebrate their community. This is the Third Place. This one just happens to contain books.
The shop does a good job of sticking to their mission statement. Patrons are allowed and even encouraged to relax and read in the many chairs scattered throughout the store. The shop contains an internet café, as well as a food café where patrons may read recent purchases, work on their novels, or just catch a quick bite.
The shop also gives a sense of community by how it treats the book it sells. Third Place Books is big on used books and I would estimate that most books on the shelves have been in homes at one point or another. Their guidelines for buying books can be found here. They also have new books, but these are usually handpicked by the staff, who don’t just work at the store, but are connected to the books they sell. This is evident by the small hand-written recommendations by the staff posted below books of note.
Third Place Books’ selection is extensive, but they are still lacking in a few areas, such as business and romance. I also found their comics section to be nearly non-existent. They seem to specialize in contemporary fiction, but also have a wonderful young adult and children section. This sunny store is a good excuse to visit Ravenna and a great place to spend an afternoon.
Happy Reading
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