book nook: BLUE BICYCLE BOOKS

Blue Bicycle Books was founded in 1995, when it was known as Boomer’s Books. The original owners were Jim and Lee Breeden. Jonathan Sanchez began working at the store in 1998, bought it in 2007 and renamed it Blue Bicycle Books. During the Breeden years, the store sold exclusively used books; today, it has evolved into roughly a 50/50 mix of new and used.

The bookstore does a lot of different things. Its kids’ writing camp runs for eight weeks each summer, and Blue Bicycle Books also founded and runs YALLFest, one of the largest book festivals in the country, drawing thousands of fans and about 80 

authors, most of them New York Times bestsellers. This year’s opening keynote features three authors whose books have collectively sold 100 million copies.

The store’s reach extends well beyond its King Street home. Blue Bicycle Books has hosted off-site events such as the Charleston Wine + Food Festival and sold books everywhere from private living rooms to a historic home lit entirely by candlelight because the room had no electrical outlets. The team has hosted “intimate” poetry readings for three people and produced talks for 900 at the Charleston Music Hall. They’ve sold books for as little as 25 cents and as much as $20,000.

Sanchez is proud of the in-store experience. “I want people to come in and feel like they are somewhere special. The power of books is their permanence, and the good stuff rises to the top. There just aren't a lot of places where you can come in and find an old paperback of “Dune” or a vintage “Rebecca.”

Follow @bluebicyclebooks and go to bluebicyclebooks.com located at 420 King Street.