cool books, warm people
A preface — I have been neither paid monetarily nor compensated in any way for the thoughts below.
A few weeks ago, I discovered the cutest, most charming book store I’ve ever stepped foot in. As it states on their website, “When it comes to rare and used books, Denver has a hidden treasure…“. The Printed Page Bookshop on South Broadway has become a home away from home.
Living on Broadway, I’ve passed Printed Page countless times and it being on Antique Row intrigued me. On a cold and snowy January afternoon, wanting to warm up, I parked my car on Arkansas Avenue and walked the 150 feet or so around the corner to the entrance. Printed Page is “tucked away in a charming Victorian house“ — a true cozy, mom-and-pop feel. Climbing the few steps to the grayish-blue front door, I was greeted with a sign that there may be a dog inside (the owner’s). Though when you live in Denver, you kind of half-expect to encounter at least one dog everywhere you go. The forewarning was appreciated nonetheless. Stepping inside, an overwhelming sense of warmth washed over me — both literally because of the heater and figuratively. A delightful gentleman welcomed me in and introduced himself as Dan, one of the two owners of Printed Page.
Dan runs the Printed Page Bookshop along with the other owner, John, who I have yet to meet. Dan asked if I’ve visited the bookshop before and I answered that I haven’t. He explained that “Printed Page Bookshop is a co-op composed of more than 10 different booksellers“. Each proprietor has their specialty and section in the store. After entering the store, nonfiction is on the left and fiction is on the right (mostly). It’s staggering the amount of books on the shelves! Dan enthusiastically insisted to let him know if I had any questions. Let the hunt begin!
I had to do a couple rounds of the bookshop to take it all in. There’s anything and everything from Colorado and Western history, the World Wars, and European History, to physics, chemistry, and psychology. From all manners of children’s books to the most daunting Atlas Shrugged and War and Peace. Printed Page has anything your book-loving heart desires and if they don’t have it in store, they know where to find it.
My first visit (of many), I ended up purchasing two books: a Colorado tour and traveler's guide from 1880 - Colorado: its gold and silver mines, farms and stock ranges, and health and pleasure resorts by Frank Fossett and a quaint little book from The Family Library (Harper) of Natural History simply titled The Elephant as He Exists in a Wild State, and as He Has Been Made Subservient, in Peace and in War, to the Purposes of Man. Told you, simple. This 4”x6” book from 1844 pulled me in with the first sentence from the publishers’ advertisement: “The elephant whether considered in relation to his natural or domestic condition, is undoubtedly the most remarkable of quadrupeds“. Although I’m slightly biased and would argue that the domestic cat is “undoubtedly the most remarkable of quadrupeds“, I had to find out more about the elephant.
I have since returned to Printed Page three or four times — each time leaving with a stack of books larger than originally intended. Now part of my growing collection are works by Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nathaniel Hawthorne, H.G. Wells, J.D. Salinger, Frank Herbert, Joel Chandler Harris, and Stephen King. Upon my returning trips, I have met and chatted with a couple of the other equally wonderful, kind, and helpful booksellers — namely Chris and Cherie. Dan, Chris, and Cherie all pride in running a bookstore with the core values of creating and nurturing relationships with the community. Real people, making real conversation, reading real books. I look forward to many more afternoons melting away at Printed Page, seeing what next adventure awaits in, well, all the printed pages.
If you happen to stumble across this post, please visit Printed Page’s website at: https://printedpagebookshop.com/, or better yet, pay them a visit in person at: 1416 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
Printed Page Bookshop — a home away from home — really does live up to their motto: “cool books, warm people”.