Visiting this absolute gem of a used bookstore in West Cape May, NJ for the first time
Barrier Island Books & Art (479 W Perry St, West Cape May, NJ) is an absolute delight of a little store. I felt like I was browsing through someone’s personal collection. It’s tiny and well stocked. New and used books are commingled with a somewhat loose system determining how the shelves are stocked. Similar subjects are kept together (more or less) with beach reads and local interest getting prioritized near the front door. There’s also a collection of vinyl records and miscellaneous knickknacks, trinkets, and other such creative souvenirs. They also have two locations in Stone Harbor, NJ.
On to my hunt for books. I was able to find two titles on my list that I couldn’t the day before.
‘Ender’s Game’ by Orson Scott Card. A sci fi classic about a brilliant child recruited to a military school in space to train for an impending war against a hostile alien race.
‘The Devils’ by Joe Abercrombie. A dark fantasy following a hapless priest who must lead a band of convicted monsters on a mission to place a thief on the throne of Troy to prevent an apocalypse.
And like I sometimes do, I grabbed a book based almost entirely on the title. I say almost because I did do a quick search for reviews.
‘Rabbit Redux’ by John Updike. This is book two in a series following Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom through the tumultuous late 1960s, a period of social upheaval, Vietnam War protests, and counter-culture movements. I should probably track down the first book of the series before diving into this one.
The store is located in a lovely, tree-lined area (the nearby CVS notwithstanding). There’s a park with tall trees and a large floral fountain-like display dedicated to World War Two Veterans not far from the store. That’s where I parked and — thanks to free parking — was able to enjoy a relaxing, casual stroll too and from the store. Of course I wasn’t confident about the parking being free at first. Being from Hudson County, caution is always indicated. So I asked. Sure enough all street parking in West Cape May is free.
I had a wonderful conversation with the lovely woman at Barrier Island Books & Art about the state of book sales, the threat of overdevelopment, and the reason there aren’t any parking meters in West Cape May. It seems each time the city would propose such a measure, the town folks would vote it down. Good for them. In more and more municipalities, the lure of easy revenue supersedes the wants of locals. I hope the people continue to fight it.
As I was wrapping up my visit, I talked about how much I like walking and sightseeing. I was told to consider a return trip in the fall to take the nature walk at Cape May Point State Park near the famous Lighthouse. In those cooler months — not only is the walk itself more pleasant than in the heat of summer — birds of all kinds and monarch butterflies return to the area. I’ve already begun planning.
Facebook -> facebook.com/barrierislandbooksart
