Hub City Bookshop, Spartanburg, SC

One of the best parts of attending the SIBA trade show in September was getting the chance to rub elbows with all kinds of interesting bookish people and make some new friends along the way. I have to say that meeting Erin Haire, manager of Hub City Bookshop, was one of the highlights of my trip. Erin is a fiercely funny and intelligent person, and I had a wonderful time getting to spend the weekend with her. She has great comic timing, and most of the time I spent with her I was cracking up. One reason I think you should also become familiar with Erin is because she runs one of the more unique and interesting independent bookstores in the South.

Hub City Bookshop is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina and caters to the upscale reader. The selection of books it carries is hand-picked and vetted by the staff, and Hub City Bookshop knows its customers' tastes very well. The store is staffed by a handful of employees and they are not only extremely knowledgeable about the books they carry, they're always ready to give a recommendation. Hub City Bookshop also organizes some fabulous author events, including readings and signings, and they maintain a strong online presence as well.

What makes Hub City Bookshop so interesting is its quirks. The upper floor of the building it occupies is a Masonic Lodge, and despite Erin's curiosity, she's never been up there. They also share the building with a coffee shop and a bakery, so hungry readers or those who need to get their caffeine fix needn't wander far. Also, all of Hub City's profits go toward nourishing creative writing education and independent publishing in the surrounding community. They are operated by the non-profit Hub City Writers Project and also have their own press that specializes in books that have a Southern feel. In addition to all this, they have a writer-in-residence and have just published the very charming and wonderful book, My Only Sunshine by Lou Dischler (review coming soon!). All in all, Hub City Bookshop seems to have its finger on the pulse of all aspects of the book trade, from creation to subsidy to handselling, and its one place I know a bibliophile like myself could spend hours, if not days, perusing.

If you ever get the chance to wander around in Spartanburg, Hub City Bookshop is one place you'll not want to miss. And while you're there, you can tell Erin that I said Hi!