Open Door Bookstore

Twenty years ago, just before we first moved here, I found myself wandering around downtown Schenectady, trying to get a feel for this place, and whether it would be a good place to raise a family.

Downtown Schenectady was declining then--indeed, even our real estate agent admitted that most agents studiously avoided driving out-of-town clients like us on routes through the center of the city, but I insisted on seeing it for myself, so I spent an entire day wandering around by myself on foot.

In my wanderings, I immediately discovered two special places that immediately made me feel at home, and convinced that Schenectady could be a good place to live and raise a family, that there would be kindred spirits nearby. Both places have become special family treasures, to which we've returned again and again many times over the years.

One of those places was the downtown branch of the Schenectady County Public Library (which deserves its own separate entry--and will get one soon!)

The other place was the Open Door Bookstore. It's truly one of the treasures of downtown Schenectady, a feisty and distinctive locally owned and operated independent bookstore. Founded in 1971, it has resourcefully managed to grow and thrive, despite the onslaught of big box book retailers like Borders and Barnes & Noble as well as Amazon and other internet booksellers. As soon as you walk in, it's obvious that the staff loves books--there are little handwritten notecards from staffmembers describing the book they love and want to share with their customers. It's cozy and friendly, and it's clear that lots of thought goes into book selection and display.

Our family has discovered many treasures at the Open Door over the years. I'll just mention two of them here: Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook and Jostein Gardner's Sophie's World. Each deserves a post of its own.

Both books were best-sellers, and it's entirely possible I might later have discovered them elsewhere, but the Open Door Bookstore will always have a special place in my heart because their display and thoughtfully written staff notecards brought them to my attention.