Charleston, WV-Area Indie Bookstores

Winter has finally come to Charleston, WV and we are having our first serious snow of the season. To a lot of people, that means more time cooped up at home, and to bookworms like me, that means I need to have more books on hand because I’ll be on the couch with my coffee and my cats riding out the storm (and avoiding sidewalk shoveling duty by being cat-trapped). Just in case you’re looking to refill your physical TBR, I wanted to highlight two awesome indie bookstores that I just visited for the first time.

Scapegoat Books

Eclectic Goods Market
1401 Charles Avenue
Dunbar, WV 25064

Eclectic Goods Market is one of my favorite places to shop. It’s part antique store, part flea market, part arts and crafts fair, and a great place to find something unique. The shops and inventory are constantly changing so there is always some new treasure waiting to be found.

In terms of the treasures of Eclectic Goods Market, Scapegoat Books definitely falls into that category. The bookshop is run by Chip Smith, a bookseller who specializes in what he calls “counterculture” and “outlaw” literature (since Scapegoat doesn’t have a website, an interview with Chip is linked above). Scapegoat specializes in used books and despite its relatively modest size, has a fantastic collection of books that you can’t really find anywhere else in Charleston.

It is clear from the size of the collection and the way the store is carefully curated that Smith is passionate about books and wants to help his books find the readers who most need them. Although I visited only briefly at the end of a long visit to Eclectic Goods, Smith was very kind and friendly and made sure I would be able to find what I was looking for if I was looking for something specific. I can’t say for sure, but I got the impression that if I had been looking for something specific he would have done his best to make sure I got to take it home with me that day.

I was very impressed by the selection and saw several books I had only heard of and hadn’t seen in hard copy before. Someone I follow on Instagram just posted about being able to find books published by Haymarket Books (a radical, independent publisher out of Chicago) at Scapegoat Books and how important that access is in a place like the Kanawha Valley that tends to run red. In terms of pricing, many of the books I looked at tended to be what I consider fair used book prices. There were a few books listed at a higher price, but those books also seemed to be rare or out of print editions and worth what Smith was asking. The shelves are labeled and the books are pretty well organized by topic and genre so it is easy to browse more generally and more specifically based on what you are looking for or what you enjoy.

Eclectic Goods is open from Wednesday through Sunday and usually from 10-ish to 6-ish, but their Facebook page will have the most up-to-date information.

Appalachian Books

808 B St
Upper Floor
St. Albans, WV 25177

Appalachian Books opened in St. Albans in 2023. The owner, Loren Lynn Tuitt opened the store to fulfill her and her late husband’s dream of making the St. Albans community a better place. Tuitt’s husband was Charlie Tee of The Carpenter Ants, a beloved local band, and passed away in late 2021.

The store consists of books Tuitt has collected and curated over 20 years. She has a good collection of bestsellers and popular titles, but also a huge collection of antique books, rare books, more obscure books, art, craft projects, and ephemera.

The shelves are mostly organized by genre, but the store is brimming with books, so while you examine the shelves, there are also boxes and tables full of books that Tuitt encourages you to dig through. Like Smith, Tuitt is extremely friendly and personable. She asked a lot about what I was interested in and helped guide me to what I was looking for. She knows her collection well and pointed out a lot of really interesting things to me. Her interest and attention made my visit extra special.

You could easily spend an entire day looking through the books, so when you visit, make sure you are giving yourself enough time to really browse the shelves. I went on my lunch break from work and didn’t feel like I had enough time to really browse everything the store had to offer. However, despite my limited time spent there, with Tuitt’s help, I left with several books, including a physical copy of My Mother’s House by Pearl S. Buck (something I have been searching for), a mystery set in a Medieval Cloister, and two fiber arts projects.

The prices are extremely reasonable and I had expected my total to be a lot more than it was. At the moment, Appalachian Books is cash only due to the debit card machine being out of order, so when you visit come prepared with cash in hand. The store is located just around the corner from the downtown St. Albans shops and restaurants, so it’s also a fun neighborhood to explore after you’re done shopping (I highly recommend Coal River Coffee and Lil’ Bit of Heaven Cupcakes, both of which are within walking distance).

The store is typically open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6pm, but Tuitt has had some health issues lately that have impacted the store’s hours. She is great about posting changes to the hours on her Facebook page, linked above.