Story & photos by Hazel Fiedler
For the TODAY
Bob’s Beach Books in Lincoln City is a treasure trove of reading material. You don’t even have to enter the store to see how much it has to offer as the front display windows are packed with new releases and interesting titles, colorful posters and art. It’s hard to resist stepping inside.
Owner Diana Portwood grew up surrounded by books. As a kid, she remembers spending lots of time in local bookstores, especially her dad’s, and volunteering at the library. Her dad, Robert Portwood, opened the flagship store, Robert’s Bookshop, on the south end of town 33 years ago and her aunt owns a bookstore in Vancouver.
“The business runs in the family,” Diana said.
Bob’s Beach Books has been in business for 25 years and Diana has been the manager of the shop, which carries both new and used titles, for the past 18.
“The main reason we opened the bookstore here was because there were a couple on either end of Lincoln City, but nothing really in the middle,” she said. “Since public transport wasn’t great, we wanted to spread books out around town by bringing a store closer to some of the locals.”
In true coastal fashion, the store features a nautical mermaid theme. This can be seen in the artwork by Portland artist David Delamare that covers the walls as well as in the classic mermaid mural on the outside of the shop. The store used to be located in the neighboring building where Output Records is now.
“When we were in that store, we actually had a car drive through it, but we were able to salvage the mermaid mural that had been there since opening,” Diana said. “When we moved locations, we mounted the piece of original wall on the new building.”
She has incorporated her own personal style and creativity into the store over the years, adding new sections and bringing in pieces by local artists.
“I’m really proud of the diversity we represent,” she said. “I get a lot of people who are really surprised by this; I guess they don’t really expect it in a small town.”
The bookstore boasts an impressive collection of children’s books as well as young adult novels. Popular sections like romance, fantasy, mystery and local guides accompany more niche genres.
“There’s a section in the store called ‘curiosities’ that I’ve organically grown over the last year,” Diana said. “There’s everything from history to trivia to strange and unusual facts found there.”
The book-buying opportunities extend far beyond the four walls of the shop.
“I’m able to get copies through the ‘Big Five’ publishing houses,” Diana said. “We’re really lucky to have a national distributor so it’s easy to get books to the store in just a few days. As long as it’s in print, we can get it.”
The store offers more than just books, including tote bags and prints by Oregon artists, a wide range of jigsaw puzzles, stickers and greeting cards. A litter of furry friends was even available for adoption in the shop last May when Diana worked with another local business, Left Coast Coffee, to save a hundred kittens and find them homes.
“I expect we’ll have more in the near future,” she said, “so if anybody is looking for kittens, stop by.”
Of the many reasons Diana has enjoyed running the store, the main one is getting to see her regulars.
“I especially love watching the kids grow up and see their book preferences change,” she said. “It’s really exciting because once they get to a certain point, they’re ready to put one genre aside and they’re looking for advice on what to pick next.”
Diana isn’t worried about the longevity of local bookstores in the age of digital reading. She is confident that every form of reading available in today’s world can coexist without one taking over another.
“Digital definitely has its place,” she said. “It can be more convenient for a lot of people but nothing beats a beautiful, physical edition of a book.”
Bob’s Beach Books is located at 1735 NW Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City and is open from 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. To order titles, email [email protected]. For more information go to bobsbeachbooks.net or call 541-994-4467.
This post was originally published on here
