Brattle Book Shop, Boston

Once an icon in the literary district of Cornhill, Boston, Brattle Book Shop now fits snugly near downtown, a few paces from the Common. Hidden off Tremont, and down West Street, you’ll find a fairytale courtyard with bookshelves instead of vines growing from opposing walls of this literary oasis. Adjacent to the outdoor gallery sits a building with three enchanting stories of secondhand books, including a top floor of rare copies and first editions.

Inside, where tables are piled high and rows of shelves burst with books in all genres, you’ll squeeze past customers buried in their next read and see Kenneth Gloss sitting behind the checkout counter amongst his friendly staff. I had a chance to sit down with Gloss, Brattle’s owner, who describes his shop inventory as “specializing in not specializing.” A shopper could walk out of his store with anything from a fifteenth-century manuscript to a first edition of Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia, or even a copy of John Feinstein’s The Majors. He speaks on the daily outsourcing from businesses, estates, and houses with bibliophiles eager to sell their stock of books to Brattle. The shop might bring in up to five hundred or even a thousand books weekly and is constantly switching around and adding to its antiquarian supply of books.

Before the shop settled downtown, Brattle had seven different locations but originated in the heart of Cornhill, an area home to the city’s finest booksellers and publishers. The bookshop has been in the family since 1949, moving from Cornhill to West Street and surviving a fire that created the discounted book courtyard next to the shop. When asked if the shop has a motto, Gloss said with an optimistic smile, “Our overarching mission statement would be to stay in business.”

The shop has certainly made a name for itself through the decades, becoming a hot spot for tourists and a staple of Boston itineraries. Although the shop may be slightly too snug to host an indoor event, the courtyard has been a favorable location for photographing significant milestones, such as engagements and graduations, and is gearing up to host a third wedding in the near future. Because they are a carrier of used and rare books, you won’t see any publisher events on the property. However, that won’t stop you from spotting the iconic oversized yellow pencil that overhangs the shop’s entrance within commercials and movies, including the introductory video for the Prudential Center in Boston.

Underlying it all, Brattle is a business fighting to stay afloat just as much as their neighbors. Nonetheless, Brattle Book Shop and Kenneth Gloss can be an inspiration to slow down in the midst of chaos and enjoy the small moments you get with people and their individual stories. Each day the shop welcomes new and friendly faces, and Gloss relishes the opportunity to guide others into their next literary adventure. When asked about the most rewarding part of his job, Gloss said confidently, “The people, the characters, the hunt, and the treasure.