Shop local and read local at this bookshop in historic downtown Loveland
In an increasingly digital world, there’s a corner of the Greater Cincinnati region that’s working to bring people together through a love of books. Bike Trail Books is a small, family-owned bookstore in Loveland. Located directly on the Loveland Bike Trail, the shop offers new books for readers of all ages, events and book clubs.
“Who hasn’t wanted to own a bookstore? I’ve been a lifelong reader and I saw a need in our community for a bookstore,” explains owner Brooke Hathaway DeSantis. “My husband and I live in Loveland and are raising our young kids here, so we knew we’d be in the community for a long time and decided to just go for it.”
The bookshop has books of all genres for adults and children, and all of the books are new. The current bookshop is about 450 square feet, so there isn’t a lot of space for extra copies. Because of this, Hathaway DeSantis says they place special orders. “Whether it’s something we’ve sold out of, something really special, or just something that we don’t happen to have, we’re happy to order it for you. In fact, we do this quite often for our customers; I probably have at least 10 orders per week from people that are ordering through us instead of Amazon,” she says.
Hathaway DeSantis says Bike Trail Books offers memberships to invite friends, families and community members to support the store. “Not all bookstores do the model we do, but we have so many people that are excited about a local bookstore option that we decided to offer annual membership commitments to help us count on ongoing support for the store,” she adds.
In addition to memberships, Bike Trail Books offers book clubs. “They are so much fun and a great way to meet people,” says Hathaway DeSantis. Each book club meets once per month at the bookshop, and there is a different host for each one. Members can bring in a beverage of their choice while everyone gathers to discuss that month’s book. “Book clubs are free to join, but we request that members purchase the book through the store,” she says.
The bookshop can be rented for private book clubs as well. “We have a very modest fee and require that your group purchase your books through us that month,” she says. “Then, you get to come and host your ownthe book club group at the store after-hours and shop with a discount.”
Bike Trail Books hosts events regularly, including Princess Story Time.
Bike Trail Books is located at 111 Railroad Avenue in Loveland. You can find the store in historic downtown Loveland, on the second floor of Hometown Cafe, but a new storefront around the corner will soon be opening from its current location.
You can learn more about Bike Trail Books at its website. You can also follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
