Happy Holidays to all yinz, and welcome to the 12 Days of Indies! My name is Joy Givens, and I’m here to make your December merry and bright by highlighting one of Pittsburgh’s fabulous independent bookstores each day, December 1-12. Keep reading to learn all about today’s featured bookstore, and check back daily for new store profiles, fun tidbits, ordering information, and more!
Day 5
On the fifth day of indies, I’m taking you to an undisclosed location.
Well, I suppose I’ll have to disclose it eventually so you can buy books there, but can you deduce what it might be? Here are a few clues: this store just turned 30 years old, still dashingly good-looking but a little wiser with age; it’s an award-winning, woman-owned business; and it’s the third largest mystery bookstore in the United States! (If you can’t solve it, you might ask Miss Marple, Sherlock Holmes, or even Western Pennsylvania’s own Zoe Chambers for help.)
It’s Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont! Under the new ownership of Tara Goldberg-DeLeo and Kristy Bodnar, Mystery Lovers was voted Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best of the Burgh Independent Bookstore in 2019. The polished storefront puts you in the mindset for mystery solving from the moment you slip inside, with cleverly themed window displays, slick black-and-white checkered flooring, and crisp red furnishings throughout. Mystery Lovers does specialize in mysteries and thrillers, but it has also recently expanded its stock to include general fiction and children’s fiction. The level-entry shop is located in the heart of scenic Oakmont, but you can shop online from anywhere (even 221B Baker Street).
Do you want to take your love of mystery books to the next level and receive monthly plot twists in your mailbox? Then check out the “Mysterious Book Subscription” option! You can choose a mystery style (such as “Cozy, Capers, and Classics” or “The Passport”) and receive a surprise book each month, curated by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop staff! The Mysterious Book Subscription would also make a fantastic gift for the crime-solving bookworm in your life.
If you’re looking to keep warm this winter by curling up with cozy mysteries or pulse-pounding thrillers, then Mystery Lovers Bookshop is the elementary choice!
STORE DETAILS
Mystery Lovers
514 Allegheny River Boulevard, Oakmont, PA 15139
(412) 828-4877
Current Store Hours: Mon-Thu 12:00-7:00 p.m., Fri-Sat 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Closed Sun)
https://www.mysterylovers.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mysteryloversbookshop/
https://twitter.com/mysterylovers1?lang=en
https://www.facebook.com/mysterylovers/
Joy Givens is a pun-slinging, hymn-singing storyteller and the lucky mother of two small superheroes. She has published several award-winning short stories and writes children’s and YA fiction to celebrate the fresh, fierce, fantastic side of life. Raised in a big Midwestern family, Joy now lives in the blossoming literary community of Pittsburgh, where she is a proud leadership team member of Pennwriters (www.pennwriters.org) and the PA West region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (www.wpa.scbwi.org).
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