Road Trip Day 2 – Baltimore to Richmond

The Red Canoe Bookstore in Baltimore

Two stops today. In the morning we hit the Red Canoe Bookstore and Café in Baltimore. It’s a beautiful store with a great YA selection and incredible muffins (really, I tried three different types, the apple/mango, the peach cobbler, and the mixed berry) and good coffee. It was a wonderful way to start the day. Max picked up a graphic novel and I we each got a t-shirt. The owner, Nicole, said these days they make more money from the café than the books and that she’d be specializing in YA and kids books to hone in on that market. It’s the kind of place you park yourself with a good book (purchased of course) or your computer, and read – only getting up every half hour or so to get another muffin or a refill on your coffee. Ahhhh.

I-95 was a mess. We lost an hour at least alternately sitting and creeping south to Richmond. We finally got to Richmond near 5pm and found Fountain Bookstore, where Kelly Justice and Doc filled me in on the doings of SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Association) and the city of Richmond’s authors. Kelly gave me some tips on which bookstores to go along the way south and told me she would carry Open Wounds – any author who stopped by in person was on her good side. Like I said. It’s all about relationships.

Made it to Raleigh/Durham about 9:30pm – exhausted. The La Quinta hotel near the Research Triangle in Chapel Hill is nice – the wood floor section especially good for yoga. Hey… after two days in the car I need some extra pigeon/eka pada raja ka potasana.

Tomorrow we’re off to Atlanta stopping at Quail Ridge Books and Fly Leaf in Raleigh/Durham, McIntyre’s in PIttsboro, and Bookmark in Charlotte.