With the recent closing of bookstore mega-chain, Borders, it seems like book stores may be falling to the wayside in the shadow of e-readers like Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook. This is sad. There's a tangential quality about books; flipping through the pages, reading notes people might've left in the past on them, author autographs, all things lost when you can beam an entire novel into your Kindle in a matter of seconds. Haslam's Book Store in Downtown St. Pete likely feels the same way.
Opened in 1933, Haslam's has evolved into an area icon and the largest new and used book store in the state. The block-sized building sits along Central Avenue at the 20th Street intersection and, once inside, you'll realize that claim is anything but fabricated.
Walking through Haslam's is a bit like walking through a old-time maze. One corridor leads to a room which leads to another room and so on and so forth. Even if you're not looking to spend any money, a walk around this place just browsing through their vast selection of new, used, and hard to find books is quite enjoyable. It's almost like stepping back in time to another era. On a rainy day, Haslam's is an ideal spot to cozy up and kill some time browsing and reading books.
Haslam's also hosts a number of book signings throughout the year. Martha Stewart was even spotted browsing the shelves earlier this year.
If you're in St. Pete and still enjoy buying your books in real form, or simply want to see a unique, iconic, local business in action, Haslam's Book Store is the place to be.
