While the weather is still chilly, and occasionally snowy, it can be hard for students to find something to do in their free time off campus. Luckily for us, there is a plethora of local small businesses that we can support while also winding down. One of these businesses includes the Golden Bee Bookshop, located in Liverpool — only 15 minutes away from the college.

The owner, Casey, opened the shop at an alternate location in November of 2019, and moved to her current location on April 29th, 2022. Casey was happy to answer questions about the shop and share all that it has to offer! 

The bookshop has a variety of items for everyone to enjoy, including stickers, notebooks, and even cards! A majority of these items come from local small businesses run by women in the area. The sticker collection is quite impressive, with themes including pop culture, pride, female empowerment, and of course, books.

 On Saturdays, the shop hosts a ‘pop-up shop’, featuring small businesses. The pop-up shops feature a variety of items from book-related items, including bookmarks, to wine gummies. Events like these are a great way to support small businesses and immerse yourself in the creativity local vendors have to offer.

The bookshop also holds a variety of different events, including a book club for “womxn 18 and older” due to the content of some of the books. In the past, Casey was in charge of organizing the meetings and choosing what books that would be read, but this responsibility has been passed on to fellow employees Sue and Gabi, who Casey referred to as “book club mavens”. Some of these meetings contain a more interactive element, such as crafting while discussing the book. 

If a book club isn’t the type of event that you would enjoy, don’t worry, they offer many other events as well. The shop has a ‘Macrame and Margaritas’ event coming up, regularly hosts book trivia, and they even host a craft circle every Sunday from 1-3.

This shop provides a cozy atmosphere for customers to browse in peace or to converse with the people around them. While Casey is not against chains such as Barnes and Noble, she believes her shop brings a more personalized experience where everyone gets to know you and your taste in books. 

I asked Casey if she could recommend some books that students might find interesting that she has at her shop. Casey recommended The House in the Cerulean Sea for people who enjoy fantasy novels. She also recommended The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. If you have a chance to check out her shop, I highly recommend it for its cozy atmosphere that both introverted and extroverted individuals can all enjoy.