If you enjoy wandering through rows upon rows of old books, there is no better place to do so than Ohio Book Store, an independent bookstore located in the heart of Downtown Cincinnati that offers a whopping five floors worth of books to explore.
The store has been a staple in the city for quite some time. It has been in business since 1940 and has been in its current location since 1961, loyally serving Cincinnatians through the years.
Today it offers over 300,00 different books and magazines to explore, which is one of the most impressive collections of any bookstore not just in Cincinnati, but in all of Ohio.
James Hardwick originally founded the store in 1940 but it was purchased by the current owner, James Fallon, in 1971.
Fallon has been running the bookstore ever since and if you happen to stop by you’ll likely find him at the front desk, eager to answer any questions you may have about the store or about any particular books you’re looking for.
The store also offers bookbinding and repair services for old books as well as custom binding on any type of book.
Walking Through Ohio Book Store
The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in the store is the distinct smell of old books. For literature lovers, this is a wonderful scent. It signals the presence of not just hundreds, but thousands of books just waiting to be explored.
Near the front of the store is an impressive collection of books about Cincinnati, including a history of the city’s breweries, neighborhoods, notable events, and economic development. You could easily spend an hour combing through just this collection of books.
As you continue through the store, you’ll see signs along the walls that tell you which genres of books are contained in those areas. As you approach the back of the store, you’ll see a set of stairs that lead to the second, third, and fourth floors.
Each of these floors is also packed with rows upon rows of books. There are sections dedicated entirely to geography, travel, history, music, sports, poetry, science fiction, romance, comedy, and every other genre imaginable.
They also have a wide variety of magazines and comic books, including ones that are several decades old and are unlikely to be found anywhere else.
One of the coolest collections that Ohio Book Store owns is nearly every National Geographic magazine dating all the way back to 1915.
This is a particularly fun collection to look through because you can look at the magazines made in the early 1900s and see how they changed over the years, all the way up through present day.
Be extra careful when picking up the older editions, though, because they’re so old and fragile that the pages can come apart quite easily.
Visit Ohio Book Store
Whether you have a specific book in mind, a particular genre you’d like to explore, or you’re just interested in walking through an incredible bookstore that offers an enormous amount of books to admire, you can’t go wrong with a visit to Ohio Book Store.
You can visit Ohio Book Store at 726 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 in Downtown Cincinnati during the following times:
Monday: 9AM – 4:45PM
Tuesday: 9AM – 4:45PM
Wednesday: 9AM – 4:45PM
Thursday: 9AM – 4:45PM
Friday: 9AM – 4:45PM
Saturday: 9AM – 4:30PM
Sunday: Closed
You can also find more information about the store, including contact information and featured sale items on their website.
If you’re looking for more independent bookstores to check out around the city, be sure to read our picks for the top 10 bookstores in Cincinnati.
