For Heady Holiday Shopping This Local Bookstore Is A Rare Find Bursting With Fresh Ideas
Sure, shopping can be a drag during the holidays. That’s why Glendale’s 40-year-old independently owned bookstore, The Bookies, is a rare work of non-fiction. “It’s a cultural benchmark, a byword even for cozy, exhilarating shopping during the holidays or any season,” customers say in explaining the store’s long-time popularity to the Chronicle.
“Unquestionably a breakthrough, a place where you run into friends and neighbors. Moreover, the kids love the place,” customers note in detailin
g the store’s reputation. There are so many nooks and crannies to explore, each of them unique, with a character and feel all their own. “You just fall in love with the place,” they declare.
As the holiday crowds peak this month and the stress of finding the right gift for loved ones surges, shoppers have a craving for a calm, relaxing place devoid of big pushy crowds. They would rather be run over by a reindeer than face crowded stores with befuddled customers who can’t find help and aren’t sure where to look.
Gifts, Staff Shine
Throughout the year but especially during this sea
son shoppers want to be greeted and feel a sense of community. At The Bookies families actually seem to enjoy spending hours perusing the aisles. Kids can wander and play and the staff is receptive to the kids, adults and pretty much anyone who walks in the door. In addition, the shelves of the store more often than not hold the perfect gift for those on the customer’s holiday gift list no matter their interests or hobbies.
Seeking a tranquil, helpful approach to holiday shopping customers particularly appreciate The Bookies’ hands-on approach. It is a neighborhood gem with employees enthusiastic about the store’s inventory, as well as sharing their favorites and making recommendations based on needs, mood or taste. “Rare that you find a store where the staff is so into what they do and they are happy to be doing it. That’s w
hat makes this place so fantastic,” explains one yelper. Plus there are floor to ceiling titles, educational toys and creative gifts for the kids, fun craft materials plus books and gifts for adults, too.
When it comes to recommending gifts, the staff seems to always shine and dazzle. They love to sell their favorites as well as reaching outside the box to pick the perfect something for everyone, thriving on the challenge. The store has hundreds of entertaining, educational and seasonal choices for all ages. Customers can compliment book purchases with a toy, bookmark, or game. Further they can add a personal touch by selecting from a wide variety of unique, creatively designed, funny and decorative items. Best of all, gift-wrapping is complimentary not just during the holidays but every day. So don’t get stressed out, let the pros deal with the cutting, folding and taping.
To get an idea of The Bookies’ selection
the Chronicle strolled through the store with the staff to find a few gift giving ideas for readers:
Kids & Family Games
Rubik’s Race: A fast paced game for two players to get their brain and fingers racing. A player shakes the scrambler and goes head to head with the opponent to shift and slide the tiles hoping to be the first to make t
he 3×3 center match the pattern. It sounds easy, but it is a real game of skill, speed and dexterity. Youngsters can challenge their friends and family to a race.
Slapzi: This game is all about speed. The first player to match all five of the right picture cards to the right clue cards is the winner. Everyone will be laughing as they think fast and react quickly to figure out the
clue. Slapzi is simple to learn and fast to play. Designed for ages eight 
years to adult with two to 10 players, the game develops dexterity, quick thinking and interaction.
Möbi: A fun and fast-paced number tile game for one to six players. The goal is to make simple math equations as quickly as possible — a great way for kids or grown-ups to apply math skills. Plus, it comes in a cute blue whale. Players draw blue number tiles, and then use them to create simple equations (like 2+3 = 5) by including white math tiles (plus signs, minus signs, multiplication signs, etc.).
Happy Salmon: Great as an icebreaker or at parties it is a simple, fast-paced card game packed to the gills with high-fivin’, fin-flappin’ fun. Actions including the classic “High 5,” the unifying “Pound It,” the frantic “Switcheroo,” and the delightful “Happy Salmon” will leave players doubled over in laughter. For ages six and older, three to six can play.
Bugs In The Kitchen: A fun-to-play family game suitable for 2-4 players age six years and up. The object is to catch the pesky little bug in the kitchen. By turning knives, forks and spoons players can direct the bug into a trap. Players throw the die to discover which utensils they can turn. By catching the bug in the trap players earn a token — the first player to collect five tokens wins the game.
Toys & Puzzles
Twister Tracks Sports Car Series: Youngsters from three to adult will have hi
gh-flying fun with this neon glow-in-the-dark twister car set with two vehicles. The flexible, detachable tracks allow kids to easily change the direction and shape of the raceway, their minds racing with all the possible combinations. They’ll flip for the 360-degree, anti-gravity stunt loop that takes the cars for a ride upside down. By turning out the lights players will see how the colorful tracks glow in the dark when illuminated by the vehicles.
Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty: This popular putty comes with new holiday colors and effects. Kit includes five tins of clear putty, three concentrated color putties, three special effect putties, and an instructional mat — everything kids need to make cool Thinking Putty colors that are all your own. Plus the putty will never dry out so they can play with this new toy forever.
I Love Colorado Puzzle: Here’s a holiday gift the entire family (age 12+) will get pleasure from trying to piece together. Anyone will enjoy pulling up a chair to work on this 1,000-piece puzzle with iconic Colorado scenes from the past.
Books For Kids
The Christmas Story: Master pop-up artist Robert Sabuda brings the age-old, awe-inspiring story of the birth of Jesus to life in this book. It is a visual feast featuring six gorgeously imagined scenes, culminating in a 3-D manger sheltering humans and beasts, guarded by an angel above. Glinting with touches of gold and pearlescent foil, it is a holiday treasure for the whole family to share.
What We Found In The Sofa & How It Saved The World: This humorous supernatural adventure is somewhat of a “tween” book. When kids discover a mysterious sofa sitting at their bus stop, their search for loose change produces a rare zucchini-colored crayon. This clever comic adventure from debut author Henry Clark is a truly original and utterly wacky story highlighting the importance of intelligence and curiosity in a complacent world.
Batneezer: Author Obert Skye doesn’t let his fans down in this hilarious sixth and final installment in the Creature From My Closet book series. While enduring visits by the ghosts of books past, present and future, Rob Burnside learns a battle is brewing and his school needs a hero.
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas: With the gentle rhythm and signature illustration style that made Little Blue Truck a household name, Blue’s newest adventure is full of holiday warmth. Sturdy cardstock pages, a compact and child-friendly text, and flashing colored Christmas lights on the final page come together in a novelty gift book that will be a favorite with kids.
Adult Books
A Gentleman in Moscow: With his debut novel, Rules of Civility, Amor Towles established himself as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction. In this latest book he immerses us in another elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.
Cooking For Jeffrey: This is the most personal cookbook yet by bestselling author Ina Gartner. It is filled with the recipes she has made for her husband of 48-years. There are traditional dishes that she’s updated, such as Brisket with Onions and Leeks, and Tsimmes, a vegetable stew with carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and prunes. Some of her new favorites are Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken and Roasted 
Salmon Tacos. For the first time, she has also included a chapter devoted to bread and cheese, with recipes and tips for creating the perfect cheese course.
A History Of American Sports In 100 Objects: This entertaining book explores sports history through objects from a wide range of sporting experience from balls, articles of clothing, to various ephemera. In chapters of a single page to no more than a handful of pages it shows how the objects of sports and games take on historical significance based on their larger context. Written in a conversational, witty fashion it makes wry observations without losing touch with the larger historical, social, and political significance of the events and athletes that give the objects significance.
100 Things Broncos Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die: A revised and updated version by sportswriter Brian Howell. This book covers the franchise’s greatest moments, from its early days as an AFL charter team through the dominating Orange Crush all the way up to a new era led by Peyton Manning including the 2016 Super Bowl victory.
Located just two blocks east of Colorado Blvd. on Mississippi, The Bookies is just the place to pick up the gifts you need this holiday but it’s also a place where people go for the experience of simply coming here. Information: 303-759-1117.