Local connections
Bookstores are community treasures
WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, Joseph-Beth Booksellers was one of my favorite places. To this day, whenever I’m in Lexington I have to stop for a visit. Carmichael’s Bookstore is one of my go-to spots near Kentucky Electric Cooperatives’ headquarters in Louisville, and when my work takes me to Frankfort, I make time to shop at Poor Richard’s Books.
Bookstores offer unique experiences and community connections that just can’t be replicated online. What I love about local bookstores isn’t speed or convenience. It’s the slow, rewarding process of discovering a book I didn’t even know I wanted—often with the help of a bookstore employee—and supporting a small business along the way.
Shopping in bookstores feels meaningful to me in a way that shopping for books online doesn’t. I find myself looking for that kind of connection more and more these days—opportunities to log off and make connections in the real world with real people. In the same way that a good book connects you with an idea or story, a strong community connects you with others for celebration during happy times, support during hard times and opportunities to be a good neighbor at all times.
Community, connection and service— these are values that all of Kentucky’s electric cooperatives share. We connect homes and businesses to power, connect people to one another and work together to improve the quality of life for everyone in our communities.
As you gather friends and family for Thanksgiving this month, I hope you find time to slow down and make connections. As you plan your holiday shopping, consider supporting your local businesses. And whether you’re buying or just browsing, take the time to drop in at your local bookstore and discover the book you didn’t even know you wanted.
