Montana has more bookstores per capita than any other state, which is something we're pretty proud of. And we're even prouder of the fact that many of our bookstores are independently owned, like Country Bookshelf in Bozeman. If you love to read and you love to support local business, we'll give you a few good reasons to go.
You'll find Country Bookshelf at 28 West Main Street in downtown Bozeman.
They open daily at 9AM and are open as late as 7 (5PM on Sundays) so you'll have plenty of time to browse.
One of the many great things about The Country Bookshelf is the dedication to carrying the work of local and regional authors.
You'll find many a Montanan's memoirs, novels and other tales here.
This is Montana's largest independently owned bookstore.
The Country Bookshelf was first founded in 1957 by Polly Renne in a small shop just off Tracy Avenue. Years later, it was relocated to the White Chapel on West Main Street before finding its forever home in its current location in 1986.
The store had the same owner, Mary Jane DiSanti, for 36 years before she sold it to Ariana Paliobagis in 2010.
It was tough for Mary Jane to sell this beloved local business, but since Ariana had been a store employee for years and has a master’s degree in English literature from Montana State University, she knew the store would be in good hands.
Country Bookshelf has won numerous awards.
It was voted The BoZone's Best of Bozeman in 2015, 2014, 2013, & 2010, voted Best Bookstore by the Bozeman Magpie, and was listed in Martha Stewart's Best Places to Find the Best Reads, just to name a few.
Their author events always draw a crowd.
And it seems like they're always hosting an amazing author here.
Ariana Paliobagis and her team encourage reading and socializing, and it shows.
Check out the calendar on their website and you'll find regular author readings, Dr. Seuss story time for the little ones, adult book clubs, and more.
If you've never wandered these aisles or explored these shelves, you're really missing out.
Make Country Bookshelf a mandatory stop on your next trip to downtown Bozeman.
Country Bookshelf certainly won't run out of local authors to feature, considering Livingston has more writers than any other American city.
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