Oregon Books and Games is the Bookstore You'll Want to Call Home
Whether it’s the smell of pages, the feeling of being the first person to open up the binding, or the thrill that comes with starting a new literary adventure, books can provide something special for everyone. Perhaps it is the historical genre that opens a door to the past, or maybe fantasy takes you to a new world. Are you the type that enjoys blasting off to the future? How about some horror to run shivers down your spine? Or do you love to delve into the passion of a romance novel? No matter your genre or reading style, there is a special place where you can let your inner bibliophile roam free—delving into book after book until the measurements of time melt into one joyous ride in literature. Where is this wondrous place you ask? Look no further than in the little town of Grants Pass Oregon and open the doors to Oregon Books and Games.
On the corner of E and Seventh Street lies a gem for the community that is quickly approaching nearly thirty years of inspiring our town with books of all styles for every age group. Once the shelves began to overflow and the genre’s began to grow, owners Robert and Karen, did the only suitable option for their predicament; open a second location. Now with its second store, The Rogue Reader, just a hop, skip and jump from their main location, Oregon Books and Games is journeying forward down very exciting paths.
Classic young reader genres like the Hardy Boys Series' are currently showcased throughout the shop to encourage the younger generation of readers to dive into the fiction of the past. (Summer Mincks)
Often what comes to mind when the public thinks of small town bookstores are thoughts of dusty, crowded shelves with limited or outdated selection. Not only has Oregon books managed to grow throughout the years, they have also used technology to blow that stereotype out of the water. With one of the most advanced selections in Southern Oregon, Oregon Books also uses specialized technology to maintain a live website and incredibly fast ordering times.
Using software entitled BookManager and Edelweise, the store is able to quickly spot any genre they could be lacking in, or current trends in the industry. More specifically, pairing with stores in the Pacific Northwest, keeps their stock fresh and current. Don’t see your newest read on the shelves? Using one of the largest distributors in the world, with warehouses filled with over a million titles, just up the I-5 corridor, Oregon Books and Games is often able to get your must-read piece often overnight and by 11:00 am the following day. Their level of professionalism and passion for providing this service to the public has formed incredible relationships with distribution companies, like Ingram Book Co, helping them to maintain variety with the click of a mouse.
Young Adult Fiction is one of the fastest growing genre's and Oregon Books is not in short supply. Above is a small snip of their Young Adult selection. (Summer Mincks)
The store also offers collectables through a website called ABEbooks.com under the name Suncatcher books. This venue with other booksellers that subscribe to a professional set of values when describing books, allows higher priced and more unique books to be sold around the world. Robert’s current favorite is a completed collection of maps, notes, and history regarding Louis and Clark.
The store was not always what it is today. After working years in the finance world, Robert needed a creative outlet and with his wife, Karen’s love of books and desire to run a literary store of her own the idea blossomed. Their first location started in a small shop on downtown G street, where they opened for business on December 30th, 1990 with just two computers and one printer. Karen and Robert lived above the shop in a small apartment. About three years later they made their way across the street to a new location in the town center plaza in the heart of old town Grants Pass. After a few years there they moved forward into the Grants Pass Shopping Center and finally they settled down in their largest location on Seventh and E. Oregon Books and Games has been a friendly face in that location for the past eight years as they continue to grow and move forward.
It wasn’t always moving up and onward, however. When the economy took a crash in 2008, the small-town bookstore was hit hard financially with revenue at a steep decline. Between lack of shoppers and losing sales to major online competitors like Amazon the future looked rather grim for some time. With their passion for books and the store, Robert and Karen, kept the business alive and growing. Now it is bigger than ever with the expansion into the Rogue Reader.
The second location, The Rogue Reader, boasts a great majority of their used and bargain books with a casual and leisurely atmosphere. With a massive selection of Science Fiction, Fantasy and even classic Westerns, a book lover can find themselves deeply lost within the collections found at the new location.
Books are most certainly not all you will find behind these doors, as each location boasts local gifts from bookmarks all the way to learning toys for the little ones. The major brands are Robert and Karen's personal favorites: Melissa and Doug, and Klutz, both of which feature exceptional quality and allow little ones to learn through play and imagination, a main priority for Robert and Karen.
“Early education through imaginative play is really important to us.” Robert says in his reasoning behind the large selection of learning toys and early readers.
Just a small glimpse of the numerous art supplies for children being sold at Oregon Books and Games.
(Summer Mincks)
From books to gifts and everything in between Oregon Books and Games, and now Rogue Reader, are a paradise for bibliophiles and locals. There is truly something for everyone. But it isn’t just the selection that makes these shops so unique. It is the people behind them.
When asked what makes the store special, Emily, an employee of four and half years states, “our customers really enjoy the atmosphere, we are very family friendly,” and that her employers, Robert and Karen, “Are really just amazing people.”
“They came to my wedding,” she continues with a smile, “and gave me two extra weeks maternity leave when I needed it. They are strict business owners, but they truly are the nicest people.”
This feeling can be felt by the rest of the staff as they can be seen smiling while they stack shelves, or chatting with Robert and Karen throughout the day.
Being greeted with the warm smiles of employees, or the twinkle that comes to Robert and Karen’s eyes when they discuss their favorite books or watch as their customers find joy in the isles is what truly makes Oregon Books special. It is so much more than a bookstore or even a local shop. It’s a place where anyone can come through the doors and not only be greeted with book collections galore, but also with a feeling that warms their hearts. A feeling of comfort. A feeling of imagination and creativity. And most of all, a feeling of stepping through the doors and coming home.
