A Tour of Boston’s Beacon Hill Books
If you’ve been reading here for a while you may remember that I’ve linked to Beacon Hill Books a couple of times in the Friday posts. In doing some research for our upcoming Boston trip, however, I decided the store really deserved its own post here on the blog. So here’s a little photo tour along with some details that make this such a special destination.
When Melissa Fetter and her husband moved from Dallas to Boston in 2019, Melissa was surprised to discover that their new neighborhood, Beacon Hill, hadn’t had a bookstore in decades. She set out to remedy that by buying a Beacon Hill townhouse at 71 Charles St. and hiring Dallas designer Cathy Kincaid, the same designer who was working on the Fetters’ personal residence, to help transform the townhouse into a bookstore as well.
Because of the extensive renovations needed and the pandemic, the transformation took three years, but the result is what may be the most beautiful bookstore in America. And thanks to the attention it’s received on social media, people flock there to visit.
The bookstore occupies the middle three stories of the five-story townhouses, with offices on the fifth floor and a cafe on the ground floor.
The store’s paint colors have been of enough interest that they are listed on the FAQ page on the store’s website. (In case you’re wondering, they’re Light Blue, Old White, Skylight, Rectory Red, and De Nimes, all by Farrow and Ball.)
The entire fourth floor is a dedicated children’s section and includes a train that runs at ceiling level around one of the rooms.
Children’s book author and illustrator Brian Lies designed a tiny home built into a wall for Paige the Squirrel, the store’s mascot. Another author and illustrator, Sarah Brannen, wrote the book Paige of Beacon Hill, which is sold at the store.
The ground floor cafe serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a high tea on Sundays. The menus were designed by Boston chef Colleen Suhanosky and are made up of local ingredients.
Have you been to Beacon Hill Books? Is it on your list? What a perfect addition to this literary town.
Photos courtesy of Sarah Winchester and Beacon Hill Books
P.S. A Boston trip report and three things about Miami.
It’s on my list now!! I’ve been wanting to go to Boston for ages. I’d hope to this October as long as I can heal my broken kneecap. Where do you like to stay? I’ll be interested in your post after your trip. Hope the weather is good!
Nanci! I hope you get to go. Good luck with that kneecap. Sounds painful! I’ll definitely do a trip report in August.
Stay right down the street at the Beacon Hill Hotel. Perfect location. Don’t miss a salad or a sandwich from Cobblestone across the street. Great luck with your knee.
Paul ( a literal one year survivor from a shattered knee cap. Be aware, Beacon Hill is beautiful but has old uneven walkways. And as the name implies is mildly hilly.