Blossom Book Store

Blossom Book Store, Bangalore's oldest and most beloved second hand book store, is like a landmark in the city. It's an experience that can overwhelm even the most avid book lovers, with it's stacks and stacks and stacks of old, used, and new books crammed into every square inch of the three floors of the store. Not even the stairways are left out.

Church Street, where it's located has metamorphed, over the last thirty odd years, to house some of the swankiest cafe's and stores of Bangalore, yet Blossoms remains like the good old friend, where you go for that feel and smell and sense of just books.

I'd gone with a friend last week, and I wasn't at all surprised to hear him say, oh, there's more floors.... last time you sent me here, I spent all my time on just the first floor. The store seems to have every possible kind of book, right from Bertrand Russel, Hitchcock's Biography, to Tinkles to Manga to Peter Drucker and Sanskrit dictionaries and music books and even some LPs....the list just goes on. It's easy on the pocket and you'll see a lot of folks walk out with a huge loads of books. 

The book store even has a cute website dedicated to it Overheard at Blossoms. Stuff like:

“Oh man I feel like a blonde here. ”One fellow while standing amidst a bunch of folks talking about murakami books.

Dude there are so many book covers of Catcher in the Rye. Which one is original?

Dad: Boss, you have any childrens comics?
Attendant : Yes sir, what type do you want?
Dad : I dont know…it should have pictures.”

The children's section just so excited me, as it had stacks of books I had grown up on....famous five's, secret seven's, hardy boys and nancy drews. I spent time there just going through all the titles in the stack, a nice nostalgic walk down.

A visit to Blossoms, and you walk out with that long satisfied sigh, and so reassured......however fancy the kindle or ipad maybe....book stores are not going anywhere :)