The Writer's Block — Attraction in Las Vegas

To give context, I was in Vegas for a work convention. Got a day to myself and wanted to find a bookstore/cafe beyond the average B&N sort. Something I could get selections from specific topics in abundance. i.e. Design, Social Sciences, etc. Last bookstore I visited that unique was in April in London at Libreria (Second Home).

The reviews I found talked of WB's selection of children's books haha, but did mention it was unique in other areas.

WB is located in downtown Vegas which is a pretty rundown area. WB on the other hand is subtle, new and a cafe/bookstore attached to a living space called the Lucy. It's decorative interior plus selection are a breath of fresh air to most bookstores. At first glance the book areas remind you of a lot of used bookstores, but with more of an organized touch.

They have a nice covered area for those wishing to enjoying the weather, rail to lock bicycles etc. Once you're inside there's a small buy cozy cafe. Very welcoming and personable staff.

The actual bookstore area is well-sorted, alphabetical and based on a handful of topics i.e. Design/Architecture, Photography, Biographies, Social Sciences, etc. Each area has a small table with related trinkets, mini-journals, books and more on it. For example in the cooking section, they had a number of 10-20 page books covering recipes, care and more for small ingredients. i.e. Cucumbers, Eggs, Onions, etc. Alongside, recipe journals, pocket notebooks, and topical recipe books.

Overall very pleasant, interesting place to not be overwhelmed by too many choices. But still have enough to find and expand. One area that confused me at first, but definitely was interesting is they have mini offices throughout that I can only assume are decorated based off the employee's interests. The subtlety reminds me a lot of Wes Anderson but more varied. Also liked that they carried Taschen books, as they cover a lot of design areas albeit in German-language only.

Picked up mini-recipe book on care/cooking avocados, book on the history/coverage of famous Sign Painters, History of American Menu Design, and a tartan...

So.. this is a throwback to when some of the gang and I visited back last October. One of the troop being a proper little bookworm and loves a good bookshop. So after a little visit in the famed Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, I took them on a little detour and stopped off here as a surprise for our book nerd! It just so happened to be National Bookshop Day back in the UK which I didn’t know at the time, so added bonus there.

Honestly the photos don’t do this place the justice. It’s a quirky, exotic and vibrant store like no other. Well stacked with books for everyone and has way more to offer than just books. There’s a coffee shop that serves snacks and has a separate seating area. Some people, that looked like locals, looked like they use this spot to get away from the office and do a little work or study there whilst on a coffee break.

They have intriguing displays and these intricate pretty cubby-holes with writer’s desks and writers paraphernalia which I think is use for book signings and writers workshops that they advertise. There’s a real life bunny in there, and there’s an adoption scheme for the many artificial birds that are dotted around the store. You can buy stationary, tote bags, toys and other gifts and souvenirs. And there’s a strong sense of community here where they host book signings and support local authors.

The team there were so welcoming and knowledgeable and it’s felt like they don’t get many tourists venture this far off the strip/Fremont. And massive shout out to the team working that day. One of the staff members there was actually from Croydon! So I had to ask, where was worse, in terms of danger out of downtown and the Cronx. I’m not going to glamorise or shame either, but I walked out of there with a newfound confidence coming from South London and working all over Croydon.

If you’re a bookworm and fancied a little break of the hustle and bustle of downtown and want something a little different. This might be a pleasant surprise. Not something you would find on people’s Las Vegas bucket lists, but it’s certainly worth a visit if...

Without exaggeration, The Writer's Block has among the very best and most expansive fiction sections of any independent shop I've ever visited.

On a trip with friends in August, I had to work for a few hours (and struggled to picture a good coffee shop for working on the Strip -- though maybe that exists?). The Writer's Block looked like a good option, with its combination cafe and bookstore -- maybe akin to Kramerbooks in D.C. -- and I wound up working there for several hours. (There's wifi.)

First: Nice staff, great smoothies, really good menu in general. I didn't try anything else, but it all looked good -- several other people stopped in while I was there, and nobody looked repulsed by their food and drink choices. And it's well lit and generally nice for typing (or, ya know, reading) for a good while.

After I finished my work, I took a look around the bookstore part, which is a lot bigger than it looks from the outside (or even from the cafe area). Really good comic book selection for a shop of this size, but what jumped out to me was the tremendous fiction section: Because I'm a fickle idiot, I judge completely on whether a shop caters to my totally arbitrary and fleeting tastes, and this place truly had it all. Case(s) in point: Not every small shop carries a lot of work by Percival Everett, and The Writer's Block had both his more prominent recent work and a bunch of stuff from his back catalog. Same goes for Krasznahorkai and a host of other New Directions writers. I go to a lot of bookshops, and this place had the best selection of smaller press literature, as far as I can remember.

Plus, there's a pet rabbit! And they also sell various crafts (local and not) in nicely curated display cases; I picked up a crab-boil Christmas ornament for a friend.

I hope to come back on my next trip out there!

My pick: "The Melancholy of Resistance" by Laszlo...