REVIEW: The Painted Porch Bookshop

Nestled next to the Colorado River and Fisherman’s Park is The Painted Porch bookshop. The bookshop is the brainchild of prolific author Ryan Holiday. Being a self-described “professional reader,” Holiday has built a colorful and magical destination for the book lover and thoughtfully engaged traveler.

As you walk in off the quaint downtown street of Bastrop Texas, you are immediately greeted by a sign in the window that notifies you that cats are roaming the bookshop. This creates a relaxed sense of folksiness as if you are entering someone’s home. As you walk through the store, you come to share the store with two very calm black cats that act as guardians of the literature that you are browsing.

The experience is that of an old, almost baroque-era, library with accents of dark wood, shelf ladders, and a piano. The store is more than a store. Welcoming you as a part of a broader experience that the owner is inviting you to be part of. As you grace your hands over the hundreds of pages that are available for you to lose your mind in.

Continuing your browse around the store, you will discover the shop connects with a next-door vinyl shop by way of a shared door. Light jazz music drifts into the bookshop from the vinyl shop adding to the warmth of the experience.

Prices of books are as listed, and they have a clearance cart. Regardless of clearance or not, the founder’s tastes in reading material are vast so you can rest assured that the selection of titles will not disappoint whether you enjoy nonfiction or fiction, academic or adventure. Even the kids will enjoy their own little nook which features a small picnic table for sitting and enjoying the pages they hold.

For the stoic followers, there is a special feature in the bookshop, as you enter, to your left. But I will leave those details for when you visit — they are best left to experience in person.

At the end of the journey, the only thing you’ll leave with is wanting to return the next time you’re in the area.