What: Belle Boutique
Where: 22 S. Ninth Street

Upon entering the store, the first thing I noticed was the large sign hanging over the purchase counter. Emblazoned on the sign is Coco Chanel’s famous catchphrase: “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”

At Belle Boutique, the motto is the fundamental of the business. Belle is the latest shop to join the Downtown District area at 22 S. Ninth Street.

At first glance, I wasn’t entirely impressed by the exterior of the store because the shop window is small compared to the other businesses along Ninth Street. Once inside, my first thought was “wow!”

The inside of the store is decorated simply, but done in a tasteful manner. Racks of clothes are placed strategically throughout the shop to give the customer enough room to move and to take a good look at the clothes. There is a huge variety of clothes ranging from dresses, jeans, t-shirts and jackets. Belle specializes in couture dresses without the outrageous prices. After looking through all their selection, the price range of the clothes goes from $35-$80. That’s not bad, when comparing prices to Elly’s Couture or Swank.

On the second floor is the accessories area with handbags, belts, shoes and scarves. I was disappointed with their accessories department because the bags looked the same and there was little offered, unlike Britches.

One drawback of Belle is that there are only a few sizes of each garment. If you want a dress or shirt in a different size, sorry. What the store has is what’s out on the floor.

Overall, I was impressed with the huge variety of dresses and styles. I also loved that the prices weren’t bank breakers. On the website there are instructions to text a number to receive a discount!

What: Barnes & Noble
Where: 2208 Bernadette Drive

Columbia doesn’t have much in the way of chain bookstores. The two stores that are considered chains are Lemstone Christian Books and Barnes & Noble. There isn’t much of a competition.

After first visiting Lemstone, I found the store to be very small selling the typical items for a Christian store – Bibles, how-to guides and bookmarks. The store rivaled a Hallmark store in size and was very crammed with merchandise. It’s not very tidy with dust on the shelves and a small selection of books. The staff was very friendly and more than willing to help. I was very surprised to find that the store is open on Sunday afternoons.

Compared to Barnes & Noble, no chain store (or independent store) can really compare. It crushes the competition, metaphorically, of course. Barnes & Noble is so vast; it seems overwhelming at first sight. Upon entering, there is a huge selection of magazines from which to choose. Barnes & Noble sells my favorite UK fashion magazines and literary journals. It’s like Christmas day every time I go in to buy the magazines!

Past the magazines are books upon books upon books. Each section is clearly identified by the signs above the shelves. I found the way the sections are divided a bit confusing. Everything is listed by genre and then alphabetically by author. The collection of books are limited because there aren’t any used books. They’re either from the best sellers list or the latest releases. It’s convenient if you want a book, like Dan Brown’s newest novel, but annoying if you need a specific book and if it’s not in the store. One clerk commented they can order the book to the store, but isn’t it cheaper to get it from Amazon?

Another perk is the coffee shop in the back of the store. It sells Starbucks drinks. I can get my caffeine fix while browsing.
Overall, it’s the best Columbia has to offer because, honestly, there isn’t much else.

What: Get Lost Books
Where: 8 S Ninth Street

For a book lover, a bookstore can be either heaven or hell. It is heaven because of the vast number of books offered at a store, be it new or old. The genre doesn’t matter, as long there are books and plenty of them. A bookstore can be hellish because, again, there are so many books it’s so difficult to make a decision on which ones to buy. The historical biography about Henry VIII? The comedic book about Chelsea Lately’s latest adventures in her wild escapades of parties and sex? Or what about the guilty pleasure Doctor Who science fiction novels that you would never admit to anyone that you read? Then you must walk up to the front of the shop, your arms loaded down with books, and you’re just dreading the total amount at the end of the transaction. I am guilty as charged. I am a book nerd.

Since I am said book nerd, I took it upon myself to find the best independent bookstore in Columbia. I trudged through every independent bookstore I could find in Columbia: Adam’s Walls of Books, Columbia Books, The Peace Nook, Trade-A-Book and Village Books.

Adam’s Walls of Books, located at 214 N 8th Street, is a small hole-in-the-wall with a sign professing from Adam himself that he is “the king of clutter.” The store is only open for a few hours on Saturdays. Walking around Adam’s books lives up to the sign outside – cluttered and proud of it. There is wide variety of used books, but the prices were high for my tastes. Columbia Books came in a close second as the best bookstore. They specialize in rare books and everything is neat, in an obsessive-compulsive way. The staff is very friendly and their first priority is customer service.

Trade-A-Book is the place for anything and everything related to the romance novel genre. It has the largest used romantic book collection I have ever seen. There are at least three rows running the entire length of the store dedicated to romance – Desperate Housewives-like books. Trade-A-Book’s policy is to let patrons bring in their gently used books to trade for one in the store. But the overwhelming collection of romance with titles like The Millionaire’s Baby and the Italian Gentleman was too much for me to handle.

I even spent two hours trying to find Acorn Books, which had moved from downtown Columbia to Anderson Avenue, only to find a residential home that looked occupied, but certainly not a bookstore. After further research and asking around, the store closed two years ago, for those who are interested.

The last bookstore I visited was definitely worth the wait. I found the Mecca of new and used books in Columbia – Get Lost Books.

Located on South Ninth Street, Get Lost Books is a newer addition to the downtown Columbia atmosphere. The store is framed by a large window neatly filled with books and magazines. Get Lost Books beckons pedestrians on the street to walk in and browse. Upon entry, the shop is very small, but very organized. Bookcases of all sizes frame the interior of the store, and homemade signs point out which genre of books each bookcase holds. Get Lost Books has a wide variety of new and used books, and a very impressive selection of poetry, anything from Keats to Whitman. The store also has large selection of magazines to purchase such as The New Yorker. The only type of books it seems to lack is romance novels (what a shame).

There is a small love seat towards the front of the shop where browsers can sit and read. The bookstore has a very homey feel, small, but comfortable. I didn’t feel pressured to buy anything, and didn’t get strange whiffs of smells that are displeasing to one’s nose, unlike some of the other bookstores I visited. It often becomes very crowded because the space is very limited, so be wary. The prices are adequate for whichever type of book you’re looking for. If you’re not sure of the title, author or genre, just ask the knowledgeable staff.

As for Get Lost Books, it’s a bookworm’s paradise.