Chamblin’s BookMine and Uptown, Jacksonville, FL

A quick trip to speak at a conference in Jacksonville last week and in my off time, I did what I do in every town I visit–I find the independent bookstore.

In Jacksonville, this means Chamblin’s.   There are two locations–the bookmine, which is like 3000 plus square feet and the uptown, which is still enormous as compared with most other bookstores.

As much as I love books, I found the bookmine overwhelming.  It was just crushing to see that many books and to try to figure out the filing system and where to start.  The Uptown location was much more manageable, especially if you were just browsing and didn’t have a specific book in mind.

Mostly used, Chamblin’s is a great resource if you are a bibliophile and in the area.  And if you do tackle the bookmine, I recommend lunch at the Metro Diner nearby before hand, to fortify yourself for all the walk and working you’ll be doing in digging through the stacks.