Where the Love of Books and Music is Always Brewing

227 SW 2nd Corvallis, Oregon 97333 Tel: 541-754-7668
email groots@peak.org

Mon - Thur: 9am - 7pm;   Fri: - 9am - 9pm;   Sat: - 9:30am - 5:30pm;   Sun: - 11am - 5pm
 

After love, book collecting is the most exhilarating sport of all. -- A Book Hunter's Holiday, A. S. W. Rosenbach
 

Grass Roots opened in September 1971 as a natural progression from helping start the First Alternative Food Cooperative. Everyone seemed afraid to rent to us because we wanted to carry "alternative books," so we ended up in a very small storefront no one else would rent in a generally neglected part of downtown (but with original 1890 cast iron columns out front!).

We originally carried books that focused on the back-to-the-land movement, alternative spirituality and health, as well as a selection of cast iron cookware, wood stoves, Aladdin kerosene lamps, White Mountain Ice Cream Freezers (the very best!), greeting cards, and "underground comics" (FFF Brothers...). Over the next several years we added new age and women's music, houseplants, Persian tapestries, T-shirts, and whatever else seemed to contribute to the lifestyle we believed in and wanted to promote.

Slowly, as we learned the more "practical" business aspects of what we wanted to do, most of the non book-related sidelines were discontinued as we focused on our core beliefs and customers.

We continually increased our music department as we became more and more involved with the Corvallis Folklore Society. We broadened our card and stationary line as more and more independent artists made their wonderful work available. And we developed a magazine department emphasizing hard-to-find and special interest titles.

In 1993 we expanded into the space next door (our 4th major remodel), added an espresso bar, children's area, a concert and readings balcony, and a complete music department.

We now have a deep and authoritative selection of FOLK, CELTIC (best in the Willamette Valley!), WORLD, and FAMILY music with a good selection of NEW AGE and CLASSICAL music. Our book emphasis has remained oriented towards the "alternative," but that now indicates more of an appreciation of quality of writing and content than "best seller" status.

The love of books and creative expression compels us to search out and stock our store with a broad selection of Fiction, Literature, Religious Studies, Self-Help, Children, and Gender Studies as well as many other related areas. While our inventory has become more mainstream, we do take great pride when one of our many local authors tops the national bestsellers in our store.

An interesting evolution has occurred as a result of choosing the older part of town to start a business in and deciding to stay and develop the character of the original storefront. Our part of downtown has blossomed with small, unique stores and restaurants and helped encourage development of the original First Street along the Willamette River one block away. We now occupy a central location in a very desirable part of town! Who would have guessed it 30 years ago?

We are a book lover's bookstore! And we owe it all to our many friends who stuck by us over the years, choosing to support a small, local store over other "options." We are extremely fortunate to have CALYX BOOKS as a neighbor and friend. They are a small feminist press who also publish CALYX , a national award-winning journal of art and literature by women and have been instrumental in helping us establish a regular program of readings by regional and national authors. We also have in-store concerts, monthly Grass Roots bookgroup meetings, children's story hour, classes, and whatever else we can think of to promote our love of books and music. Please stop by, give us a call (541-754-7668), send a fax (541-757-3475), or send us email.

We are always delighted to find the book, CD, or other gift you are looking for, and to wrap and mail it for you. WE CAN LOCATE ANY BOOK IN PRINT.

Jack (almost 30 years later,and still keepin' on)