If you live in Baltimore and want to buy my books, then you might want to visit The Ivy. Of course, you might want to visit The Ivy anyway. It seems like a nice place.
I want to be clear about a couple of things. First, this post is not a paid ad. The staff decided to carry my work before I offered to write about their bookstore. Second, I haven’t actually been to The Ivy—Baltimore is a bit of a trek from where I live, and until I’m fully vaccinated I’m avoiding travel whenever possible. What I know about the store is what I’ve been able to gather online and what the staff (specifically, Emily Rosen, the Outreach Manager) has told me. Third, it really does seem like a neat place. I don’t provide free advertising to people or businesses I don’t like.
So, The Ivy sits on the edge of Baltimore in a lovely old house on three acres of, yes, ivy-covered gardens. The site was once a Buddhist retreat and meditation center. Based on the pictures I’ve seen, the interior is light and airy, with a very spacious feel, despite being as crammed full of books as you’d expect a bookstore to be. The books themselves appear to be of all sorts. The website describes the store as “specializing in…” and then lists most of the kinds of books there are.
Besides books, the store carries “merch” (for example, tote bags with the store’s logo on it) and offers gift cards and subscriptions—you can sign up to get six or twelve books a year in your choice of category. There’s an extensive audiobook store linked to the website. And the staff is happy to help you figure out what book would make a great gift for whomever it is on your list who likes books. The gardens sound truly lovely to wander around in, when a special event is not in progress (and then the gardens become a truly lovely setting for an event). Events are a big part of The Ivy—if a staff member is really excited about bringing an author in to talk, it’s going to happen.
In the Age of Covid, things have had to change a little. As of this writing, the website says that in-store browsing is limited to ten people at a time. If you don’t want to go indoors, there’s a curbside pick-up option, or you can have your order shipped.
I found the website itself slightly difficult to navigate, though visually pleasing and engaging, but after a few minutes of clicking on things I figured it out. If I hadn’t, I’m sure the staff would have helped. They seem friendly and responded quickly when I contacted them.
Seriously, the place looks charming.
The Ivy was founded twenty years ago by Darielle Linehan, “with hopes of bringing the world of books to all corners of Baltimore.” For an independent bookstore to last that long in this day and age is impressive. The business moved to its current location just last year, in October. So the gardens are a new aspect of the store’s identity and already a central one.
But if the gardens are new, The Ivy can’t possibly be named after its ivy, can it?
Emily says that the origin of the name has remained a myth over the years. I think she means it has remained a mystery. That is, she’s not telling. That’s fine. A good bookstore should have some mystery to it (either that or cats, and mystery has the advantage of not causing allergies or needing a litter box). She does say the name is appropriate in that, like ivy, the store is always growing and changing.
The hopes of bringing books to all corners of Baltimore is no idle dream. The Ivy does extensive community outreach, including school programming, book fairs, pop-up bookstores, and other off-site events. The shop also has a long list of partner organizations, including multiple libraries, a radio station, and a coffee shop. These partnerships collectively extend The Ivy’s ability to bring books and literary programming to anyone who wants or needs them.
So, I asked, looking for a way to more precisely characterize the mood of the place, if The Ivy were a dog, what breed would it be and why?
“A border collie!” Emily replies at once. “Eager and enthusiastic, but not too showy.”
Aren’t border collies super-smart, too?
You can check out The Ivy on Instagram (@theivybookshop), on Facebook (@TheIvyBookshop), on their website, and in real life, at 5928 Falls Road Baltimore, MD 21209. Say hi for me.
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