The Learned Owl Book Shop

The Learned Owl Book Shop—A Northeast Ohio Treasure

Too often, Ohio is disparaged for its less-than-perfect weather, rust-belt identity, pot-holed streets, and depressed cities and towns. People who do not live here may fail to see the many positive aspects of Ohio. In particular, I speak of Northeast Ohio, where I was born, raised, and have spent most of my life.

Wonderful natural beauty (the Cuyahoga Valley National Park!) (Metro Parks!) (the Towpath Trail!)—fantastic food scene (Russo’s!) (Diamond Grille) (L’Albatros!) (Paladar Latin Kitchen!)—interesting enclaves (Little Italy!) (Bird Town!) (North Hill!)—fabulous entertainment (Severance Hall/The Cleveland Orchestra!) (Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame!) (Lehman’s Old Fashioned Hardware Store!)—professional sports teams (Browns!) (Indians!) (Cavaliers!)…are just a fraction of what we have to offer. Clearly, Northeast Ohio is not a “mistake on the lake.”

Among Northeast Ohio’s finest treasures are our wealth of independent bookstores, including one of my favorites: The Learned Owl Book Shop. Nestled in the heart of historic downtown Hudson (a stone’s throw from Cleveland and Akron), The Learned Owl is a perfect bookstore. It has multiple levels, snug rooms filled with different genres of books (including an area devoted to children), plenty of poetry and travel books, the “typical” wealth of fiction and non-fiction, and a good supply of sundries. Best of all, Learned Owl staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to assist or recommend a good book (if needed). AND—during the Coronavirus Pandemic—they observe careful protocols that help to ensure safe experiences for book browsers.

Every community deserves a Learned Owl Book Shop, but I’m glad that we are the ones who have it. Just know that—if you decide to travel to Ohio—we are glad to share!