The Value of Family-Owned Bookstores…read more In the age of mega-bookstores, it is becoming a greater challenge to find a family-owned bookstore where you find highly committed people focused on creating great experiences for book-loving customers. My wife and I are always seeking out those family-owned bookstores when we travel across the Midwest. When we walk into any of these kinds of bookstores, we are often immediately introduced to an owner, and eager employees always wanting show a high level of passion for serving the needs of people like my wife and myself. I am often pleased with each bookstore visit and amazed at how successful they are in their businesses, always showing their best efforts to help patrons find great titles. There is something special about a family-owned bookstore. The personal connection, passion for books, and genuine desire to help customers create an experience that is difficult to find in today's world of mega-retailers. Yet there is one one bookstore that has stood far above all the other great bookstores. This great experience begins on the west end of Lake Street in Petoskey. It starts when you walk into and start examining the shelves of McLean & Eakin Booksellers owned by Matt and Jessilynn. You are amazed at the unique titles and their stories that seem to consistently appear on every shelf. Experiencing McLean & Eakin Booksellers is a reader's delight. I have been fortunate to meet Matt and as you listen or watch him you can see an enthusiastic gentleman who takes a personal interest in every person he chats with....and will even go out of his way to help someone. Talk to anyone who works at McLean & Eakin Booksellers and you will see the same unselfish passion and interest in helping someone. So are you an owner operator bookstore patron and visiting Petoskey, be sure your footsteps take you to McLean & Eakin Booksellers. Then stop at Roast n Toast and grab a bite.... your starting points for a great Petoskey day.

We travel to Petosky at least once a year, and this is a must stop for me. It's so cozy and we…read morealways have the best experience. Not to mention we are welcomed by the sweetest dog who loves pet rubs. Will co to he to shop local to see Tator Tot and get good books!

This is my favorite book shop in the area and the only book shop in Harbor Springs. Located on the…read moremain street in one of the cutest downtowns you'll ever see, this book shop is small, yet mighty. They always have new book releases, as well as classics, kid's books, biographies, history books and more. They also have some cool greeting cards and mini gifts. During COVID19, the book shop is only letting people in who have appointments, but will happily let you call in and order any books for pick up. You can pay over the phone, and they have a cute rack outside the shop with books labeled by the names of those who purchased them to pick up. I checked their Facebook page to see a few of the new books they'd gotten in recently, emailed them with my phone number, and they called back within the hour. I paid over the phone, stopped by 30 minutes later, and grabbed the book with my name from their outdoor rack. Super easy and cute! I'm so in love with the book I got and was so happy I found this place, as I'd run out of books for vacation!

I can only reiterate what others have said. This bookstore is fantastic!!…read more Despite being a small sized store, it's packed with any type of book you'd like. Local authors, newly released, sci fi, fiction, current events, children's books. You name it, they have it! They also had a nice selection of stationary and gift items. As others mentioned, the staff are friendly and extremely informative! I purchased two books and can't wait to start them! I highly recommend this bookstore!

This place has all the books by the author and is so cool to see. Even better if you catch the…read moreauthor there (which is very likely I was told). He will sign any books you buy for free and loves to chat with fans. My kids all loved the experience and left with huge grins on their faces.

It's got enough of a scare factor that adults can enjoy the place, but it's still tame enough for…read moremost smaller children too. Be aware though, you might get tagged by a plastic spider here!

Super cute bookstore where we found a sticker and a magnet for our trip souvenirs. The space is a…read morebit cramped because it's chock full of books, games, toys, and gifts. I liked seeing the book nooks set up because we actually have one at home to build. I always love a good bookstore, and bookstores on vacation are even better. I will definitely stop in again the next time I'm on the island.

For those of you who still like to hold books in your hands and turn pages, Island Bookstore is…read morehere for you. This is a cute little bookstore that's tucked into a small shopping center area off of Main Street. Mostly, this bookstore specializes in regional and Mackinac-specific books and gifts. You will find some popular commercial books, but this isn't like one of those big chain bookstores. This is a niche bookstore, where you can find books about hyper-local topics. You'll also find things like maps, bumper stickers, magnets, calendars and other things like that -- mostly about Michigan and island life. They also have a huge selection of children's books, plus some toys and plushies. When I visited at the end of the tourist season, they were having a huge sale. Books were anywhere from 25% to 40% off! So, I guess if you're looking for a deal, the time to visit is at the end of the season, when they're trying to move product.

The selection was incredible! From an adorable children's section that transports you into a boat…read more(look up) to cookbooks, note cards, vinyl records, cute canvas bags...very well organized! The employees were so helpful since we were new to this bookstore. Excited to come up north again just so we can find more treasures here.

Cute little bookstore right in the heart of downtown Charlevoix! It's one of the smaller…read moreindependent bookstores that I've visited, but they still have such a wide selection of books to browse and purchase from! There is a reading level (children's through adults) and genre for every kind of reader here! Very cute, very simply decorated, but with some pops of personality, and I just love supporting an indie bookstore! I snagged a new book from a Michigan-based author (now also a NYT Bestseller) that I hadn't known had already come out and was tempted by so many more books! Definitely pop in here for a perfect vacation read!

Great selection and friendly staff! Their dedication to support local Michigan authors is…read morewonderful. A warm, cozy place to drop into on a cold day. The gifts selection is so helpful! The staff is knowledgeable and provides staff picks that help me find new reads and authors.

This is a great little independent bookstore. I got some great deals, but aside from that, it…read moreseemed very warm, there were lots of events, and it just seemed like a fun place to go for people that like books. This is what bookstores were meant to be before they became so cold and corporate - probably one of my favorite bookstores in MI.

Was in Gaylord for summer vacation. Love to read. Told the owner what genre I liked. She…read morerecommended a great read. I devoured the book on vacation and before headed home got the second book. The store is super cute. The owner very helpful.

From the owner: Plot Bound Books is an independent bookstore that sells new books. read more

Very lovely shop. This was the first store we ended up stopping at in downtown Petoskey today…read more A few of their coasters and artwork is from City Bird in Detroit too, which was funny - I have been there before (and that's a nice shop as well). I bought a corgi pin for $2 here (I love corgis) and wanted some of the prints/artwork too, but they were a bit pricey. They also have earrings/jewelry and a nice selection of Petoskey and non-Petoskey related gifts. The only reason I'm giving it 4/5 stars and not 5/5 is because they obviously have a bathroom, and it says OUT OF ORDER, but my guess is that it's not (where else would the employees go?) and perhaps that's COVID-related ... which is fine, but maybe just put EMPLOYEES ONLY instead. We went next door to Grandpa Shorter's and the employee there recommended the public bathrooms to us, so we took a bit of a hike down the street to the lake instead (pro tip: next time just go next door to the bookstore, they have one in the basement!). So yeah, I was a bit disappointed by that ... I could be totally wrong on this speculation but I've seen other businesses do that too. Other than that, very nice shop and they have super cute stuff, so I'd return next time I'm in Petoskey.

We went in here for a present for my grandpa and we're greeted by Philip and Jess. They were…read moreamazing and very helpful! This store has many personal and cool gifts!! I would highly recommend this place to any in the area. 10/10 would come back