Daedalus Books (Virginia)
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38°01′51″N 78°28′44″W / 38.0308°N 78.4790°W
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| Industry | Bookseller |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1975[1] |
| Founder | Sandy McAdams[1] |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Charlottesville, Virginia metropolitan area |
| Products | Used book |
| Owner | Jackson Landers[2] |
Daedalus Books is a used bookstore based in the Downtown Mall of Charlottesville, Virginia.[1] It was established in 1975.[1] It contains more than 100,000 books and is a quirky institution in the city.[3] A reviewer for The Washington Post called described Daedalus as the best bookstore south of the Strand Bookstore in Greenwich Village.[4]
Description
[edit]
The bookstore has been in the same location for more than 50 years, and its building is more than 100 years old.[3] It keeps more than 100,000 books.[3] The store issues hand-written receipts.[3] A long-time employee said that the store attracts freaks and weirdos as customers.[3] The poetry room at Daedalus attracts particular attention.[5] Poetry attractions include the death mask of John Keats.[3]
Charlottesville's Downtown Mall is a destination for visiting bookstores including Daedalus.[6][7] It is also part of a network of other unconventional Charlottesville business.[3] Various reviewers list Daedalus among Charlottesville's top attractions.[5][6] Reviewers describe the store as cozy,[8] [9] a place to get lost,[10] bewildering,[7] and a three-story temple of secondhand literature.[4] The name of the store refers to Daedalus because the bookshelves create a Labyrinth in which people become lost.[3][2]
Author Rita Mae Brown said that Daedalus and McAdams delighted her.[11] Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti said that his visit to Daedalus was an honor for him.[7]
People
[edit]Sandy McAdams (1942-2024) established the store and managed it. One reviewer said that McAdams and the bookstore looked like each other.[7] McAdams also started a restaurant near the bookstore, and is credited with developing Charlottesville's Downtown Mall as a place for food and browsing books.[1] After owning the shop for 30 years, Sandy McAdams committed to only read novels in an effort to gain wisdom rather than read nonfiction and only learn facts.[10] McAdams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000 and managed the store while using a wheelchair from 2008.[11][12] McAdams sold the shop in 2023 and passed away in 2024.[11]
Jackson Landers purchased the bookstore from McAdams in 2023.[2] McAdams wanted to pass the store to someone who could maintain it as a Charlottesville institution.[2][3] Jackson himself is a journalist and author.[2]
Further consideration
[edit]Allard, Terri (April 9, 2016). "Daedalus Bookshop". Charlottesville Inside-Out. Season 9. Charlottesville, Virginia: PBS. VPM Media Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Garretson, Lawrence (August 26, 2015). "Hipster 1.0: The generation that created the Downtown Mall scene". C-Ville Weekly.
- ^ a b c d e Spencer, Hawes (2 December 2023). "Inheriting the labyrinth: Daedalus Books under new ownership". The Daily Progress. Archived from the original on 6 January 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hausman, Sandy (11 December 2024). "A makeover for Charlottesville's book mecca". WVTF. Virginia Tech.
- ^ a b Powell, Michael (September 1, 1999). "Charlottesville Education". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ^ a b Murray, Wistar Watts (June 23, 2009). "25 essential Charlottesville experiences for real locals". C-Ville Weekly.
- ^ a b Glass, Maggie (1 March 2024). "Independent bookstores celebrating milestones in downtown Charlottesville". 29news.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d Cedermark, Andrew (September 6, 2011). "The best American nonrequired buying". C-Ville Weekly.
- ^ Copenhaver, Beth (April 3, 2017). "Daedalus Bookshop Is An Incredible Labyrinth Bookstore In VA". OnlyInYourState. Archived from the original on January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ^ Esselman, Mary (January 22, 2011). "Book bonanza: Take a ride on the reading". The Hook (newspaper). Archived from the original on July 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "Great spots: 17 of Charlottesville's most intriguing places". C-Ville Weekly. September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ^ a b c Spencer, Hawes (25 December 2024). "C&O, Daedalus Books founder Sandy McAdams dies at 82". The Daily Progress. Archived from the original on 29 December 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ McKenzie, Bryan (15 March 2009). "Walking, so that others may too". The Daily Progress.
External links
[edit]- DaedalusBooksCharlottesville on Instagram