The “Best of Detroit” issue of the Metro Times (Oct 24-Oct30th, 2007) recently honored Book Beat, 26010 Greenfield, Oak Park:
“Book Beat is so crammed with books vertically in the shelves, books horizontally atop the vertical books, books on the floor — we forgot to look up, but there were probably books on the ceiling — that it feels less like a retail establishment than someone’s compulsive collection of cool stuff that just happens to be for sale to pay the rent. There’s a flip-book of yoga asanas, here’s a $2 stapled pamphlet of Rosa Luxemburg’s writings published in 1980 by some small Detroit Marxist group at 2832 E. Grand Blvd., there’s a CD of minimalist pioneer Tony Conrad, there’s the late poet Ted Joans’ Black Pow-Wow. Wow! An amazing children’s book section, a dedication to Detroit authors, live readings and performances, the art gallery in the back … those are just some of the distinctions of this place, a love-labor for Cary Loren (once of the group Destroy All Monsters), his wife, Colleen Kammer, and their staff. As they put it at myspace.com/bookbeatdetroit “… serving the collective unconscious in metro Detroit for 25 years.”
Read more about great independent shopping in the neighborhood in the Best of Detroit Metro Times online at: THE GLORY OF CAPITALISM. Â