Politics & Prose – The Little Bookstore That Could

Politics & Prose – The Little Bookstore That Could

In this time of dramatic change in the book selling business, Politics and Prose is a neighborhood treasure that seems to be doing things the old fashioned way and making it work.

Located near the corner of Connecticut and Nebraska Avenues, Politics and Prose serves the community, not only as a bookseller, but as a meeting place for people who drop into the Coffee House with their computers or for local book groups who borrow the space on the lower level for their discussions.  The Coffee House features the work of local artists and has Saturday night Open Mike events.

Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade, the store's founders, opened their doors in 1984.  Over the years, they have expanded the staff to a total of 50 people – and the store is a whole lot bigger than when they first opened.

Their travel section was my main resource while I was planning my trip to Paris.  When I need a birthday present for a client’s child, I drop by their huge selection of books for children and teens and can always find something perfect.  And whatever my book club is reading, I can go to Politics and Prose, and they give book club discounts. 

But I think the most important way they connect to the neighborhood is through their author events.  Anyone important who is coming to town on a book tour tries to get an evening at Politics and Prose.  Next week, the authors are Helene Cooper (The House At Sugar Creek), Anthony Flint (Wrestling With Moses), Richard Russo (That Old Cape Magic) and Howard Dean (Howard Dean’s Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform).  And these events always seem to be packed.

They cater to a highly sophisticated clientele, which has included everyone from people like me to Presidents – you never know when you are going to encounter guys with trench coats talking into their lapels.  That would be the Secret Service.  And you know that someone huge is about to come through the doors.

And, most important, they have woven themselves into the fabric of the upper Northwest Washington neighborhoods they serve. 

In this era of gigantic bookstores, Amazon and Kindles, they are thriving by figuring out just what their local market wants, and they doing a superb job of providing it.

Politics and Prose is located at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, and there is free parking in the lot behind the store.