Contact Us
About Us
Edwards Books is an independently owned and family-run bookstore nearing its
30th year in business. We remain in existence because of loyal customers,
and we thank you for visiting the store, and this newly revamped site.
Looking for a particular book? Email or phone us with the title, author or
ISBN number and we'll be happy to track it down. If it's not in stock, we
can special-order it at no extra charge. Special orders normally arrive
within two or three days.
Looking for a reading recommendation? This website will provide plenty. Or
stop by the store and browse the recommendation tables stocked by each of
our staffers.
We carry a large selection of titles by local authors, including Anita
Shreve, Elinor Lipman, Roland Merullo, Michael White, Tanuja Desai Hidier,
Deborah Schupack and Suzanne Strempek Shea - many of them signed.
And if you'd like any of Suzanne's five novels personalized, just ask: she
works at the store.
New additions to our gift section arrive weekly. We currently feature Polish
pottery from the Boleslawiec region of Poland, amber jewelry from Poland
and the entire Baltic region, and jewelry from Ireland's County Clare.
Hours:
Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Parking in the Tower Square garage is free with validation from the bookstore.
ADVOCATE ACCLAIM!
For the third year in a row, Edwards has claimed the top award in the Springfield Advocate's Best Independent Bookstore category. Thanks to all the readers - for voting, and for patronizing the store.
Here's what the Advocate had to say:
Much has remained unchanged in the year since Edwards last won for our Best Independent Bookstore category. It's still family-owned and operated - Janet Edwards is a second-generation owner, having taken the reins from her mother and father, Flora and Roy Edwards, who started the business in 1974 - and it's still the only independent bookstore in Springfield proper, cramming a whopping 26,000 titles into a modest space of 3,500 feet.
These days, however, Edwards has expanded its salable items to include an array of hand-painted pottery - Polish pottery from Poland's Boleslawiec region - and amber and silver jewelry also from Poland, which helps to reflect the local demographic. "We serve a large Polish-American population," says Janet Edwards, "but these items are popular with all customers." Store patrons will also encounter a selection of fine hand-crafted Irish jewelery.
Edwards credits these additions to the input of Suzanne Strempek Shea, a local author who has penned four novels, a memoir of her battle with breast cancer, and will have two more books published next year. Asked about Shea's role at the store, Edwards strains to find just the right designation, pausing at the suggestion of 'resident Poet Laureate' before settling on 'Events Coordinator.' "If you know the store, you know her," says Edwards.
Edwards recognizes the relationship between her business and the community to be as symbiotic one, and has committed the store to a wide range of fund-raising functions and causes, including the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Gray House, Rays of Hope and the MSPCA.
"I feel it's most important to support the essentials: the food banks, the shelters -- the safety nets that exist in our community," says Edwards.. "It's not just about making money."