Lido Village Books: Newport Beach’s Beloved Indie Bookstore
I love bookstore chains as much as the next bookworm, but there’s something special about independent bookstores. Usually tucked in corner spaces or under-the-radar locations, these little shops are the types I come across by chance.
I was sauntering through Newport Beach’s Lido Marina Village, a waterfront complex of boutiques and cafés when I headed further down Via Lido. Across the Lido Theater is Lido Village Books, a white brick bookshop with a standard display of hardbound books. I’m glad I decided to step inside because turns out it was more than meets the eye.
When I saw a displayed tote bag printed with book #1 of Ann M. Martin’s The Babysitters Club circa 1986, I knew immediately I’d vibe with this bookstore.
A shelf labeled “Michelle’s Top 10 Favorites” included titles such as The Rhythm of the Rain by Grahame Baker-Smith and The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. Michelle Pierce, as I had guessed, is the owner of Lido Village Books, and she was cheerfully greeting guests, myself included, from behind the counter.
Unlike commercial bookstores that outright label each shelf by genre, this bookstore lets you figure out what each section is about by quickly glancing at the titles—added fun for bookworms like myself. I went past the shelf of historical and autobiographical books and towards a shelf next to the kiddie section that piqued my interest.
Carefully displayed between spines are front-cover-facing books such as The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna, All Of Us With Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil, and Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R. Lee. Eyeballing this group of books, I noticed hints of feminism, YA fantasy, the fight against misogyny, and strong female leads—definitely the genre for me. With the help of Michelle, whose personal touch is felt throughout the bookshop, I chose Kate Chopin’s The Awakening.
Post-visit, I went on the interwebs and found a nice article about how Michelle took ownership of Lido Village Books back in 2020 with the impending pandemic. She’s managed to relocate the shop and connect with the vibrant community of book lovers in Orange County, including visiting tourists like myself.
Looking back at my recent trip to the US, I’m glad I went off-track and stumbled upon this quaint bookstore. See, getting lost while traveling often brings the best stories.
Lido Village Books is located at 3424 Via Lido #103, Newport Beach, CA 92663, USA.
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