New independent bookstore now open in York County

DOWNTOWN YORK, Pa. (WHTM) — A new independently owned bookstore has recently opened its doors in downtown York.

The new Bound Books is owned and operated by a husband and wife duo, Chuck Blair and Sarah Timmcke. According to Blair, he grew up in Lancaster County and his wife moved to York County from Maryland when she was a teenager.

Bound Books is the first business that the husband and wife have ever owned and operated. According to Blair, the driving force behind opening their own bookstore was the couple’s love of reading and their love of bookstores.

“For years I thought, ‘If money wasn’t a variable, what would I want to do’,” Blair explained. “I realized that for me, I would want to work at a library or a bookstore. Then, pre-pandemic, I thought ‘What if I owned a bookstore’.”

Back on New Year’s Day 2023, Blair and his wife signed the lease for their new space in downtown York. According to Blair, the space’s footprint was perfect for what the couple wanted to do. Since leasing the space in January, renovations have been underway to make their vision for the new bookstore come to life.

According to Blair, the new 1,100-square-foot Bound Books has reading nooks and seating available for 12 to 14 guests. Additionally, the new bookstore has approximately 3,000 books in its inventory, which includes a wide range of curated selections from genres, such as:

Classic novels
Mystery & Thriller
Science fiction and fantasy
General Fiction
Cookbooks
Children’s books

Something that makes Bound Books stand out from other bookstores is its coffee bar and retail section. According to Blair, in addition to the many book options for customers to browse from, Bound Books also offers coffee and tea beverages at their drink bar and has a retail section for pots and plants as well.

“One thing that is unique with Bound Books is that we created a calming and relaxing atmosphere for people to gather,” Blair said.

It should also be noted that Bound Books has an online store that customers can order from to have books delivered or scheduled for pick up. To view Bound Books’ online store, you can click here.

The new Bound Books held its soft opening back on April 21. According to Blair, he plans on scheduling an official grand opening ceremony in the coming weeks.

“It feels incredible [to open Bound Books],” Blair stated. “This is the most rewarding and scariest thing that we have ever done. This community is awesome and the people have been responding well.”

Bound Books’ hours of operation are: