Downtown Books, Lexington, VA

4/4/2025

A Family Affair

Every book in the store is either recommended by a customer, written by an established author or approved by me. I don’t always trust the bestseller list, that’s why I spend a lot of time talking to customers. I’d rather someone leave without a book rather than with a bad one.
Paige Williams, owner

On a sunny Friday in March 2025, I drove through the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley to spend the day in Lexington. After coffee at Pronto Caffe & Gelateria and before hiking to Natural Bridge, I visited Paige Williams at Downtown Books. The shop used to be housed in a small space on Nelson Street and has blossomed since moving into a large, light-filled space on Main Street. The walls are taken up by watercolor paintings, a world map with tiny flags for the places that visitors are from and a giant post-it board with customer’s book recommendations. The furniture is antique and lovingly refurbished (“the older, the better”, Paige told me).

I spent an hour talking to Paige about the bookshop business in a small Virginia town and learned just how involved the rest of her family is in running the shop.

“My daughter Merryn is a talented artist. She designed our logo and painted every picture on the wall. She also created the art that you see on some of our merchandise - coffee mugs, tea towels and notebooks. She illustrated the children’s book Otis The Kindergarten Cat and we hosted a book launch as soon as the book came out.” Paige recounted.

Discover Merryn Williams

Her husband is the helping hand when it comes to bringing bookshelves, tables and other antique furniture back to life. Paige shared the story behind a beautiful old desk that features journals and other writing accessories, “My husband went to Virginia Military Institute here in Lexington and was gifted an antique desk by family friends. He refurbished the piece and brought back some of its charm. Now we have it’s part of the store and I love seeing how my family not only supports my dream of owning a bookshop, but is actively involved in making it happen.”

A family business in the truest sense.

A bookshop dream come true

Owning a bookshop was Paige’s childhood dream and when her children left home to pursue their own dreams, Paige took the leap. “Owning a bookshop is ten times better than I ever thought it was going to be! I thought it was all about buying and selling books and setting up nice window displays. But what I love most is talking to my customers, building relationships and making friends - all over a shared love for books and reading. For example, our shop is very pet friendly. As a result, we've met many lovely customers and their precious four-legged children. One particular lab (Toni) would stay at the shop while her owner visited shops or went to restaurants that couldn't allow pets. So Toni just hangs out at the shop whenever they’re in town!”

Lexington Downtown Literary Society

“The Lexington Downtown Literary Society is a group of ten locals - from college professor and superintendent to dance instructor and math teacher. Once a month, the Society gathers to talk about - you guessed it - books. Rather than reading the same book, everyone introduces a new title and shares their reflections - exposing the entire society to a wide spectrum of titles and genres.

If you’re lacking a Literary Society of your own (I think we all need one!), stop by Downtown Books and start a conversation with Paige! She knows her bookshelves inside out and will make sure you leave with a title you will love.