The story concludes down the rabbit hole at Hares & Hatters Bookshop
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is the last of four stories spotlighting locally owned bookstores in downtown Pocatello.
POCATELLO — Last, but certainly not least, on EastIdahoNews.com’s tour of Pocatello’s bookstores — following Walrus & Carpenter, Hygge Place, and White Owl Books — is the city’s newest literary addition: Hares & Hatters Bookshop.
The “Alice in Wonderland” inspired shop is the only bookstore in town that sells exclusively new books, with a special emphasis on new releases. In many ways, it’s like a mini Barnes & Noble part of Station Square at 200 South Main Street — surrounded by some of the city’s best coffee and specialty shops.
PART 1 | This story begins at Walrus & Carpenter Books
PART 2 | The story continues at Hygge Place, a cozy downtown bookshop, full of plants
PART 3 | The story continues with rare literary treasures at White Owl Books
For those who are curiouser and curiouser
Hares & Hatters began as a series of pop-up book events around Pocatello — most notably at Glean Coffee and during Friday Night Art Walk — before finding a permanent home last summer.
The shop is the creation of Nicki Stanton and Jamie Wood, two Pocatello businesswomen, writers, and lifelong readers with literary backgrounds that are fitting.
Stanton holds a degree in creative writing and excels at playwriting, while Wood, a published author, earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in children’s literacy and offers book editing services. Together, they bring passion, expertise, and a love of storytelling to the community through their new business.
“The idea first came about during COVID,” Stanton said. “I started looking at independent bookstores like Powell’s Books in Portland, where my mom’s family is from. Every time I visited a small-town bookstore, I thought, ‘Why doesn’t Pocatello have one of these?’ “I told myself, ‘When the world opens up again, I want to open an independent bookstore.’”
She bounced the idea off of Wood and the two put their heads together, connecting with Ann Swanson at the Idaho Small Business Development Center to develop a business plan. Stanton conducted a survey to gauge community interest in a new bookstore — and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
“We both thought that an independent bookstore could really be a positive thing for Pocatello,” Stanton said. “The used bookstores in town do a great job, but there hasn’t been a place for people who want new books, book clubs, and author events.”
Part of American Booksellers Association, Hares & Hatters offers all genres of new fiction, nonfiction, children’s, middle-grade, and young adult titles, along with a section for local authors and weekly new releases every Tuesday.
Like Amazon, customers can order physical books, eBooks, and audiobooks directly through the shop’s website, haresandhattersbookshop.com, and every online order comes with a personal thank-you note from the owners.
The store stays busy with special events, including author visits, craft events, writing contests, story time for kids and themed literary nights. The shop also carries board games, stationery, and locally made novelty items, such as bookmarks and T-shirts.
Plus, Hares & Hatters has a book club, and this month’s selection is IDAHO by Emily Ruskovich. A novel about love and forgiveness, the violence of memory, and the equal violence of its loss.
As someone who keeps a close eye on new releases, Stanton shared a few of her current favorites: “The Widow” by John Grisham, “Horror Movie” by Paul Tremblay, and “An Unlikely Coven” by A.M. Kvita — the first in the Green Witch Cycle fantasy series.
“We want to expand as we learn what people here are interested in,” Stanton said. “We’ll keep growing our nonfiction and children’s sections, and we always take reader suggestions seriously. We ask people what they’re reading — and we actually order those books.”
From its start as a pop-up during Art Walk to its evolution into a full-fledged downtown destination, Hares & Hatters Bookshop is quickly becoming a favorite gathering place for readers, writers, and lovers of downtown Pocatello.
For more information, follow Hares & Hatters Bookshop on Facebook or visit https://www.haresandhattersbookshop.com/
