who doesn't want to live in this little town?
Bart's Books in Ojai, California (pronounced "Oh-hi") is a used book store that displays many of its books outside.
Only in California --- right?! (LOL)
Ojai (population about 8,000) is an artsy little town nestled near the foothills about 15 miles north of the coastal city of Ventura, which may sound familiar to people if they've ever heard the old 1970s song Ventura Highway, by the band, America.
There's actually no such thing as the Ventura Highway --- although, incidentally the 134 is often referred to as "The Ventura Freeway."
The songwriter in America has said he was merely writing about the Pacific Coast Highway as it winds thru Ventura. When he first rode thru there, he didn't know the name of the Pacific Coast Highway since he was a military brat who grew up in Nebraska and Mississippi.
Anyhow, there are some cats that live on the premises of Bart's Books in order to limit the mouse population (I imagine to entertain children, as well, i.e., --- "Mommy, can we please go to the bookstore to see the cats?!") and they even have some books on shelves on the sidewalk that are available to be browsed 24 hours a day. Those books sell for fifty cents a piece, and they have a dropbox where people can drop their money in on the honor system. (Obviously, they wouldn't leave more expensive books out there overnight.)
Ojai is the "hometown" of Jamie Sommers (The Bionic Woman) and Steve Austin (The Six Million Dollar Man).
Bart's Books opened in 1964, so we can assume that both Jamie and Steve visited the bookstore, can't we?
Here's a nice little visit with one of the store's current employees, who gives a biographical sketch of the place.
Only in California --- right?! (LOL)
Ojai (population about 8,000) is an artsy little town nestled near the foothills about 15 miles north of the coastal city of Ventura, which may sound familiar to people if they've ever heard the old 1970s song Ventura Highway, by the band, America.
There's actually no such thing as the Ventura Highway --- although, incidentally the 134 is often referred to as "The Ventura Freeway."
The songwriter in America has said he was merely writing about the Pacific Coast Highway as it winds thru Ventura. When he first rode thru there, he didn't know the name of the Pacific Coast Highway since he was a military brat who grew up in Nebraska and Mississippi.
Anyhow, there are some cats that live on the premises of Bart's Books in order to limit the mouse population (I imagine to entertain children, as well, i.e., --- "Mommy, can we please go to the bookstore to see the cats?!") and they even have some books on shelves on the sidewalk that are available to be browsed 24 hours a day. Those books sell for fifty cents a piece, and they have a dropbox where people can drop their money in on the honor system. (Obviously, they wouldn't leave more expensive books out there overnight.)
Ojai is the "hometown" of Jamie Sommers (The Bionic Woman) and Steve Austin (The Six Million Dollar Man).
Bart's Books opened in 1964, so we can assume that both Jamie and Steve visited the bookstore, can't we?
Here's a nice little visit with one of the store's current employees, who gives a biographical sketch of the place.
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