Finding a good book inside this shop isn’t hard to do. It’s really choosing one out of all the mysteries, dramas, and adventures that can be the real challenge, especially when you love to read and just hold a good book as much as Heidi Lange.
What You Need To Know
- Heidi Lange has loved books her entire life
- She turned her passion into a bookstore
- She also has really old books in her collection
“My to read pile is like a mile high,” Lange said while laughing.
Her love of books from her childhood days spent reading and daydreaming of made up lands continued into her adulthood and made her career, opening her very own bookstore, Sandman Book Company, in 2009.
“This is one of my other favorite authors. This book here is a fantasy mystery set on the moon,” she said.
This impressive space that holds over 150,000 books, making it the largest independently owned bookstore in Southwest Florida. A feat Heidi is proud of, but even more proud of the work put into making this place more than your average bookstore.
Just take a stroll under this 6 foot tall arch, a replica of a Roman aqueduct arch, that Heidi and her husband designed and made entirely out of up-cycled books.
“All the ones here that have the colored pages that make that rainbow design, they were all originally like this so we didn’t paint them, just collected them all,” Heidi said.
Or walk through the stacks and stacks of books. You might even find their resident cat, Kitty Wan Kenobi, wandering through the aisles in search of his next napping spot.
You may even find yourself in their historic and antique books collection, protected under lock and key, because over the years Heidi has collected quite a few books you can’t find really anywhere else.
“Yes, look here. This dates back to the 1600s and you can see they have maps in here. We found these a while back,” she said.
So as you can see, Heidi’s shop is far from the typical big box bookstores you’ll find around town. It’s a spot to imagine and dive in to the next great read.
Sandman Bookstore is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. For more information on the store and their extensive collection, head to their website, https://www.sandmanbooks.com/about-us