A Review of A New Leaf Used Books
RR 199 Pine Plains, NY
A New Leaf sits a few doors down from the crossroad at the heart of Pine Plains in New York’s Hudson Valley. It’s one of many quaint little towns dotting the long strip of land in New York between the Hudson River and the edge of where New England officially begins. And like the village it’s in, A New Leaf was a quiet, quaint, and pleasant browsing experience.
The bookshop house has two floors and a handful of rooms, each with chairs and couches for taking a break while browsing or sampling the books before deciding to buy. Many of the rooms had associated themes, with one that leaned into gardening and hunting, a large one with art and crafting books, another with lots of poetry and fiction, and one heavy on nonfiction, including biographies, memoirs, transportation, Black studies, politics, essays, and more. There was also a fun smaller room in the rear I found some horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, with the common assortment of Stephen King but also a nice selection of old hardboiled and pulpy paperbacks.
The upstairs was mostly one larger room, the lights turned off with natural lighting to help keep it cool in the summertime heat (something we always did growing up in upstate NY). This room (and the small shelf outside of it) contained an array of older westerns, coffee table books, more art, dance, foreign language, and a handful of other assorted categories. The books were mostly second-hand copies, many older editions but not too worn, and some harder to find editions mixed in with recent releases. It was a nice stop on our bookshop tour weekend through the area. If you’re passing through, drop in for a look around!
Atmosphere — A home turned into a bookshop, with wooden bookshelves built into most walls and nice displays throughout.
Quality — The books all seemed of fine enough quality for secondhand books, with a lot of older editions mixed in with some new ones. The vintage pulp paperbacks looked in good shape considering their age.
Quantity — Most rooms had a solid number of books with a few on the lighter side.
Affordability — The books were all priced fairly for older titles, with an obvious increase for rarities.
Amenities — There are chairs in most rooms, and you’re in a small village with a couple other shops nearby.
Location — Just a few doors down from the center of Pine Plains, which is in a gorgeous part of upstate NY with rolling hills and farmland all around.
Customer Service — We didn’t interact but there was a woman there speaking with guests. I simply browsed a bit before heading off to the next stop on my bookshop tour.
Overall — This shop is the kind that may feel out of the way but inevitably has a gem you can’t find elsewhere and is a nice balance to nearby new bookstores. Being able to find a new shop and a used shop within a short drive of one another is golden, so add this to your list if you’re cruising through the Hudson Valley.
