A Visit To The Oldest Bookstore In Oregon Klindt S Is Delightful

There is simply nothing better than browsing a bookstore. More than merely a place to purchase printed publications; a brick-and-mortar bookstore is a total sensory experience. The colorful shelves, feel of the pages, hum of whispered conversations, and, oh—that fresh book smell (just ask any bibliophile: books have a smell, and it’s divine). Visiting a bookstore is one of life’s greatest simple pleasures . . . and visiting a historic bookstore? That’s positively perfect. And Oregon has a bookstore dating all the way back to 1870. The oldest bookstore in Oregon, Klindt’s is a delightful experience for book lovers.

Klindt’s Booksellers harkens back to a different time—it’s a nostalgic place that celebrates printed, physical texts.

Klindt’s Booksellers and Stationers/Facebook In here, the written word is celebrated and revered.

This unassuming little bookstore carries an array of new and out-of-print titles, as well as cards, toys, crafts, stationery, and gifts.

Wendell Harness/Google Local

Located in Oregon’s historic Dalles district, Klindt’s has been a fixture here since 1870.

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Entering Klindt’s Booksellers is like taking a step back in time.

Klindt’s Booksellers and Stationers/Facebook With its original, charmingly creaky hardwood floors and smooth, time-worn bookshelves, there’s a lot of history in this place.

In fact, the bookstore really hasn’t changed too much in the last 150 years.

Klindt’s Booksellers A fire in 1893 resulted in a move to its currently location at 315 E. 2nd Street.

The bookstore’s story is fascinating. Klindt’s first opened in 1870, down the street from its current location, with Ingwert C. Nickelsen as the store’s original owner.

Klindt’s Booksellers and Stationers/Facebook It was the very first bookstore in The Dalles.

In 1928, Nickelsen sold the bookstore to the Weigelt family.

Robert W/TripAdvisor The Weigelt brothers, Gus and Paul, along with their sister Edna, would go on to operate the shop, now called Weigelt’s Bookstore & Stationers, for the next five decades.

In 1981, the bookstore was sold to Philip and Linda Klindt, who renamed the store—and kept Edna Weigelt on to help with the transition.

Klindt’s Booksellers A passionate bibliophile, Edna worked at the bookstore until she was 91.

But even after her passing in 2003, it seems Edna never truly left the bookstore.

Klindt’s Booksellers and Stationers/Facebook Reports of ghostly happenings and Edna’s presence have been swirling ever since.

Jasper, Klindt’s shop kitty, might know a thing or two about Edna—though he’d never say.