Annie’s Annotations

It looks like it should be in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, but it’s nearly impossible to acquire premises in either; however, the stone facade and wooden door with a window that opens are just the beginning of the charm found in this cozy little oasis. Like Annie herself, it’s hard to categorize this shop. It’s a bookstore, but it’s also a pastry shop and a tea and coffee house, and that’s what it feels like with the different curated rooms. I especially like that low lintel that adults have to duck to gain access to the children’s room, which is a wonderland fit for Alice herself with storybook murals, beanbags, a bookcase that will spin you into the YA room, board games, and, of course Julie Newmar, a ginger tabby who sleeps in the windowsill.

Warm, wonderful aromas greet you at the door—freshly baked bread, tarragon, honey, citrus, cinnamon, and cardamom fragrance the air so perfectly that you feel you’ve stepped into a better reality. The main room has comfortable furnishings that don’t compete with the books, and every chair, loveseat, pouf, floor cushion, and beanbag has some sort of stand or table where you can rest your beverage and baked goods while you lose yourself in a book Annie recommended for you. She’s read every book in the shop and can sense which one you need if you don’t know, and she’ll pair it with a beverage and a cookie, cake, scone, or tart to enhance your reading experience.

Going to Annie’s is such a phenomenal experience that people wait to get in (the fire marshals are constantly dropping in to count heads and munch a cookie or two). Once, someone earnestly asked if they could make a reservation for the following weekend.

There are multiple reading nooks, window seats, and even a loft with a spiral staircase leading to it. Like all magical shops, you don’t go to Annie’s Annotations for what you can purchase, you go for the experience, and when it comes to books and baked goods, there’s no finer experience on the planet, especially if you let Annie guide you.

Please check out Annie’s work and help my dream become her reality (every read counts).