This map is a compilation of the local bookstores in south Austin. By local, I restricted the geography to where highways 183, 290, and 71 intersect, since I don’t like going places in Austin without knowing where I’m headed, and I like to stay close to places I know I can navigate easy, such as SoCo near St. Edward’s, and I-35.
For each of the twelve nearby locations, I visited each and considered online reviews to give them ratings on three criteria. The first was whether or not they had a cafe, and what the selections were like. While I don’t drink coffee, I do enjoy other cafe selections and the smell of coffee brewing, and having a cafe is such a classic cliche for bookstores that I love. My second criteria was what the environment, or atmosphere, of the store was like. I wasn’t going to want to repeatedly visit a bookstore that is loud and crowded with staff that don’t know much about what they’re selling. I prefer the quiet, laid-back ones with friendly knowledgeable staff who really know their books. And, lastly, I rated the stores on whether or not they had WiFi and how quick it was, for surfing, streaming, or studying.