Tucked away in the rolling hills of Western Massachusetts, the Montague Bookmill isn’t just a bookstore – it’s a portal to another dimension where time moves at the pace of turning pages and the soundtrack is provided by the rushing Sawmill River below.
This former gristmill from 1842 has transformed into a haven for bibliophiles with a slogan so perfect it deserves its own t-shirt line: “Books you don’t need in a place you can’t find.”
In an era when most of us can summon virtually any text to our devices within seconds, there’s something gloriously defiant about a bookstore that requires an actual journey, complete with winding country roads and the occasional “are we lost?” moment.
The adventure begins before you even arrive, as your GPS signal weakens and you’re forced to rely on – gasp – actual road signs to guide you through the picturesque Franklin County landscape…