Safety Harbor, Fla. – October 26, 2026 – Where can readers in Tampa Bay find a good independent bookstore, and what does each public library offer? Author and ghostwriter Richard Lowe has published free profiles of 44 of them, 24 bookstores and 20 public libraries across Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, as part of the Writing in Tampa Bay collection on thewritingking.com.
They run from Clearwater, Safety Harbor, Dunedin, Largo, Palm Harbor, Oldsmar, Ozona and Tarpon Springs down through St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Seminole and St. Pete Beach, and across the bay to Tampa and Ybor City. Each one covers what makes the place different, its hours and its website, and answers the questions people ask before they go.
Bookstores in the series range from big general stores to shops built around one idea. Wilson’s Book World in St. Petersburg opened in 1971 and is now run by the founder’s granddaughter. The Book Rescuers in Largo fills a fourteen thousand square foot warehouse with close to three miles of shelving. Sam’s Books is a booth in the Oldsmar Flea Market, and Pages and Perks runs a pop-up in a downtown hotel lobby alongside its permanent store.
Comic shops, a children’s bookstore in a house, a romance bookstore and a store run by a young adult author are on the list too.
Libraries turned up as many surprises. Oldsmar Public Library has a small museum inside it. St. Pete Beach Public Library lends metal detectors and runs a free native-plant seed library. Mirror Lake Community Library in St. Petersburg is a Carnegie library that opened in 1915, one of only ten in Florida. Tampa’s John F. Germany Public Library holds one of the largest genealogy collections in the southeastern United States.
“I started writing about the bookstores and libraries of Tampa Bay because I saw a gap, and because I support libraries and bookstores. Books are important, and people should be able to enjoy them,” said Lowe. “The modern bookstore is a lot like the modern library. Both give people a place to sit and read. In one you buy the books and in the other you check them out, but both are social places where people come together to read and talk about books.”
“Libraries especially have meeting rooms where you can study or bring a small group,” Lowe added. “I’ve used them here to give speeches and to hold writing group meetings. They’re centers for the community, safe for children and adults alike, bright and cheery, and they have knowledge you can’t get online.”
For local writers, a companion article explains how to get a book into a Tampa Bay bookstore and why the way a book is printed decides whether a store can stock it.
Lowe has authored 113+ books under his own name and ghostwritten 54+ books for executives, founders, coaches and professionals. Before turning to books, he spent 33 years in enterprise technology, including 20 years as Director of Computer Operations and Technical Services at Trader Joe’s.
All 44 profiles are free to read at https://thewritingking.com/hub/writing-in-tampa-bay/.
About The Writing King
The Writing King is the ghostwriting and publishing practice of author Richard Lowe, based in Safety Harbor, Florida. Lowe has been writing and publishing professionally since 2013 and has authored 113+ books and ghostwritten 54+ books for executives, coaches, athletes and professionals. The company’s mission is to help people turn their stories and expertise into books that reach and help other readers. It also produces the Leaders and Their Stories interview series and publishes free writing resources at https://thewritingking.com.
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