Lift Bridge Book Shop

This happened years ago and, I’m not sure why I just started thinking about it but, here it is. I went in on a whim and while making my purchase the cashier seemed to recognize me. Turns out that both myself and her daughter used to take ballet classes together across the street. What began as a friendly conversation quickly took a turn when this woman accused me of stealing her daughter’s boyfriend. We didn’t go to the same high school or even know the same people. I tried to explain this but, she was having none of it. She proceeded to check out my items as slowly as possible and glare at me the whole time. When I spoke to a «manager» about the incident she essentially told me to shop somewhere else. No problem, I’ll take comfy chairs and fancy coffee over psycho and hostile staff. Yikes.

I just picked up a book last week for class from Lift Bridge think I would need it but I was given one free shortly after from my school. Upon buying the book I was told I had 6 days to return it. Tried to return it 5 days later and was told they would buy it back but I couldn’t get a refund. I read their receipt and return policy to see that it reflected the return period on rentals and not «sales» of textbooks. That was a blatant lie on there part and I will no longer shop with them. Please beware of what you buy with them.

This is a very cool little book store. You have all the books and magazines you could want and there’s also plenty of cool educational toys for the kids. Also, downstairs you can find the bargain books and art supplies. It’s a pretty cool place to check out every now and then.

Lift Bridge doesn’t have a fancy coffee shop. It doesn’t have extraneous floor space with a bunch of comfy chairs to sit around in all day. But it does have the most important thing — a wonderful community. The staff are amazing, and well-​read, and oh-​so-​helpful. There’s something about this place that just screams, «I love to read!» There is a discussion group for virtually every genre. They know their customers and they cater to them. This is the kind of bookstore that we need more of in this world.
Lift Bridge is the perfect gem of a bookstore. We make the trek out to Brockport once a month for Joe and Annie’s Eclectic Book Club. Why? We may be the youngest people in the room by a decade, but we love these people so much, we invited them to our wedding.

What a treasure. A must-​stop for any lover of the written word. Has a great local –interest selection. A children’s section you can’t find in mass-​market big-​box stores.

I grew up with Lift Bridge Book Shop. It was (and still is) the only bookstore in town. As a kid, I’d go there and get books as well as paraphenalia for my stamp and coin collections. As a teen, I went there to get the classics as well as their shorter versions in CliffNotes form. Throughout college, I went there to get my textbooks, preferably used. They’ve since moved their location a couple of doors down and expanded quite a bit, but it still has that small hometown feel to it. You can actually walk through the aisles now (it used to be so jam-​packed in the smaller location).
Now, as an adult, when I return home, my favorite thing to look for at Lift Bridge are books about Brockport. There’s usually something new for me to collect about my old hometown. This time around, I picked up a history of my alma mater, the State University of New York at Brockport, as well as a few postcards of drawn town images. They’ve also expanded their kids’ area quite a bit — there’s an entire room devoted just to kids — which is nice for parents.
Lift Bridge doesn’t have the big discounts that big booksellers offer, but they are conveniently located and it’s nice to support your hometown business.

It’s true that this is pretty much the only game in town for bookstores, but if you’ve got to have only one shop then this will do just fine. The Lift Bridge is easily better than anything left in Rochester and was at least as good as the best offerings there even in the heyday of independent bookstores… which are long past, btw, with the arrival some years ago of both Border’s and Barnes & Noble. Buffered by the roughly 20 miles to the city and supported by business from the nearby State University, the Lift Bridge not only survives but thrives. A truly great poetry section is only one of the attractions at this really well-​rounded store that caters to all interests and carries a deep, eclectic inventory. Whether you need travel books, Edward Gorey, college texts, Bernard Russell, or Danielle Steele, the folks at the Lift Bridge can take care of you.