Joseph-Beth Booksellers

This place is great to go and read books or find books of interest for yourself or for friends and loved ones. It’s also a good place to go and sit on a hot day, while you’re waiting to meet people or wait for an appointment at another store. I drag my hubby in here on occasion, just so we can get ideas for gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. It also allows the both of us to find interesting stuff for ourselves as well.
I also occasionally use the electric plugs in the café to charge up my phone and tablet as well. The café has a power strip that is available for customers to use when they’re in the café.

This place is great for gifts, food at the bistro, and the staff is nice… to customers. However, the staff is not nice to each other. I’ve been coming here for quite sometime now, and the managers of the bookstore make their employees uncomfortable and the drama is unreal! The managers want the employees to pick sides, and should u pick one side, the other doesn’t like you. It’s really high school, immaturity. Corporate should really step in here. Hope this message gets to them soon!!!

***Joseph-​Beth Booksellers is a very large bookstore that is reminiscent of a large Barnes & Noble – good selection of books and magazines, an in-​house coffee shop and an impressive children selection with books, toys, stuffed animals, and games; this store also features a large gift selection (Hallmark store-​like gifts) including many different soaps (though I wish they had more local offerings here); it is a nice store overall but not much different from a Barnes & Noble***
This book store is located in a huge shopping and restaurant plaza that has its own free parking lot. It is easy finding an open space.

Okay, so I stick to the library when it comes to books but I love this place for it’s gifts and cards. I usually end up here for last minute presents or when I just want to browse for nifty things. They have something for everyone and I usually find a thing or two I «need». They have a coffee shop too which it pretty good, though the staff I haven’t found to be very friendly.

I am an individual with a disability who works for the Center for Accessible Living and I have to brag on Joseph Beth. My family were there today and I started to get a magazine on history/​genealogy and noted that they were in an area of the magazine rack where even an able bodied person would have to get on their knees and reach for it. A lovely lady working there noted my problem and asked if she could assist. She not only got the magazines I needed, she sat down with me and discussed how the plan-​a gram (the designation for where magazines are placed on the rack) could be modified to assist the elderly and disabled and at the same time increase magazine sales. She then went back to document the suggestion so that it could be discussed with the appropriate management.
I appreciate a company that goes the extra mile and listens to its customers!

I like that this place has been described as feeling like a Hallmark Store. I might not go that far but I’ve gotten the impression that books are not always the thing they’re trying to sell at this store.
That being said, it doesn’t mean the things they are trying to sell are bad. Far from it, I love browsing this shop and seeing what I come up with.
Music, magazines, journals, writing supplies, children’s stuff, and of course, books (both new and used). It’s a great place to just walk and do some shopping.
Joseph Beth is also a great space for events, from author’s readings to Maker’s Mark wax events. It really has a fantastic feel for an event’s space (again, separating it from a normal bookstore and into something different.)
If you’re looking for a book-​lovers book store, somewhere where old tomes reign supreme, you may want to check out another location. However, if you’re a lover of books and all things associated with them, this is the spot to go (hell, even if you are searching for the book-​lovers bookstore, this may be worth checking out anyway.)

Not sure why I’m obsessed with JosephBeth of Crestview Hills in KY. It’s not the book selection, theirs is average. The magazine selection isn’t as good as the one in Cincy but somehow it just works. The staff is friendly, café makes yummy food, the little shopping retail area is cool and the space is just perfect for spreading out and lounging for a while. I really like this place.

My first experience of Joseph-​Beth was down in Lexington, while I was in college. For most of my freshman year I was in there pretty much every weekend, despite the fact that it was about forty minutes away from the school’s campus. This place was just that great. It was enormous, but also somehow cozy. The floors were well designed, the selection of books excellent, and there were always events going on.
It actually took me a year to find out they had built one in Crestview Hills, but once I did I was there within the week. And although this place isn’t quite as spacious or as bustling as the Lexington Green, it has that same unmistakable JoBeth feel to it. I went hoping it would be a suitable replacement for the Borders that had closed in the same area (may it rest in peace), but it was more than that. It outshined Borders pretty spectacularly.
Also in its favor is this great little café in the front corner, which is kind of a hidden gem in that whole shopping center. I feel bad for all the people funneling into the Starbucks a block away – and I’m normally a big fan of Starbucks. This place has great lattes, invariably friendly staff, and best of all, some really good (and relatively cheap) quiche dishes. And I love me some quiche.
My semi-​habitual trips to this place involve said quiche, a few literary journals from their magazine section, and my laptop. As a place to meet with friends, or as a place to hang out and work or read alone, it’s the best in the area, as far as I’m concerned. The seats are comfy, the food pretty great for cheap retail fare, and no one cares if you stick around a while. As a bookstore, it’s fairly average, but for God’s sake, it’s a bookstore. Average for those is pretty freaking sweet. I’ve not been disappointed by the selection (although I’m pretty exclusively a Kindle man these days), and I swear to god they put something in the water when you work there, because I’ve never met anyone, at any JoBeth, that wasn’t downright awesome. Don’t waste your time driving all the way out to that Mall Road B&N. This place is where it’s at.

Calling all bibliophiles! This mega store is more than just a store for dead trees. There are so many things to feast your eyes on that you will easily spend a few hours browsing and soaking up this place.
I came here for the Maker’s Mark «dipping» event and besides totally enjoying the event, I really wanted to stick around and go down the many aisles. There is an entire section with what I’d call girly crafty type stuff. There is also a great café where I had a nice Pumpkin Latte ($ 5).
WiFi is available although its not the fastest. Instead, pick up a book or magazine and actually read, ha ha.
There is a really neat Children’s area that includes a stage where I assume shows and readings occur. Speaking of events, keep your eyes on their calendar for author visits and other unique experiences. I got to see a hat dipped in wax at the Maker’s Mark event.
Right inside the door are racks of books that are buy two get one free.
I agree with Howard’s assessment about this place feeling like a Hallmark store, but in this day and age, I guess they need to be this way to turn a profit.
There is plenty of parking and lots of other stores in this mega strip mall.

I attended an author night and then went back for an extended visit to poke around a bit while my family shopped at some of the surrounding stores.
First off, I’ll admit to a bias against Joseph-​Beth: I wrote a novel about a Kentucky figure. Joseph-​Beth was the rudest store to me when I approached them about carrying my book or having an author event. It’s a bit embarrassing to write but I was literally laughed at. So I don’t really buy the big sign on the wall about being an independent bookseller and the propaganda about supporting local artists. Another bookseller, a massive evil corporation who I won’t name (but their initials are B and N) was happy to host me and were very nice.
Anyway…now that you know my biases…
This place looks more like a Hallmark store with some books off to the side. I had the distinct feeling that the store’s main focus is on selling coffee products, some kitchy groceries and novelty gifts. Not books. This was borne out by the fact that while I sat there it didn’t seem like many people were browsing the books. If you are looking for non-​book gifts this would be the place.
On this trip I was looking for two authors. They had an OK selection of P.G. Wodehouse but no short story collections… and Wodehouse is known for his short stories. I also wanted something by two time Pulitzer winner and Indiana native (we are not too far from the Hoosier state) Booth Tarkington. I found nothing by Tarkington. I wanted a paper copy of Alice Adams but since I couldn’t find it I went ahead and downloaded a free copy onto my Kindle while I stood in front of the «T“s.

I grew up visiting the Joseph Beth in Oakley and am delighted to now have one in Northern Kentucky. Located in the Crestview Hills Towne Center, in the former Borders store, Joseph Beth is bright and brimming with all your literary needs.
I came here for a Meet The Author event: a reading of «The Night Circus» by Erin Morgenstern. I was surprised that a high profile author such as herself was coming to suburban Kentucky! I secured a front row seat as she read one of the chapters. Afterwards she did a Q&A session with the audience, answering everything from details about the book to questions about her favorite childhood fairytale.
Michael, the Joseph Beth program coordinator, did a fantastic job of leading the event, making sure everyone had a chance to meet and get a book signed by Erin, and have enough seating during the reading. Having dressed up like one of the book’s characters for the event, Michael gifted me with the store’s promotional poster for The Night Circus, took my picture with Erin, and had her sign the poster too. That’s now framed as a focal piece in my living room.
Being a regional bookstore, Joseph Beth has that community feel with the ability to attract grand events, like Morgenstern’s visit. Coming up, they’re having a mobile Maker’s Mark truck visit with wax dipping stations. Patrons will have a chance to coat their own whiskey nostalgia!
Joseph Beth offers more than just a good read; it’s a fantastic place for local activities as well.