Tucked among the small shops and restaurants in Ozona sits a new haven for readers.
A former tenant at the Oldsmar Flea Market, Bitter End Books recently opened a brick-and-mortar location at 306 Orange St., in downtown Ozona. The shop carries gently used fiction, classics, art and photography books, and antique and collectible books, but can also ship new titles directly to customers from its warehouse, said Crystal Niforos, who owns the store with her husband, Joseph.
“We live just down the road and spend a lot of time in Ozona,” she said. “It’s beautiful, charming and removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life, which we thought was perfect for a bookshop.”
As an added bonus, the shop is next to the Courtyard Cafe, which has tables and chairs outside — creating the perfect spot to read a book and grab a bite to eat, she said.
“Our shop is small but cozy,” she said. “We hope it feels like a refuge and that readers serendipitously find something they love.”
The couple say their goal is to share their passion for books with others. Joseph has a background in publishing and worked at Simon & Schuster in New York City, while Crystal is an editor and holds a Master of Arts in Spanish literature.
“We’ve sold so many wonderful items over the years, including a fine first edition of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ by John Steinbeck and a signed copy of ‘The Prophet’ by Kahlil Gibran,” Joseph said.
Rare booksellers since 2007, they are also members of the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association and the American Booksellers Association.
“Often, we find great books on our travels that don’t fit in with our online inventory, and we decided to set up shop at the market briefly until the right brick-and-mortar location was found,” Joseph said.
Most books the shop sells are purchased from local readers and collectors, though they also buy rare, antiquarian and scholarly books at auction.
“Books are meant to be read, collected and ultimately passed along,” Crystal said. “Hopefully, our shop can help facilitate this cycle in the community.”
Even when surrounded by thousands of books, there’s one that resonates with Joseph and is a recommended must-read — “Moby Dick,” the 19th-century American novel by Herman Melville.
“It’s such a rich book that unveils something new and illuminating on every re-read,” he said.
Crystal recommends that customers dive into the world of poetry.
“My favorites include Angel González, Luis García Montero, C.P. Cavafy, Rabindranath Tagore, and the ‘Book of Psalms,’” she said.
Bitter End Books is open noon to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday, though hours may change in the future, Crystal said.
