Bolin Books is a community bookstore in downtown Murray, Kentucky focusing on used, vintage, and rare books.

Owned and operated by Wesley and Whitney Bolin, our bookstore journey is a long and eventful one, featuring years of public library book sales, book vacations, and back of the napkin plans for a some-day store. Wesley worked all of 2022 to source inventory and search for locations for a future brick-and-mortar store.

Wesley's father, James Duane Bolin, also had a longtime dream of running a small town bookstore. He and Wesley spoke often about the idea of Bolin Books and dreamed of what it could become. On August 27, 2022, Duane passed away suddenly in his sleep while reading a novel about a bookstore. We renewed our efforts to bring Bolin Books to life following his passing and have dedicated the store in his honor and memory.

Wesley's love of reading came directly from his parents who read to him even before he was born. Wesley read the Boxcar Children with his mother, Evelyn, a long-time elementary and preschool teacher and read the Chronicles of Narnia and the Great Illustrated Classics with his father, a professor and author. His sister Cammie Jo is a professor and published author as well.

While Whitney did not frequent libraries as often growing up, one of her favorite childhood memories was the first time she read a whole book in a day—Sideways Stories from Wayside School—in a small nook on a weekday with no school. The magic endured and Whitney studied journalism, grammar, and short stories in college leading to careers in public radio and technical writing.

Bolin Books hopes to help the people living, visiting, and passing through Murray discover or rediscover their own love of books and reading.