Alabama Booksmith, owner Jake Reiss. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now) — Jake Reiss, the owner and founder of Alabama Booksmith. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Over the weekend, avid readers from across the globe made their first purchases at Homewood’s Alabama Booksmith following a feature in The New Yorker titled “The Unlikely Success of a Strange Alabama Bookstore.” Bham Now spoke with Jake Reiss, the venerable owner of the one-of-a-kind bookstore, to learn more.

Alabama Booksmith is a one-of-a-kind bookstore dating back to 1990

Butted up against Rosedale Dr. and the on-ramp to U.S. 31 in the northeast corner of downtown Homewood, Alabama Booksmith’s modest exterior conceals a literary treasure that any bookworm worth their salt should know.

Founded as Highland Booksmith in 1990 by Jake Reiss, Alabama Booksmith is the only bookstore in Alabama—and perhaps the only bookstore in the world—that exclusively sells books signed by their authors (usually first editions, too). To make matters even more puzzling, nearly every signed copy is sold at the publisher’s regular retail price.

It’s a business model I don’t quite understand.

“After nearly 50 years, I don’t quite understand it, either!”
Jake Reiss, owner and founder, Alabama Booksmith

Despite its bewildering business model, Alabama Booksmith is clearly doing something right.

Although the showroom is open for walk-in customers from 10AM to 6PM throughout the week (excluding Sundays), the majority of Alabama Booksmith’s business comes from the internet; Alabama Booksmith has an exclusive email list of around five thousand dedicated customers from around the world who get a first look at each week’s select signed titles.

Featured in The New Yorker

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Over the weekend, The New Yorker staff writer Casey Cep shared a feature on Alabama Booksmith titled, “The Unlikely Success of a Strange Alabama Bookstore.” A New York Times bestselling author herself, Cep launched her first book—Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee—at an event at Alabama Booksmith in 2019.

“My dear friend Ann Patchett, who owns the famous Parnassus Books in Nashville, suggested to [Casey] that The New Yorker ought to do a story on Alabama Booksmith. Ann Patchett’s name carries a lot of weight.”
Jake Reiss, owner and founder, Alabama Booksmith

Since the feature’s release, Alabama Booksmith has become overwhelmed with orders from around the world.

“We’ve been inundated with new orders this week, and we have been working night and day to catch up. We even put a disclaimer on our website—we thank our customers for their patience!”
Jake Reiss, owner and founder, Alabama Booksmith

Alabama Booksmith is no stranger to recognition. Earlier this year, Garden & Gun featured Jake Reiss and his bookstore in the magazine’s February/March 2026 issue.