Recently, when I was searching for a good book to read, I visited Wonderland Books, a new bookstore located on Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The shop has a broad array of books and literature-themed gifts, including stickers and stuffed animals.
On Dec. 14, 2024, Wonderland Books held its festive grand opening in Bethesda. After the closure of both Barnes & Noble in 2018 and Amazon Books in 2022, the area has gone without a reliable bookstore for years. As an independent bookstore, Wonderland Books is a much-needed location for the community to find like-minded lovers of literature.
The store was founded by Gayle Weiswasser and Amy Joyce who, after noticing the need for a bookstore, decided to team up and start a new chapter in their lives. During her professional career, Weiswasser worked as a lawyer and a corporate communications strategist. Despite the lengthy commitments of her job, she still devoted time to her love of reading and writing, publishing a book review blog and co-hosting the “Readerly Report” podcast. After a demanding school and work career, Weiswasser is using Wonderland Books as an opportunity to further immerse herself in her passions.
Joyce, a long-time friend of Weiswasser, always knew that she wanted to “work with words.” After majoring in English at Catholic University, she spent three decades working as an award-winning journalist for The Washington Post. While working for the newspaper, she authored, “I Went to College for This?” and wrote the On Parenting newsletters and essays. Having retired from journalism, Joyce can now devote all her attention to Wonderland Books and her family.
The name “Wonderland” came from the store’s belief that “reading and books open worlds of wonder, no matter where in life you are.” Growing up, Joyce remembers “books were a wonder, an escape, a magical place to go. As a 50-year-old woman, I still find bookstores to be my Wonderland.” Just like Alice fell into Wonderland in Lewis Carroll’s novel, customers can enter all of the fictional fantasies and whimsical worlds brought to life in the books housed in the store. For Weiswasser, “Wonderland” is also a reminder of the Boston subway’s last stop on the Blue Line. When she lived in Boston, Weiswasser used to see the name, stop, and think, “That sounds so exotic, wonderful, and different from law school. I wish I was in Wonderland.”
It is the owners’ goal for the store to be a safe space for education and discussions amid a world stifled by book banning. Wonderland Books is also a safe space for people to bring pets, including dogs. The interior of the store is more than 2000 square feet filled with books for all ages as well as stationery and cards. The cozy space is suitable for small kids, who will have fun discovering the “hidey-hole” in the store, and teens and adults who can enjoy the wide selection of books and monthly events.
Wonderland Books’ atmosphere and broad selection make it an accessible, fun store to visit in downtown Bethesda. Hours and upcoming event information are available on wonderlandbooks.com.
