From fictional places like Hogsmeade in the Harry Potter series to real places like the pyramids in Egypt, books can take a reader anywhere at any time. That is why bookstore owner Walt Pahucki hopes to take readers on a trek through the Hudson Valley.

Pahucki fell in love with books after reading C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” He loves the way books allow a reader to tap into their imagination in a way movies cannot.

“With the books, you have to imagine what the people look like and what the places look like,” says Pahucki.

What You Need To Know

  • Walt Pahucki started the Hudson Valley Book Trail in 2018 as a way to bring together indie bookstores

  • He plans on making the book trail a not-for-profit organization in the future to raise money for literacy programs

  • Each year, the shops on the trail have special events and discounts for Indie Book Store Day in April

In 2014, he opened “Montgomery Book Exchange,” an independent used bookstore in the Village of Montgomery. While traveling around the Hudson Valley and visiting other local book stores, he came up with a way to connect the shops together while also attracting tourism.

“I've heard of wine trails and beer trails and antique trails and all these different things that people are come coming up or traveling around the area for, and we have so many bookstores that we thought it'd be cool to have a map that had all the book trails,” says Pahucki.

In 2018, Pahucki started the Hudson Valley Book Trail, as a way to bring together indie book stores in the Hudson Valley. From Peekskill to Hudson, bibliophiles and literary types of all kinds can visit the more than 30 shops on the trail.

“We just hope that people can find all the bookstores. And also, when they're here, say, Montgomery at our store, we hope that they find … the Airbnb across the street, or the cafe next door,” says Pahucki.

He plans on making the book trail a not-for-profit organization in the future to raise money for literacy programs.

“To get books in the hands of kids in general, or to get grants for adult literacy programs,” says Pahucki, “when you look at how many adults there are that simply cannot read … we just can't fathom that.”

Each year, the shops on the Hudson Valley Book Trail have special events and discounts for Indie Book Store Day, which is held on the last Saturday in April.

For a map of the Hudson Valley Book Trail, visit HVbooktrail.com.