The first time I spotted this shop in downtown Loreto was when it was the target of bright lights from the vehicle I was in.
We had driven down Paseo Hidalgo planning to find good eats at La Palapa only to realize the dugged up streets with the rain from previous days had made the road completely unsuitable for driving. As we were making a three point turn, the headlight beams of the vehicle reflected off of a sign in a little shop. I quickly caught the symbols on it which read, “Baja Books”.
How charming I thought. A little bookstore in Loreto.
A couple of days later while trying to kill some time before our spa appointment we stumbled upon the book store again and decided to go in.
As you step into the store, you are first greeted with a room that looked like it could have been an exterior porch at one time filled with used books. A lady, who turned out to be one of the owners, greeted us. I asked if the store only sold used books to which she replied no, she had new books out in the back, but the used books were by far her most popular item.
As we crossed the threshold of another doorway, we had entered a second room which had shelves of new books as well as some eclectic clay mugs. She makes the mugs herself and fires them in her own kiln in the back.
Jeannine had been a special education teacher in another life and always loved art so when she moved here to Loreto and opened up a bookstore, she decided to also make pottery. She also holds art classes for children in the community and had a class going on when we visited in her side yard under a canopy.
I also met Alberto who was the co-owner of the store and her husband. He had been busy in the backyard building a palapa.
I glanced at my watch and realized that I had to get going to make it to my spa appointment so I bid farewell.
Clint wrote a little note in their guest book and now what it said has come true!
El Caballo Blanco (“The White Horse”) Bookstore
Address: Paseo Hidalgo #19 (2 blocks from the Malecon) in Loreto, BCS, Mexico
Owners: Alberto and Jeannine Perez
