Ben Franklin & MindFair Books

10/06/2026

Day 3️⃣ of Banned Book Week focuses on Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

In Atwood's dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead's commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive.

At once a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense, The Handmaid's Tale is a modern classic.

Available in-store & online.

10/05/2026

We are celebrating the second day of Banned Book Week with Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. 🎪

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

"This colorful headlong tale of a Depression-era circus simply can't be beat." --Stephen King

Find it in-store or through: https://bookshop.org/lists/banned-challenged-books-mindfair-books

10/04/2026

To celebrate the first day of Banned Book Week, we are featuring The Bluest Eye by the Lorain County Native, Toni Morrison.

Pecola Breedlove—an 11-year-old Black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others—prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning, and the tragedy of its fulfillment.

You can find The Bluest Eye in-store or online through: https://bookshop.org/lists/banned-challenged-books-mindfair-books

10/04/2026

Banned Books Week kicks off tomorrow! 📚

In the spirit of this year's theme, "Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read," we'll highlight some of our favorite banned & challenged books to remind our community that a handful of people running organized censorship campaigns should not be allowed to dictate what the rest of us can read.

Unable to shop in-store? Support us on Bookshop.org - https://bookshop.org/lists/banned-challenged-books-mindfair-books

09/27/2026

This Wednesday, during Crossing College, we are hosting an artist trading card & bookmark workshop. Come create, share, and have lots of fun!

Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own as well. 🎨

Oberlin's historic Ben Franklin store opened in 1935. In 2001, owner Krista Long took over and moved in with her new and used bookstore MindFair Books. Today, Ben Franklin has just about everything you need.

09/25/2026

Friends, our phone lines are not working properly. Frontier can't come until Monday, yes 3½ days. If you need to reach us please email us at [email protected] or [email protected]

09/24/2026

We can never get enough of William Morris's designs on paperblanks notebooks and tote bags. Morris worked with many mediums in his work, which we have featured alongside his designs.

In Oberlin, Morris is best known for "The Cause of Art is the Cause of the People," which is engraved at the entrance to the Allen Art Museum.

Art supplies are always 15% off for art students at Oberlin College, LCCC, FAVA, or elsewhere!

09/17/2026

MindFair & Friends Reading Club is THIS Saturday, September 19th at 12:30pm. This month's book is My Friends by Fredrik Backman, a deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later…

You can get the book in-store or online through the link below.

🔗 https://bookshop.org/lists/mindfair-friends-reading-club

09/16/2026

Have you heard about our Fabric Club? Spend $75 on fabric and earn $10 in free fabric! Sign up for the Fabric Club in-store and start earning towards your next reward. 🌟

09/05/2026

One of the most beautiful views in the store is our yarn wall, and it is even more beautiful now that we've just restocked with Bernat and Caron skeins. 🧶