Call us shallow or impossibly snotty — we always judge a book by its cover and a city by its bookstore. Portland has Powell's, New York's got The Strand, even Venice Beach has an amazing independent bookstore, Small World Books, right on the main drag between the T-shirt shops and the henna stands. But when it comes to our town, things have been awkward: For many years, the city of Phoenix really didn't have a bookstore, not a legit indie with new titles and author events. Finally, the day came — in late May, to be exact — and we learned we are not alone in our sentiments, as eager customers flooded the new Changing Hands, housed in a gorgeous space in a development called The Newton in the space formerly occupied by the legendary restaurant Beefeaters. And with that, Phoenix had arrived. Tempe remains lucky as ever — the East Valley outpost of CHB is still running strong and the bookstore will continue to host events all over town.