229 Best Places to Shop in USA

For full-frontal nerdity in a chic modern setting, visit SF's premier comic book hangout. You'll find a great selection of graphic novels and artwork by popular and local artists, as well as lively after-hours events.

More than 100,000 titles, including a number of rare first editions, await book lovers at this legendary store that has especially strong collections of literature about Utah, Mormons, and Western exploration. The store moved into a space at The Leonardo museum in fall 2022.

This home away from home for the large Key West writers' community carries new, used, and rare titles. It specializes in Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and South Florida mystery writers.

With works by local authors, a wide selection of children's books, a dozen reading groups, and a community writing series, this converted cottage is a great place to browse and a terrific literary resource.

Japanophiles, get thee to this Tokyo-based chain for a huge collection of books, magazines, office supplies, collectibles, clothes, and gifts. Their manga selection is particularly impressive—nearly every title you could want is represented, and they'll happily order anything you don't find in the store.

The selection of English-language books about Japanese culture—everything from medieval history to origami instructions—is one of the finest in the country. Kinokuniya is also the city's biggest seller of Japanese-language books. Glossy Asian fashion magazines attract the young and trendy; the manga and anime books and magazines are wildly popular, too.

With more than 10,000 titles, this bookstore also sells Hawaiiana, children's toys, and whimsical gifts. Special events, such as readings, keiki (children's) storytime and book signings, are held weekly.

There are so many rows of bookshelves filling out this snug bookstore, you’ll feel like you’re burrowing through tunnels of leather-bound volumes. Landmark Booksellers specializes in old, out-of-print, and rare books, but they have some new books, as well. You’ll find plenty of Southern Americana here, as well as books that focus on regional history, culture, and literature. And all 35,000 books are nestled inside the oldest standing commercial building in Franklin (built in 1808). It’s a bibliophile’s dream.

Founded by local Bryn Mawr College alumnae, The Lantern is a shop for used and rare books run by volunteers. The profits of the sales go to the college to support students’ summer internships. Inside you can find an eclectic collection of books and rare magazines.

Cinephiles have long descended upon this iconic 87-plus-year-old shop that in addition to stocking tons of texts about motion picture history offers film fans the opportunity to pick up scripts, posters, and photographs from Hollywood's golden era to the present.

Belfast is blessed with multiple small bookshops, including Left Bank Books, located in the historic opera house building just off Main Street in the heart of downtown. It's the sort of place where you begin seeing books you want as soon as you step in the door. And if you don't, the knowledgeable staff will find it for you or happily order it. Books by Maine authors—many of them autographed—are a specialty.

Downtown Durham's independent bookseller since 2013, Letters moved down the road in 2021 to a two-level former bank with a stained-glass ceiling. Letters has a good selection of new and used fiction and nonfiction, local-interest books and bestsellers (at a discount), and a small beverage counter with puzzles, games, and cards upstairs.

Currently the only independent bookstore in the Bronx, The Lit. Bar opened in April 2019—on National Indie Bookstore Day by no coincidence—as the realized dream of Noëlle Santos, a Black/Puerto Rican venture activist, and proud Bronx native. Venue for the occasional author talk or book signing, The Lit. Bar is a place with a self-proclaimed "bookstore and chill" vibe—the chill component coming in the form of an on-site wine bar that also serves charcuterie boards, boozy pudding pops, and gourmet popcorn.

This independent bookstore is the place to pick up a beach read or regional-interest book. It's also the home base for authors who want to return home after making it on the bestseller list, via their "Litchfield Books Exclusive Author Events" series of lectures and classes.

With story time three times a week, a wide selection of children's books from board to chapter and beyond, and a frequent host to kids' book authors, this may be the best children's bookstore in the Atlanta area.

This longtime bookseller is stocked with publications on San Juan Islands history and activities, as well as tomes about the Pacific Northwest. There's also a good selection of mysteries, literary novels, children's books, and craft kits, plus greeting cards, art prints, and maps. Many of the items sold here are the works of local writers, artists, and photographers.

Since 1981, this multilevel used-book store has been selling "rare to medium rare" books with plenty of meaty titles in all genres, especially out-of-print literature. Formerly called Idle Time Books, Lost City Books retains all the charm that has kept it in business for more than four decades, with the addition of thoughtful curation and a well-organized selection of books, making it both easy and enjoyable to browse in a recently remodeled, warm and cozy space.

A refreshingly analog shop, McNally Jackson Seaport is a welcome haven for browsing books, magazines, a great children’s section, cards and souvenirs, and more. This beloved independent bookstore stocks many thousands of titles on two floors in the historic 1811 Schermerhorn Row building, with a café at street level and a few outdoor tables. This is one of five locations around NYC, all of them well worth a visit. Check the website for upcoming in-store events.

Whether you're searching for a laminated pocket map of Seattle or a world map made up of music notes, stop here for a massive selection of books, globes, charts, atlases, antique reproduction maps, and local satellite images. Don't let the store's location in the middle of Pike Place Market fool you: this is a Seattle institution, not a tourist trap.

Langley's independent bookshop, an institution since 1972, stocks a wonderful and eclectic array of fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks—and, according to the owners, "books you didn't even know you wanted until you stepped inside."

Curated nerd stuff—that's their motto, not us saying it! This comic book store goes deep into the form, with a stellar graphic novel selection as well as current comic books and back issues.

An indie new-and-used shop with a café, Napa Bookmine often hosts author events. Specialties include children's and teen titles, wine books, and works by local writers.

The heart of Manchester Center, this bookstore is adored by visitors and residents alike for its ambience, selection, and service. Up the iron staircase is a second floor dedicated to children's books, toys, and clothes.

The building's contemporary architecture stands out, and the attractive layout inside invites customers to leisurely browse a wide selection of works with an emphasis on architecture, art, and fiction as well as books of local interest. The store hosts frequent book signings.

In addition to stocking 50,000 new and used titles, Odyssey has readings and book signings by locally (and sometimes nationally) known authors. There's a special event more nights than not.

Off the Beaten Path is a throwback to the Beat Generation, with poetry readings, lectures, and concerts. It has an excellent selection of New Age works, in addition to the usual best sellers and travel guides. The on-site coffee shop is the best in town, with fresh baked goods and sandwiches. Hours vary by season so call ahead to confirm.

If you're intoxicated by the smell of well-worn books, you'll be addicted as soon as you step inside this store. Among its thousands of treasures are rare paperbacks, gently used cookbooks, and recent novels. Grab a coffee or a local beer from the small bar while you peruse the largest collection of African American literature in town and a huge selection of Judaica, plus theater books and movie and film scripts. The shop hosts events, such as a book club and literary walks.

The knowledgeable staff and impressive collection of Alaska titles make a visit to Old Harbor a pleasure. The Backdoor Café, a cozy politically progressive hangout behind the bookstore, serves excellent espresso and fresh-baked pastries.

Love to eat? Love to read? Then this place is paradise. The shelves are bursting with books on growing and cooking food. The store stocks cookbooks on such diverse subjects as the cuisine of colonial Jamaica or 1940s creole cooking. And if you're after a signed first edition by Julia Child or James Beard, you'll find that, too. The shop frequently hosts fun conversations with cookbook authors and chefs.

This poetry-dedicated bookshop (one of only a few of its kind in the United States) is a space for literary-loving community and poetry books of all kinds. New, modern poetry books, used books, well-loved classics, rare editions, and poets from around the world are represented in A Poem Emporium, which occasionally hosts readings and events as well, and proudly represents minorities and contemporary social justice movements through both its book selection and window displays.