229 Best Places to Shop in USA

With a tiny spiral staircase leading to the basement, and resident cats wandering through the tightly packed aisles, Ophelia's offers a classic used-bookstore experience in an age when so many are disappearing. The owner is known for her excellent taste, and it shows—you'll find major titles from notable authors as well as obscure works and poetry books. Be sure to ask for recommendations—she'll be happy to help.

Comics and geek culture may be more popular than ever but many fans still feel underserved by the shops catering to the traditional audience. Enter Outsider Comics and Geek Boutique, a small, welcoming space that showcases comics and more created by and for women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community. The unique selection might even make a new comics appreciator out of you.

One of the city's best independent bookstores, Page 1 is a singular find for its mix of rare and used books shelved to entice the serious browser, while also offering a deep selection of literature, fiction and nonfiction, print ephemera, books for kids, and gifts for the book lover. Count on astute staff recommendations, as well as a regular roster of book signings, poetry readings, and children's events.

Small but full of treasures, Panoply sells used and rare books of all kinds, including art books, biographies, and fiction, as well as a curated selection of vinyl records and CDs. One of its categories is "random cool stuff," which in fact describes the whole inventory.

A booklover's bookstore with creaky floors and cozy quarters, Parnassus stocks many Alaskan titles.

Parnassus Books is best-selling author Ann Patchett’s independent bookstore and one of Nashville's greatest literary destinations. Come for the shop's well-stocked curated selection of fiction, nonfiction, and more, and check the online schedule for special events like author signings and family story times.

Select a book from the discounted staff recommendation table, or from categories such as history, outdoor recreation, field guides, regional, science, and fiction. Sisters' leading independent bookstore also sells toys and games, and has a substantial young readers section.

At more than 50,000 square feet, this shop, operated by Barnes & Noble, is one of the largest academic bookstores in the United States. It also offers best sellers and and the usual variety, and all the University of Pennsylvania insignia clothing and memorabilia you could want.

Although longtime owner Ed Hermance retired and closed this historic bookstore in 2014, Philly AIDS Thrift, now owner of both the business and building, revived it for a new generation interested in LGBTQ+ fiction and nonfiction. Focusing on books dealing with gay, lesbian, and feminist topics, Giovanni’s Room stocks an extensive inventory and sponsors many author appearances. The books are paired with a selection of clothing, home goods, and art.

A gem of an independent bookstore, Phinney Books is owned by local eight-time Jeopardy! champ and reading enthusiast Tom Nissley, who stocks his charming shop with an expertly curated selection of books, including many titles by local authors and a whimsical section for kids.

The bookshelves here are stacked high with new and used reads in all genres. The employee-owned and -operated shop also supports local literacy programs.

Come to this family-owned bookshop for the outstanding selection of contemporary and classic books across genres. Don't miss the cheeky and serious high-quality greeting cards.

The showroom of this edgy art-book publisher is a vision in concrete and steel. Its bright bookshop sells design and photography books, children's titles, Brooklyn-centric gifts, and the latest new fiction and nonfiction books. The space hosts book launches, readings, and discussion groups. There's also a bar and café.

Even when Las Vegas was a smaller town in the 1980s, this was the place to go for hypnotherapy, psychic readings, and past-life regressions. Behind the innocuous strip-mall facade are all sorts of esoteric books, lucky talismans, tarot cards, and candles. Another Las Vegas location closed in 2025.

It seems every Seattle neighborhood has its beloved bookstore, and Queen Anne’s favorite is no exception. The selection is thoughtfully curated, blending popular titles with unexpected finds, and the well-read staff love talking books. They shine in their recommendations for kids’ titles and regional reads. Even better, the shop is attached to Queen Anne Coffee Co., so you can grab a latte, settle onto the patio, and dive right into your new purchase.

This indie bookstore offers one of the city's most diverse selections of reading material. You’ll find everything from fancy coffee-table art books and flashy comics to hand-drawn zines created by obscure local artists.

One of Montana's largest bookstores, Second Edition Books, buys, sells, and trades books on many different subjects but specializes in hard-to-find regional tomes.

Located in a former brothel, this fun shop offers a wide range of books, segmented into different sections in the tiny rooms once frequented by ladies of the night. The adjacent Night Heron Books & Coffeehouse sells used books, as well as coffee and locally sourced eats, including sandwiches, soups, and pastries. A door divides the two spaces.

One of the largest used and rare book stores in the country, Second Story Books has grown along with its neighborhood, and its orderly and classy space houses rare books, signed first editions, maps, posters, manuscripts, CDs, prints, and DVDs. (There are often bargain books for sale, usually outside the store.) A knowledgeable staff is always on hand to help you shop.

Named after the Francis Hodgson Burnett classic, this cozy shop has delighted readers for decades. It stocks a wide array of imaginative literature and thoughtful nonfiction for all ages, but their children's section is particularly noteworthy.

Sister shop to one of New York City's most iconic bookshops, founded in 1983 on the Upper East Side, this new Upper West Side outpost offers a generous 3,000 square feet to find your favorite books, a café, cool merchandise, and even a printing machine to print books (including your own work) on demand. There is another location farther uptown at 105th and Broadway.

What distinguishes Shakespeare & Co. from so many other bookshops is that it's the brick-and-mortar bookstore for Hunter College. Plus, it carries a ton of art supplies. Order a cup of coffee or a pastry from the café while browsing various titles and genres. There also are two Upper West Side locations.

Works by Montana authors, a fine selection of the best books from anywhere, and gifts are found at this literary outlet, a linchpin in Missoula for more than 25 years. Readings, signings, and other literary events are scheduled year-round at this comfortable shop, where you're likely to rub elbows with an author browsing the shelves.

Off an alley in a big, beautiful white house that served as a boardinghouse for fishermen and schoolteachers, this shop stocks books on Alaska, best sellers, cards, and gifts.

This small but quaint bookstore carries Alaska titles, children's books, magazines, maps, and gifts. Its moniker is a throwback to the town name's former spelling. The owner, Jeff Brady, ran the local newspaper, the Skagway News, for more than 30 years.

The quirky name here references a local plant that emerges early each year, melting the snow around it and helping ready the ground for spring. It's a metaphor for the shop's project of creating a community ecosystem by hosting events like poetry and gardening workshops, and stocking ceramics and candles from local makers. Oh yeah, there are books too; the indie fiction offerings shine, and the nonfiction section's ready to sate curiosity on subjects from climate change to cooking. 

A neighborhood bookstore through and through, Skylight has excellent sections devoted to kids, fiction, travel, and food. The space also hosts book discussion groups, panels, and author readings with hip literati. Art lovers can peruse texts on design and photography, graphic novels, and indie magazines at Skylight's annex a few doors down.

Stories Books and Café has persevered through all of Echo Park's growing pains, continuing to be the mainstay for local booklovers. The unconventional bookstore features an off-the-beaten-path collection of new and used literature, a café with ample work space, and a back patio that showcases live performances and readings.

This charming, whimsical children's bookstore has a darling reading area for little ones as well as educational toys for infants to teens.