Don’t get us wrong. We love Powell’s, The Strand, Rizzoli, Shakespeare & Company, and all the other great bookstores of the world. And the cozy little ones, too. We always seek them out when we travel. But we have a few favorites that stand out among all the others. These are shops that each have a unique ambience – a welcoming vibe, or a particular magic that coaxes us to linger inside and savor the company of good books. Places like these are especially appreciated on a chilly winter’s afternoon.
Argosy Books
New York, New York
A visit to the Argosy feels like you’ve entered a time warp. What with the gracious quietude of the place, the paintings on the walls, tables and shelves arranged with leather-bound rare books, the wooden desks and green-shaded bankers’ lamps, it could easily be 1925, the very year this venerable bookstore was founded. The six-story townhouse features first editions, bargain and out-of-print books, antique maps, prints, and autographs, all organized by expert staff. The upper floors are navigated by way of an appropriately archaic elevator.
Whiling away a few hours at Argosy Books may feel as though you’re in a movie set of a grand old bookstore, and in fact you are. It has been used as a setting for numerous movies and TV dramas.
Baldwin’s Book Barn
West Chester, Pennsylvania
There’s nothing that quite compares to the remarkable experience of getting lost in a good book, but getting lost in a remarkable bookstore like Baldwin’s comes pretty darn close. Housed in a 204-year-old former dairy barn, this unique shop has five floors of well-curated shelves of old prints, maps, and used and collectible books – over 300,000 books currently.
The saying at this remarkable bookstore goes, “You may not find a book, but a book will find you.” And while you’re waiting for that to happen, pull up an antique chair and warm yourself near the wood burning stove and chat with the friendly staff and other book hunters.
Baldwin’s is known the world over and an employee says that once traveling bibliophiles find their way to the bookstore, they don’t want to leave. “They ask us if they can sleep here!” she adds with a chuckle.
Lost Books LA
Glendale, California
The little sister to LA’s gigantic Last Bookstore, Lost Books LA is a book and nature-lover’s dream space. More like a cozy book boutique, this charming shop sells new and used books, gifts, tropical plants, handmade wellness products, and vinyl records from shelves bedecked with living greenery. Plus, there’s an aquarium, a few birds, comfy chairs, a coffee bar, and it’s dog friendly! We can’t imagine a lovelier place to spend a gray old winter day!
The living plant tunnel is a popular Instagram selfie spot.
Libreria Acqua Alta
Venice, Italy
Books are piled, stacked and crammed everywhere in this whimsically overstuffed bibliophile’s hideaway. Named for the high waters that sometimes flood the island, fear not: the shop keeps most of its book stock safely stashed inside large basins, bathtubs, and even a real gondola. There’s also a staircase built with old books, a shop cat named Cocolina, and a door labeled “fire escape” that opens directly onto the canal.
Bart’s Books
Ojai, California
The world’s largest outdoor bookstore is a popular destination located in the idyllic town of Ojai. The shop, which opened in 1964, occupies the interior of the founder Richard Bartinsdale’s cottage, and most of the outdoor areas that surround it on West Matilija Street. Inspiration for Bart’s came from the open-air book carts lined up along the Seine in Paris. Book hounds can browse Bart’s collection of over 130,000 used and new books, ranging from rare out-of-print gems to well-loved paperbacks.
Many author and musical events are held on the lovely central patio. Open seven days a week until sunset, customers can still purchase the bargain books from the home’s streetside shelves after hours and pay for them by dropping coins through a slot in the front door.
Ojai, set in the valley of the Topatopa Mountains, is said to be located smack dab in the center of an electromagnetic vortex of good energy.
Livraria Lello
Porto, Portugal
Universally regarded as the most beautiful bookstore in the world. The business opened to the public in 1881 and moved to its current, stunning location in 1906. The aim of the shop’s owners states, “We seek to contribute to a more cultured world, with more readers and more books and thus to a happier world.”
The store has a vast selection of new books available in many different languages, plus rare books, manuscripts, first editions, and “luxury books.”
Author J.K. Rowling visited Livraria Lello in 1991 while working on the first book in her Harry Potter series. It is thought that the bookstore’s neo-Gothic exterior and its baronial interiors, especially the grand staircase and stained-glass skylight may have inspired some of her details of both Hogwarts School and the Flourish and Blotts bookshop.
Word on the Water
London, England
Word on the Water has been bobbing on the waters of London since 2011 in a 1920s Dutch barge that has been lovingly transformed into a floating book shop. The barge used to travel along Regent's Canal, but it’s now taken up permanent residence by Granary Square in King’s Cross. The shop stocks a neat collection of new and used books, filling every nook and cranny, both inside and out on deck.
As well as keenly priced books they boast a cozy woodburning stove, friendly dog, and occasional live jazz performances and poetry slams.
Morioka Shoten
Tokyo, Japan
The tiny Morioka Shoten bookstore in Tokyo has a slogan: “A Single Room with a Single Book.” The aptly describes its quirky custom of selling multiple copies of only one specially selected book each week.
The minimalist shop itself morphs into an immersive display space with art and objects curated into thought-provoking exhibitions that promote each week’s title, attracting visitors from around the world.
Morioka Shoten is the brainchild of bookseller Yoshuyuki Morioka who has previously staged many successful book launch events at standard bookstores.
Atlantis Books
Santorini, Greece
Atlantis Books has been called the most beautiful bookstore in Greece. It opened in Santorini in 2004 by owners Oliver and Craig who had spent a week on the island two years before. The beautiful locale inspired them, but they noticed there was no bookshop, so they drank some wine and decided to open one. And then, as their story goes, “We found an empty building in Oia, drank some whiskey, and signed a lease. We found a dog and a cat, opened a bank account, built some shelves and filled the place with books.”
The unique, laidback vibe of the bookshop definitely matches that of its owners. Inside, as well as friendly faces, you’ll find a great selection of new and used fiction and nonfiction books, poetry, philosophy, art, as well as a special collection of books about Greek history, art, and culture. The shop also hosts readings, food festivals, and film showings out on its lovely terrace that overlooks the blue Aegean Sea.
Montague Bookmill
Montague, Massachusetts
“Books you don't need in a place you can't find,” may be the Montague Bookmill’s motto, but once you do find it, you’ll never want to leave. Thousands of used books beckon from shelves and tabletops organized into sections that overflow from room to room in this 19th century gristmill. The shop is a true “third place” where locals of this bucolic, arts-focused village -- and the few lucky visitors who stumble upon it -- meet up and hang out. Comfy chairs, handy piles of books to browse, and window views of the rushing Sawmill River will lull you into spending hours here, happy as a clam.
Author readings and music performances take place in the charming upstairs loft. Plus, the Lady Killigrew café is also located in the mill and serves delicious coffee, teas, beer, cocktails, homemade sandwiches and hearty soups all day.
Drama Book Shop
New York, New York
Drama Book Shop has been a mainstay for drama, arts, and music students, professionals, and fans since 1917. The one-of-a-kind shop’s selection includes thousands of books, play scripts, musical libretti, sheet music, and ephemera related to the performing arts.
The bookstore was forced to shutter its original 40th Street location in early 2019, a victim of Manhattan’s rising rents. Luckily, the 107-year-old theatrical institution was subsequently purchased by a group of investors and theatre devotees including “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose hit show “In the Heights” was originally rehearsed in the book shop’s basement.
The store re-opened its doors at a new location at 266 West 39th Street in 2021. Its cozy interior features beautiful wood shelving, a spiraling “book worm” art installation suspended from the ceiling, displays of theatrical posters and memorabilia, and a coffee bar.
Theatre devotees visit the Drama Book Shop from all around the world, and on any given day, you will see Broadway and Off-Broadway actors in the shop at one of the many events or simply there browsing.
Book and Bed
Tokyo, Japan
Now here is a bibliophile’s dream! This Tokyo book shop is cozy with warm, ambient lighting casting a gentle glow over the sleek wood shelving filled with 4,000 classic and modern books of every genre. Soft fabrics and the subtle scent of paper combine to create a serene haven -- a place you could spend hours relaxing and reading. In fact, not only can you lounge the hours away in this literary snuggery, but you can even spend the night here. You see, Book and Bed is not a bookstore at all, but a beautiful bookstore-themed hotel.
A mere $34 gets you a single room for the night, including luggage storage and free wifi. Toothbrushes and shaving supplies are extra. Pajamas rent for $4. Double and superior rooms also available. Choose any books you desire for bedtime reading but remember to return them to their shelves next morning.
Daytime visitors can also nap on the comfy couches for $4.67 an hour. A café on site serves beverages and snacks. Two other Book and Bed hotels are located in Osaka and Fukuoka.
All photos courtesy of the bookstores.
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