The past decade has been a surprisingly good one for the independent bookstore. Despite the ubiquity of internet-based bookselling, the number of indie bookstores in the United States grew by 49% from 2009 to 2019, according to the American Booksellers Association.
Then, of course, the pandemic hit. As safety restrictions closed shops or cut hours, many independent bookstores seemed once again to be nearing their final chapter.
But a book-hungry public has kept many of its favorite shops alive, buying books online or via curbside pickups, even donating cash and services.
“We had one customer who ran a web-based conferencing company contact me, unsolicited, to offer his platform to host our author events,” says Elaine Petrocelli, founder of San Francisco’s Book Passage. “It’s really heartwarming to get this level of support from our community.”
Now that bookshops are reopening for in-person business, it’s a great time to take a road trip to visit some of the best. The stores highlighted here have a uniquely local feel that can’t be replicated with a mouse click. Each route has a few suggestions for stops between shops too.
Route 1: Los Angeles, CA, to Mill Valley, CA
The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA
Housed in an old bank with a reading room inside a former vault, this huge space is packed with new and used books, vintage records, and plenty of comfy couches.
“I created this place as somewhere I would want to hang out all the time. It’s sort of a huge living room for me,” says founder Josh Spencer.
Bart’s Books, Ojai, CA
Perfect for pandemic-era browsing, Bart’s showcases more than 130,000 books on a palm tree-lined patio in the laid-back town of Ojai.
Visit its street-side shelves, and pay on the honor system. The style was inspired by book carts along the Seine River in Paris.
Hotel San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA
This stylish hotel opened in 2020 in a central downtown location. The rooftop cafe, overlooking rolling green hills, is a nice spot to read your new purchase before a drive to nearby beaches.
Hearst Castle®, San Simeon, CA
Along the oceanside on U.S. Highway 1, William Randolph Hearst’s opulent estate features tours through rooms and suites full of historic treasures, including a massive library with 150 ancient Greek vases.
National Steinbeck Center, Salinas, CA
Do a deep dive into the life and works of Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck at this museum and memorial.
Marcus Books, Oakland, CA
America’s oldest independent Black-owned bookstore, named for Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, has been an important literary and cultural center since 1960, hosting readings from authors including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Muhammad Ali.
Blanche Richardson, daughter of the founders, runs the shop with the help of her kids and grandkids. “Our mission is still the same as it was when we began – to be a community resource for books by and about Black people,” she says.
The Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA
Petrocelli’s Book Passage is located inside this historic, restored bayside building. So are some excellent restaurants and food shops, including modern Vietnamese restaurant The Slanted Door and seafood bar Hog Island Oyster Co.®
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, CA
Hike amid towering trees in this 554-acre old-growth forest managed by the National Park Service. The land is named for the California-based naturalist and author John Muir, who once advised Ralph Waldo Emerson: “You are yourself a sequoia. Stop and get acquainted with your big brethren.”
Route 2: Austin, TX, to Archer City, TX
Casa de Resistencia Books, Austin, TX
This bookstore was founded by activist and poet Raúl Salinas in 1983 to help provide a voice to underrepresented Native American, Latino, Black, feminist and LGBTQ authors by publishing, publicizing and sharing their books.
In its nearly 40-year history, the shop has had to move several times due to rent hikes, most recently to Austin’s Montopolis neighborhood (with limited hours). Each new home maintains the same spirit – an inclusive space that skips the glossy bestsellers in favor of titles from small presses and independent publishers.
Waco Mammoth National Monument, Waco, TX
Another National Park Service site, this scenic 108-acre park offers visitors the chance to see the preserved remains of 24 Columbian mammoths that were excavated there in the 1970s-1990s.
Jasper’s Bar-B-Q, Waco, TX
Jasper’s opened in 1919 at a local interurban railway, where the small white shack still stands today. Try the “Taste” of Jasper’s Plate: two pork spareribs, sausage link, red ring bologna, chopped beef, sliced beef with bread, pickles, jalapeños, onions and a drink.
The Wild Detectives, Dallas, TX
Friends Javier García del Moral and Paco Vique founded Wild Detectives, named for a Roberto Bolaño novel, The Savage Detectives, to create a European-style literary cafe where customers would not just read books but hang out and talk about them.
They accomplish the salon feel by hosting author events, poetry readings, DJ sets and movie screenings, fueled by empanadas and Jarritos® sodas or Lone Star beers from the shop’s cafe and bar.
The Daisy Polk Inn, Dallas, TX
Opera singer Daisy Polk lived for many years in this 1910 house, now a charming inn and historic landmark with modern amenities and period decor. Book the Reagan Room for access to Polk’s original upstairs bathroom with vintage pedestal tub.
Recycled Books, Records, & CDs, Denton, TX
This Texas-sized shop offers 500,000 used books as well as records, CDs and DVDs arrayed over three floors in the purple Wright Opera House building, built in 1900.
Unique book subsections include Circus/Carnival, Pirates and Treasures, and Hot Air Ballooning. There are also large sections dedicated to fine literature, Texas and mysteries.
Booked Up, Archer City, TX
Famed Westerns author Larry McMurtry spent decades collecting and selling rare books. In 2012, the Pulitzer Prize winner consolidated four stores into one in his hometown of Archer City, which he helped manage up to his death at age 84 in 2021.
Booked Up houses 200,000 books with a focus on fine, rare and scholarly works.
Route 3: Boston, MA, to Portland, ME
Brookline Booksmith, Boston, MA
Family-owned since 1961, Brookline keeps a homey feel with wood floors, string lights and expansive rows of books, both new and used for all ages.
In 2020, the owners took over a former cellphone store to expand their bookselling space by 4,000 square feet and to accommodate The Novel Kitchen, a cafe with mezze plates and chocolate flights.
Walden Pond, Concord, MA
Visit the setting that inspired Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Peek into a replica of his one-room cabin from 1845, then hike, take a dip or paddle a boat around the pond.
Susie’s Stories, Rockport, MA
In the summer of 2019, children’s book author Susie Rich opened this small shop in beautiful coastal Rockport as a place to sell children’s books that promote a positive self-image.
She’s expanded into selling some young adult and adult literature, but the focus still remains on children’s titles, from Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky to Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o.
Book & Bar, Portsmouth, NH
This combination bookstore, cafe and music venue is housed in the city’s 1860 Custom House building, complete with original iron columns framing the bar.
The store is as much for socializing as it is for shopping, hosting open mic and beat poetry nights. “If you leave here feeling as if you just found a treasure and made some friends, then we have accomplished our goals,” says owner David Pelletier.
Maine Diner®, Wells, ME
This 38-year-old roadside diner has a half-acre garden out back, where owners grow everything from broccoli and asparagus to beets and butternut squash. Guests are welcome to stroll the grounds before or after their meal.
Sherman’s of Portland, Portland, ME
Originally opened as a printer and bookmaker in 1886, Sherman’s has grown to encompass five shops along the Maine coast specializing in regional New England and local Maine writers.
The Portland location, in the heart of downtown, fits neatly into a day of exploring shops and restaurants on foot.
The Press Hotel, Portland, ME
Stay in a hotel built out of the 1923 Portland Press Herald newspaper building. Decor incorporates vintage typewriters and type letter signage; other unique touches include rotating art exhibits and the appropriately named Inkwell cafe.
