Best Bookstores for Fantasy Nerds

This week we wanted to share with you our picks for the best bookstores to visit! For this list, we stuck with bookstores in the U.S. We hope you enjoy our list and find inspiration! 

McKay’s – Nashville, TN

McKay’s is a bookstore in Nashville as well as other cities Tennessee. When I lived in Nashville I would frequent McKay’s as often as I could! Two stories piled high with used as well as new books. They also have a treasure trove of music, manga, action figures, and musical instruments. I’ve found some of the coolest items I own at McKay’s, it’s like walking into a wonderland built for Fantasy Nerds! 

Powell’s – Portland, OR

Powell’s is a huge, multiple story and multiple room bookstore full of used and new books! It even has a little cafe where you can grab a delicious cup of coffee and read your new books with a beautiful view of the city. Each room is dedicated to a genre, so you can easily find what you’re looking for. I once found an original printing of The Lord of the Rings at Powell’s, which is to this day one of my prized possessions!  

The Grumpy Bookpeddler – Murfreesboro, TN

While this bookstore isn’t the largest, I felt the need to add it to the list, and here’s why; my little brother and I used to go to this bookstore easily once a week, the owner of the store is quite literally a grumpy bookpeddler. An older gentleman who rarely spoke, but over time my brother and I would ask him questions, and he started to talk to us and give us book recommendations. It became such a pleasant experience to hear his thoughts on his favorite books, or on the books we were choosing. It’s mostly used books, and they were usually no more than three or four dollars, so we would purchase a few, read them, and then return them for whoever else was destined to read them. The grumpy man would often give us a discount for returning them, so we would pick up more books and keep the cycle going. A small business, with a surprisingly delightful owner who simply loves books. 

BookBar – Denver, CO

This independent bookstore brands itself as “a bookshop for wine lovers”. I couldn’t think of a better combo than books and wine! You can even enjoy your book and wine on the patio with some hors d’oeuvres. For me, I think I’d enjoy browsing the racks with a glass of wine in hand. We definitely plan on making a trip to BookBar when I visit WTF in Denver.

Baldwin’s Book Barn – West Chester, PA

This bookstore is in a literal five-story stone barn, and might be the most fantasy-like setting I’ve seen for a bookstore. Just look at the doors and all the nooks and crannies! They also have a large selection of rare and antique books, maps, and prints for you to discover. There is even a wood-burning stove to complete the stepped-back-in-time vibes of this shop. I’m hoping I get the chance to visit this unique bookshop one day.

The Alabama Booksmith – Birmingham, AL

The unique aspect of this bookstore is that all the books they sell are signed. That’s right; anytime they purchase an author’s books, they have them all autographed. And almost all the books are sold at retail price despite the autograph! So, if you’re looking to add some signed books to your own collection, this is the bookshop for you!

Thank you so much for reading! We hope you enjoyed our list! Would you visit any of our choices? What is your favorite bookstore? Which bookstores are on your bucket list? Let us know in the comments below! 

-Clever & WTF