16 Must-See Independent Bookstores Owned by Writers

Given that authors often thrive in spaces filled with books—something they love discussing and sharing—it’s no surprise that many decide to open their own bookstores. Here are 16 indie bookstores run by writers from all fields, from novelists to poets.

1. Books Are Magic // Brooklyn, New York

Taking a photo in front of Books Are Magic’s delightful mural has become a must-do for any book lover visiting Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill area. The equally charming store is owned by Emma Straub, author of *The Vacationers*, and her husband Michael Fusco-Straub, who live nearby with their children. The couple decided to open the store after the closure of BookCourt, the neighborhood’s beloved indie bookstore, in 2016. ‘A neighborhood without an independent bookstore is a body without a heart,’ Straub wrote at the time. ‘And so we’re building a new heart.’

2. Parnassus Books // Nashville, Tennessee

Ann Patchett, the author of *The Dutch House*, *Commonwealth*, and other novels, co-founded Parnassus Books in 2011 with former Random House sales rep Karen Hayes. In addition to its vast collection of books, the store also features a piano and five part-time dogs: Opie, Lavinia, Marlee, Barnabus, and Sparky.

3. Bel Canto Books // Long Beach, California

Patchett’s influence also led to the creation of another bookstore: Bel Canto Books, founded by poet Jhoanna Belfer after hearing Patchett speak about her experience in the bookselling world. The store, named after Patchett’s novel *Bel Canto*, started as a pop-up shop and book club in 2018. By the end of 2019, Belfer left her role as a hospitality executive and found Bel Canto Books a permanent home in a small business collective called The Hangout. Each month’s featured books are chosen based on a theme, with a strong emphasis on underrepresented voices.

4. Bookends & Beginnings // Evanston, Illinois

Located near Northwestern University, Bookends & Beginnings was founded in 2014 by journalist and nonfiction author Nina Barrett. In 2020, Barrett opened a second location just a short walk from the original, helping fill the gap left when the neighborhood’s Barnes & Noble closed. The store offers a broad selection of children’s books in over forty languages—thanks to Barrett’s husband’s background in international children’s literature—along with a wide range of adult books. As the store’s website puts it, locals consider it ‘the speakeasy for books.’

5. The Raven Book Store // Lawrence, Kansas

The Raven Book Store has been a cornerstone of Lawrence since 1987, and poet Danny Caine became the owner in 2017. While some things have evolved—like the store’s move to a larger space in 2021—many traditions remain, including its strong collection of mystery novels. Earlier this year, Caine provided loans to seven employees, enabling them to each buy a 7 percent stake in the store. Caine still holds the majority stake (51 percent) and serves as general manager, but he’s now nurturing the next generation of independent bookstore owners.

6. An Unlikely Story // Plainville, Massachusetts

Jeff Kinney, the author of the *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* series, named his bookstore An Unlikely Story, a nod to both his own unexpected career—he didn’t originally intend for the Wimpy Kid books to be aimed at children—and the improbable history of the building itself. Once a popular 19th-century general store, it has since transformed into a pharmacy, a tearoom, and more. Kinney co-owns the store with his wife, Julie, and together they’ve maintained its multipurpose charm—there’s also a café and a second floor available for community events.

7. Townie Books // Crested Butte, Colorado

Fiction writer and 2022 MacDowell Fellow Arvin Ramgoolam, alongside his wife Danica, opened Townie Books in 2011 after the town’s beloved used bookstore closed. The shop is located next to Rumors, the café they had opened two years prior, making it the perfect spot for anyone who loves the combination of books and coffee. The couple is deeply involved in the store’s daily operations. ‘I’m the person holding court over the fourth cup of coffee, getting a laugh, and handselling a book the customer never planned on buying,’ Ramgoolam told *Desi Books*.

8. Red Planet Books & Comics // Albuquerque, New Mexico

Lee Francis IV, a comic book writer from Laguna Pueblo, had such a great time leading the first Indigenous Comic Con in 2016 that he ‘wanted to create a space where we could continue the party all year round,’ he told *New Mexico Magazine*. The following year, he and some partners opened the world’s first Native-owned comic book store. Red Planet Books & Comics also carries a wide selection of books written by Native American authors.

9. Duende District // Washington, D.C.

Currently, Red Planet is hosting a pop-up by Duende District, a mobile bookstore with two other locations in Washington, D.C. Founded by poet and journalist Angela María Spring—who has extensive experience managing bookstores and curating books—Duende District offers a variety of new releases in both English and Spanish.

10. Violet Valley Bookstore // Water Valley, Mississippi

In researching for her book *The Lesbian South: Southern Feminists, The Women in Print Movement, and the Queer Literary Canon*, Jaime Harker spent seven years studying queer writers and activists who founded publishing houses and bookshops to amplify their voices. What she learned inspired her to continue that work, and in 2017, she opened her own bookstore in Water Valley to offer ‘feminist, queer, and multicultural books’ to the town and beyond in the South.

11. Nowhere Bookshop // San Antonio, Texas

Jenny Lawson, famous for her blog *The Bloggess* and memoirs like *Furiously Happy*, named her store Nowhere Bookshop to capture ‘that feeling you get when lost in a good book.’ Lawson and her team have also created a quirky way to help you discover your next great read—their ‘Blind Date With a Book’ program, where you choose a book based solely on its genre and a few vague descriptions (e.g. ‘if you liked *Manifest*,’ or ‘fun cemeteries’).

12. Birchbark Books & Native Arts // Minneapolis, Minnesota

Louise Erdrich, author of *The Night Watchman*, *The Round House*, and other novels, is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and the owner of Birchbark Books & Native Arts. As the name suggests, the shop specializes in books—particularly Indigenous American works—and offers a variety of handcrafted goods, from quillwork and jewelry to birdhouses and dreamcatchers. The store is eco-conscious, built mostly from salvaged or recycled materials, and it’s also family-friendly, with a cozy ‘hobbit hole’ where kids can read while their parents browse.

13. The Listening Tree // Decatur, Georgia

Omar and Kimberly Finley, the husband and wife duo behind *A World of Our Own: The Beginning* (a retelling of God’s creation), had started work on a second children’s book when they realized they couldn’t write all the books they wanted to see in the world. Instead, they decided to change the market from within. Their bookstore, The Listening Tree, focuses specifically on children’s books featuring Black protagonists, ranging from toddler alphabet books to young adult hits like Tomi Adeyemi’s *Children Of Blood And Bone*.

14. Books & Books @ The Studios of Key West // Key West, Florida

The Key West location of Mitchell Kaplan’s indie bookstore chain, Books & Books, was founded by a husband-and-wife team: George Cooper and Judy Blume. Situated within The Studios of Key West, a nonprofit arts center, the bookstore itself operates as a nonprofit as well. As for how involved Blume, the author of *Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret*, is in managing the store—quite a lot. According to her website, ‘There’s a good chance you’ll find Judy behind the register, or stocking books on the shelves.’

15. Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In 2017, political commentator and author Marc Lamont Hill opened Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood, an area with deep roots in the antislavery movement, dating back to 17th-century Quakers. The store’s name honors Lamont Hill’s uncle, who nurtured his love for reading. True to its slogan—‘Cool People. Dope Books. Great Coffee.’—Uncle Bobbie’s is about much more than books. ‘We wanted to create a place where you actually enjoy being,’ Lamont Hill told *Eater*. ‘You’re going to get a great latte. You’re going to get a delicious slice of sweet potato pie. You’re going to be hand-sold a book. Those things matter.’

16. Beastly Books // Santa Fe, New Mexico

In 2013, a few years after the famous Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe closed, George R.R. Martin purchased the property and brought it back to life. It quickly became a hotspot for author events, and when the theater lobby became cluttered with stacks of author-signed books, Martin decided to open a bookstore next door. Named after Cocteau’s 1946 film *Beauty and the Beast* and the 1980s TV series of the same name that Martin wrote for, Beastly Books is the place to find signed copies of any *A Song of Ice and Fire* books.