The Most Beautiful Bookshops in US

While online retailers and e readers have taken their toll on bookstore business across the country, these independent venues demonstrate that a bookstore is not only a place to find books new, used, rare or otherwise but also an important community gathering where you can hear great author lectures, get recommendations from a knowledgeable employee or simply talk literature with friends over a good cup of coffee. Let’s exploce The Most Beautiful Bookshops in US below.

The Most Beautiful Bookshops in US

City Lights (San Francisco, CA)

Founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin, City Lights is not only one of the nation’s greatest independent bookshops, but it also has a literary history equalled by few others. In 1955, Ferlinghetti launched City Lights Publishers in order to present the work of Beat poets like Jack Kerouac and was famously put on trial for obscenity after publishing Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and other Poems.
The publishing arm continues to publish new works and translations of important international authors to this day, and at its historic North Beach location, you can find an extensive collection of political works as well.

Small World Books in Los Angeles, California

Located on the iconic Venice Boardwalk and just steps from the beach, Small World Books has been holding its current space since all the way back in 1976, and the inside as just as beautiful as the ambiance outside.
At 2,000 square feet, Small World Books carries a wide selection of titles published by both major and small presses, and is a great place for lovers of art they support tons of local artists and the bi monthly Venice Art Crawl as well as lovers of books.

Bart’s Books in Ojai, California

The first outdoor bookstore on this list, Bart’s Books is another southern California gem, recognized for being the largest independently owned and operated outdoor bookstore in the country. Since opening in 1964, Bart’s Books has expanded into the sunny and palm-tree lined space it is today.
Nearly one million books have come and gone since Bart’s Books’ inception, and the outdoor books are still sold on the bookstore’s traditional “honor system” which began when patrons were free to take any of the titles and leave their payment in coffee cans on top of the bookshelves.

Prairie Lights in Iowa City, Iowa

Lowa City’s Prairie Lights is one of my absolute favorite bookstores in the world their crowded shelves, great author events, and proximity to the brilliant literary minds at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop make for a trifecta of bookstore bliss. The store boasts three (and a half) floors of work by local, national and international writers and the half floor is for their café.

The Book Lady Bookstore in Savannah, Georgia

Do not turn abruptly or carry a large bag into Savannah, Georgia’s The Book Lady Bookstore you will definitely knock something over, creating a domino effect that very well might take down the entire store.
That is to say, The Book Lady features books on top of books on top of books, stacked on shelves and tables and mantles and ladders and stair cases. The store has been located in downtown Savannah’s Historic District since 1978, and features over 50,000 new and used titles. That is once of The Most Beautiful Bookshops in US.

The Last Bookstore (Los Angeles, CA)

Despite its rather apocalyptic moniker, The Last Bookstore is a large and beautiful space located among the pillars of the historic Crocker Bank Building in downtown Los Angeles. Located in an area that has undergone major revitalization in recent years, the bookstore holds regular literary and musical events, contributing to the vibrancy of the community.
It also houses a vinyl LP shop and a graphic novel shop, and shares a space with the Spring Arts Collective, which hosts changing exhibitions of local contemporary artists in the adjoining galleries. For those who venture upstairs into what is called the ‘Labyrinth Above the Last Bookstore’, over 100,000 books await in the bookshop’s newest mezzanine space, all priced at $1 each.

Powell’s City of Books (Portland, OR)

Founded in 1971 in an unassuming spot in northwest Portland, Powell’s Books has become one of the largest independent bookstores in the world, and it definitely remains one of the most famous bookstores in the United States.
Now with four locations the City of Books being its main location Powell’s created an online site before the behemoth Amazon came into the picture, thereby securing its continued longevity. If you are looking for a book, there is a very high likelihood that you can find it here, along with a never-ending supply of passionate book-lovers who wander happily through the aisles looking for their next discovery.