NewPages Guide to
Indie Bookstores in
Washington D.C.
The best list of independent Washington D.C. bookstores
- City Title Washington D.C.
- Title Link AIA Bookstore
-
Image
- Address 1 1735 New York Ave. NW
- Phone (202) 626-7475
- Type New books
- Sidelines Gifts, Toys/Games
- Facebook Facebook
- Website Website
Led by the American Institute of Architects, the AIA Store offers an architect-first collection of books, accessories, stationary, design items, toys, and more. [Store photo by Nancy Bratton]
- Title Link Bridge Street Books
- Address 1 2814 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
- Phone (202) 965-5200
- Type New books
- Specialty General Interest
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Bridge Street Books has been independently owned and operated since 1980. We sell new books and specialize in the Humanities, though we carry books on all subjects.
- Title Link Busboys and Poets
-
Image
- Address 1 2021 14th St.
- Phone (202) 387-7638
- Specialty Alternative/Political
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Busboys and Poets is a community where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted...a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul...a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide...we believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world.
- Title Link Busboys and Poets
- Address 1 450 K St NW
- Phone (202) 789-2227
- Specialty Alternative/Political
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Busboys and Poets is a community gathering place. First established in 2005, Busboys and Poets was created by owner Andy Shallal, an Iraqi-American artist, activist and restaurateur. After opening the flagship location at 14th and V Streets, NW, the neighboring residents and the progressive community embraced Busboys, especially activists opposed to the Iraq War. Busboys and Poets now has six different locations in the Washington Metropolitan area and is a community resource for artists, activists, writers, thinkers, and dreamers.
- Title Link Busboys and Poets Anacostia
- Address 1 2004 Martin Luther King Jr Ave. SE
- Phone (202) 889-1374
- Specialty General Interest
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
- Title Link Busboys and Poets
- Address 1 235 Carroll St. NW
- Phone (202) 726-0856
- Specialty General Interest
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Busboys and Poets is a community where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted; a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body, and soul; a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide. We believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world.
- Title Link Capitol Hill Books
- Address 1 657 C Street SE
- Phone (202) 544-1621
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
We have fiction books in the fiction room (hard cover & paperbacks), mystery books in the Mystery Room, foreign language books in the bathroom, cookbooks in the kitchen on the kitchen sink, business books with the lawyers in the Business Closet, cultural biographies in the Cultural Closet, and a Weird Section for those who like witches, dreams, and things that go bump in the night. We also have books on history, philosophy, travel, Washington DC, theology, psychology, politics (of course), games, art and more.
- Title Link Child's Play
- Address 1 5536 Connecticut Ave NW
- Phone (202) 244-3602
- Specialty Children's
- Sidelines Toys/Games
- Facebook Facebook
- Website Website
For more than 30 years, Child’s Play has sold thoughtful toys and books, specially curated to develop children’s sense of wonder and play. Because play is the most important part of childhood.
- Title Link East City Bookshop
- Address 1 645 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Ste 100
- Phone (202) 290-1636
- Specialty General Interest
- Sidelines Gifts, Toys/Games
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
East City Bookshop is an independent bookstore on Capitol Hill in Southeast Washington, DC at Eastern Market Metro.
- Title Link Kramerbooks & Afterwords
-
Image
- Address 1 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW
- Phone (202) 387-1400
- Specialty General Interest
- Sidelines Magazines/Newspapers
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Kramers is a DC institution located in the heart of Dupont Circle. The carefully curated bookstore is adjoined by a cozy bar & glass-enclosed restaurant/cafe in the back. Join us for regular author events and storytimes.
- Title Link The Lantern: A Bryn Mawr Bookshop
- Address 1 3241 M St NW
- Phone (202) 333-3222
- Specialty General Interest
- Facebook Facebook
- Website Website
- Title Link Lost City Books
- Address 1 2467 18th St. NW
- Phone (202) 232-4774
- Specialty General Interest
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Lost City Books is an independent bookstore offering used, new, and rare books to the Adams Morgan and greater D.C. community.
- Title Link Loyalty Bookstore
- Address 1 843 Upshur St. NW
- Type New books, Black-owned
- Specialty General Interest, Children's
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
An Indie bookstore in D.C. specializing in diverse books for all ages.
- Title Link MahoganyBooks
- Address 1 1231 Good Hope Rd., SE
- Phone (202) 844-2062
- Type New books, Black-owned
- Specialty African American
- Facebook Facebook
- Website Website
MahoganyBooks is an award winning, New York Times reporting bookstore that sells books written for, by, or about people of the African Diaspora
- Title Link Politics & Prose at The Wharf
- Address 1 70 District Square SW
- Phone (202) 488-3867
- Type New books
- Specialty General Interest, Alternative/Political
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Politics and Prose comes to D.C.’s premier waterfront destination. Located in The Wharf's District Square and surrounded by a great assortment of retail, restaurant, and cultural offerings, our new location brings a steady lineup of author events.
- Title Link Politics and Prose
-
Image
- Address 1 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
- Phone (202) 364-1919
- Type New books
- Specialty General Interest
- Sidelines Magazines/Newspapers
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Politics & Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.’s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics & Prose offers superior service, unique book choices, regular events, and a haven for book lovers in store and online.
- Title Link Politics and Prose at Union Market
- Address 1 1270 5th St NE
- Phone (202) 544-4452
- Specialty General Interest
- Website Website
- Title Link The Potter's House
- Address 1 1658 Columbia Rd NW
- Phone (202) 232-5483
- Type New books
- Specialty Children's, Feminist, LGBT
- Sidelines Artwork, Café/Food, Coffee/Tea, Gifts, Greeting Cards/Postcards, Magazines/Newspapers
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
The Potter's House is a deeply rooted space where we can build relationships across our differences, envision just alternatives, and grow the movements that will make them possible.
- Title Link Reiter's Books
- Address 1 1900 G St. NW
- Phone (202) 223-3327
- Specialty General Interest
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Small independent bookstore in DC that specializes in scientific and professional books for everyone.
- Title Link Sankofa Video Books & Café
- Address 1 2714 Georgia Ave. NW
- Phone (202) 234-4755
- Type New books, Black-owned
- Specialty Children's, African American
- Sidelines Café/Food
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
In addition to our cafe, we offer classic books from the pillars of black culture and history, as well as new releases in culture, history, sociology, biography, and fiction. We stock the largest collection of children's black literature in the DC area.
- Title Link Second Story Books
- Address 1 2000 P St. NW
- Phone (202) 659-8884
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Second Story Books sells used, unique, rare & antiquarian books, art, antiques, posters, CDs, DVDs, old maps & graphics. From 50-cent paperbacks to collectible first editions of literary classics, we have something for everyone.
- Title Link Solid State Books
-
Image
- Address 1 600 H St NE
- Phone (202) 897-4201
- Type New books, Black-owned
- Specialty General Interest
- Sidelines Coffee/Tea, Gifts
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website
Solid State Books is DC's newest independent bookstore and cafe, currently in a pop-up shop next to our permanent home on H Street NE. We carry a diverse selection of books and gifts for adults and children, host dynamic programs and events, and will serve a selection of fine beer, wine, coffee, pastries, and snacks in our cafe. Solid State Books is a place for sharing ideas, discussing books, and meeting authors—a place where people go to make new discoveries and connections. We love collaborating with local businesses and organizations, and are so excited to be the H Street Corridor’s neighborhood bookstore.
- Title Link Walls of Books
- Address 1 3325 Georgia Ave NW
- Phone (202) 836-7374
- Specialty General Interest
- Facebook Facebook
- Twitter Twitter
- Website Website