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Independent Bookstores in Missouri

NewPages.com guide to the best Missouri indie bookstores

Independent bookstores in Missouri are sorted by City as you scroll through. If your favorite indie bookstore is missing, please contact us.

If you are the owner of an indie bookstore, you can submit a free enhanced listing for your bookstore in our Guide here.

Barb’s Books is a used bookstore operated by Friends of the Belle Library and the Osage Arts Community.

The Book Rack

A real bookshop with real book people, The Book Rack of Cape Girardeau’s mission is to bring quality books to the Midwest.

Columbia Books began October 1, 1977.The books are an eclectic mixture of 65,000 volumes ranging from new releases to antiquarian volumes 400 years old. We also have a large accumulation of prints, maps, ephemera, and interesting older periodicals.

Inclusive comic book store in Columbia, MO specializing in new releases, graphic novels/trade paperbacks.

A new independent bookshop in Columbia, MO.

Yellow Dog Bookshop is an independent, locally owned used bookstore specializing in literary fiction, history, religion, and cultural studies. We are located in the heart of downtown Columbia, MO. 

Aesop’s Treasury has a wide variety of used and new books and carries the area’s largest selection of RPGs and other games.

  • Well Read Books
  • 530 Court St.
  • City: Fulton
  • Phone: (573) 416-6535
  • Type: Primarily used with some new books
  • Specialty: General Interest, Literary, Regional
  • Sidelines: Gifts
  • Facebook

Well Read is an independent bookstore located in the heart of the historic Brick District in downtown Fulton, Missouri. We absolutely love being walking distance to both Westminster College and William Woods University, in addition to some great restaurants and other amazing retail shops. A curated selection of both new and used books are featured with pride in our historic building, which has it’s own story to tell.

  • Steel's Used Books
  • 7313 N. Oak Trafficway
  • City: Gladstone
  • Phone: (816) 300-2665
  • Type: Used books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Website

We have been in the book business for decades, supplying the Northland with the best in the printed word.

  • Retold Tales
  • 176-B West Simon Blvd
  • City: Holts Summit
  • Phone: (573) 896-0241
  • Type: Used books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Facebook
  • Website

Downtown Book & Toy

  • Downtown Book & Toy
  • 125 E. High St.
  • City: Jefferson City
  • Phone: (573) 635-1185
  • Type: Primarily new with some used books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Sidelines: Gifts, Toys/Games
  • Events: Author Signings
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

A refuge for the thirsty and inquisitive of Kansas City in the heart of The Crossroads Art District.

Bliss Books & Wine

Bliss Books & Wine is a bookstore for wine enthusiasts and book lovers. We promote the reading culture by encouraging curious readers, endorsing local arts, spotlighting local authors and artists, and connecting the great pastimes of social drinking and introverted reading. We exist to build a community gathering place and to create experiences by bridging the gap between books and wine.   Engage, collaborate, retreat, sip, read, relax. Come find your Bliss!

  • BLK + BRWN.
  • 104 1/2 W. 39th St.
  • City: Kansas City
  • Phone: (816) 469-5922
  • Type: New books,
  • Specialty: General Interest, African American
  • Twitter
  • Website

Prospero's Books

  • Prospero's Books
  • 1800 W 39th St.
  • City: Kansas City
  • Phone: (816) 531-9673
  • Type: Used books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Website

We are a warehouse for the mind! Live music, readings, poetry, and of course, long walks on the beach.

Kansas City MO’s space to feed passions, relish art, discover hobbies, & come to life. We’re part social club, part bookstore, 100% unique.

Under the Cover is Kansas City’s first Romance Bookshop. Woman Owned.

Willa’s Books specializes in used and rare African-American books and first editions, as well as the works of a wide variety of authors.

Wise Blood Booksellers

Books and other good things for the imagination. Westport, Kansas City.

KD's Books
  • KD's Books
  • 241 SE Main St.
  • City: Lee's Summit
  • Suburb of: Kansas City
  • Phone: (816) 525-1366
  • Type: New books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Sidelines: Artwork, Gifts, Puzzles, Stationery, Toys/Games
  • Events: Author Signings, Book Clubs, Readings, Storytime
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Website

KD’s Books is an independent, locally owned bookstore. We carry new books, with something for everyone, from baby gifts and board books to elementary and middle-grade award winners, to YA and adult bestsellers. We are located in the heart of historic downtown Lee’s Summit, MO and host numerous community events, such as book clubs, kids’ activity classes, open mic nights, and more.

  • River Reader
  • 1010 Main St.
  • City: Lexington
  • Phone: (660) 259-4996
  • Type: New books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Sidelines: Coffee/Tea
  • Facebook
  • Website

Take a Queen Anne style building built in 1886, fill it with thousands of books, a first-class coffee bar with seating area, and you’ve got: River Reader Books in Lexington, Missouri.

  • The Book House
  • 7352 Manchester
  • City: Maplewood
  • Phone: (314) 968-4491
  • Type: Primarily used with some new books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Facebook
  • Website

Professional booksellers since 1986. We are a full service bookstore with over 300,000 new, used, rare, and unusual books in stock.

Rose's Bookhouse

  • Rose's Bookhouse
  • 8935 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
  • City: O'Fallon
  • Phone: (636) 272-5857
  • Type: Primarily used with some new books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Facebook
  • Website

Rose’s Bookhouse is a new & used bookstore located in O’Fallon, MO. For over 30 years we’ve offered quality books at affordable prices. With over 200-500 books delivered daily, our stock is constantly changing. Our wide variety of genres virtually guarantees there is something for everyone! Whether you’re looking for the latest bestseller or an old favorite, our friendly and informative staff will help you find the right book for the right price.

Stonecrest Book & Toy

Books, toys, and gifts. Games, puzzles, science and art kids, Legos, pretend play, infant and toddler toys, stuffed animals of all sizes. New York Times Bestsellers are always 25% off. Used book prices vary. Ask about our trade policy.

  • Bazoo Books
  • 1400 S. Limit Ave. Ste. 70
  • City: Sedalia
  • Phone: (660) 827-0940
  • Type: New books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Facebook
  • Website

Formerly Reader’s World. A bookstore for the curious mind.

Bookmarx

BookMarx is a used bookstore specializing in classic literature, contemporary and postmodern fiction, science fiction, children’s books, and more.

Pagination Bookshop

  • Pagination Bookshop
  • 1150 E. Walnut St.
  • City: Springfield
  • Phone: (805) 813-0126
  • Type: Primarily new with some used books
  • Specialty: General Interest, Children's
  • Sidelines: Gifts
  • Facebook
  • Website

Main Street Books

A general interest bookstore located in a charming historical area. We have a great selection of books about the local area as well as a well-curated children’s section.

An independent bookstore in St. Joseph, Missouri.

St. Louis MO’s Friendly Neighborhood Comic Book Shop.

Dunaway Books

We are the largest independently owned used bookstore in the St. Louis area. Founded by Pat Dunaway in 1965, we specialize in fine used, rare, and antiquarian books.

Left Bank Books

  • Left Bank Books
  • 399 N. Euclid
  • City: St. Louis
  • Phone: (314) 367-6731
  • Type: Primarily new with some used books
  • Specialty: General Interest, Children's, Feminist, LGBTQ+, Literary
  • Sidelines: Gifts, Greeting Cards/Postcards, Magazines
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Website

Founded in 1969, Left Bank Books is an independently-owned bookstore offering a full-line of new and used books and services in the greater metropolitan area of St. Louis. Our store is located at Euclid and McPherson in the historic Central West End neighborhood, situated among magnificent turn-of-the-century residences and some of the best restaurants and finest art galleries in the area. Our mission has always been to offer an intelligent, culturally diverse selection of titles with a focus on politics, contemporary arts and literature, high-quality children’s books, African American interest, GLBT titles, and more. In addition, we produce well over 200 author events a year.

The Novel Neighbor

  • The Novel Neighbor
  • 7905 Big Bend Blvd.
  • City: St. Louis
  • Suburb of: Webster Groves
  • Phone: (314) 738-9384
  • Type: New books
  • Specialty: General Interest, Children's
  • Sidelines: Artwork
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Website

Independent bookstore in Webster Groves that carries over 20 local artisans’ work with a community meeting space for birthday parties, classes and Book Clubs.

Our center features hundreds of book on black/Afrikan culture, life, education, and art, and has many out of print books. We offer free classes on holistic Afrikan lifestyle for the community throughout the year; sell an assortment of books, health food items, vitamins, water, Orisha baths/washes, candles, incense, Afrikan art, juices, toiletries, shirts, cards, bags and much more; support and host local artist, vendors, schools, community organizations and other businesses in order to uplift and empower; and offer youth programs, book signings, seminars, speakers, holiday celebrations, and many other events for the community.

Subterranean Books

We opened in October 2000, focusing on a diverse fiction collection, children’s books, history, and anything else we think is really interesting. If we don’t have something in stock we can always order it for you. We also have a free frequent buyer program, in place since we opened. We know you have many options about where you can buy books and we really really appreciate that you chose us. The buyer program is free to sign up for and takes just moments while you’re in the store.

EyeSeeMe

  • EyeSeeMe
  • 6951 Olive Blvd.
  • City: University City
  • Phone: (314) 349-1122
  • Type: New books,
  • Specialty: Children's, Educational, African American
  • Sidelines: Gifts, Newspapers
  • Twitter
  • Website

Our mission is to be a resource to parents, teachers, and schools in providing the very best children’s books on the market that promote positive images and stories about African American culture and history. As a tool to help increase literacy, African American children will benefit by seeing themselves respectfully represented in the literature they read. Non-African American children will benefit by helping to dispel negative and inaccurate stereotypical images of people of color and that despite our many differences, all people share common feelings and aspirations.

Gunzil and Bowser Childrens Bookshop

Focusing on the love of family literacy and how a family should connect through a mutual love of the written and illustrated word, Gunzil and Bowser Children’s Books, residing in a 100+ year old house, houses the curated selection of thousands of titles that reflect books our audiences might not have seen in years.

Lamplight Bookstore
  • Lamplight Bookstore
  • City: Warrensburg
  • Suburb of: Kansas City
  • Phone: (660) 362-0779
  • Type: Primarily used with some new books
  • Specialty: General Interest, LGBTQ+, YA
  • Sidelines: Café/Food, Coffee/Tea, Gifts
  • Events: Book Clubs
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Website

We are a micro-bookstore located in the back of a coffee shop/ice cream shop! We carry both new and used books and are big about supporting our community.

Neighborhood Reads

  • Neighborhood Reads
  • 401 Lafayette St.
  • City: Washington
  • Phone: (636) 390-9673
  • Type: New books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Website

Neighborhood Reads is an independent bookstore and gift shop tucked into a 125-year-old house in historic Downtown Washington, Mo. A river town with rich German history located in the heart of Missouri Wine Country, Washington is just an hour west of St. Louis.
Neighborhood Reads carries new books for readers of all ages and interests, as well as cards, candles, puzzles, games, journals, kitchen goods, plush toys, and so much more.

Betty's Books

We specialize in comics, graphic novels, and manga for all as well as a selection of children’s books. We carry local zines, stationary, and gifts, and host events such as a graphic novel book club, D&D events, and weekly storytime. Check out our website calendar, Facebook, or Instagram (@bettysbooksstl) to keep up with us!

  • The Webster Groves Bookshop
  • 27 North Gore Avenue
  • City: Webster Groves
  • Suburb of: St. Louis
  • Phone: (314) 968-1185
  • Type: New books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Sidelines: Greeting Cards/Postcards, Puzzles, Stationery
  • Facebook
  • Website

The Webster Groves Bookshop is an indie bookstore with a rich history, celebrating more than 50 years in business serving up books, puzzles, greeting cards, and more suitable for readers of all ages.