Discover New York City’s Best Independent Bookstores
In today’s screen-heavy climate, it’s not always easy to pull yourself away from doomscrolling and venture into the real world. All too often, a day on the couch replaces a stroll outside; a mindless TikTok video replaces a book on the subway. For those seeking a cure for Internet-induced digital fatigue, a trip to a neighborhood bookshop is the ideal return—or entryway—into reading. After all, perusing the shelves of a charming bookstore is enough to motivate anyone to pick up a new title.
While there’s no denying that the past few decades have been rough on independent bookstores, New York City is still home to several of the best in the country, worthy of all yourYou’ve Got Mail dreams. Its five boroughs are filled with indie bookshops, from traditional spaces with creaky wooden shelves to hipster booksellers with carefully curated wares.
Yes, you can always order a book online or read on a tablet, but Amazon is far from the only source of titles. Bookstores offer a unique sense of community that is hard to find elsewhere, and evoke an undeniable nostalgia. Some of my earliest childhood memories involve the youth readers’ section of my local bookstore, exploring titles that transported me to fantastical faraway lands. Reading among the muraled walls, crawling through small passageways meant “for the elves and gnomes” and attending readings by my childhood idols—it all existed at the bookshop.
New readers and seasoned bookworms alike will find this sense of magic and community at New York’s best independent bookstores, where the shelves are stocked with intriguing titles and the staff are knowledgeable and welcoming. Below, see the top NYC indie bookstores to visit now.
The Best Independent Bookstores in New York City, from Manhattan to Brooklyn
McNally Jackson Books
- 134 Prince St, New York, NY 10012
- 1 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020
- 4 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038
- 445 Albee Square, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- 76 N. 4th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Former book editor Sarah Mcnally opened McNally Jackson in Nolita in 2004. The bookshop has since expanded across the city, with locations in SoHo (where McNally Jackson relocated from the original Nolita storefront in 2023), Rockefeller Center, Seaport, Williamsburg and Downtown Brooklyn. The store hosts a number of events, including book clubs that span a wide range of genres, like the Literary Black Book Club, Crime Wave Book Club, All You Need is…Love? Book Club and more. Enjoy a leisurely day off in McNally Jackson’s bar and café, sipping an espresso with your favorite title in hand
Strand Books
- 828 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
- 450 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10024
Founder Ben Bass opened the Strand bookstore in 1927 on Fourth Avenue, in what was then known as the Book Row district: a six-block stretch that housed dozens of bookstores. Today, the Strand is the last remaining. Its name was inspired by a street in London where William Thackeray, Charles Dickens and John Stuart Mill were said to have gathered. Beloved by both locals and tourists, the Strand has hosted in-store events attended and led by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patti Smith, Ocean Vuong and Jacqueline Woodson, to name a few. With locations on the Upper West Side and Union Square (plus a kiosk near Central Park and shops at LGA), the Strand boasts well-stocked shelves that hold over 2.5 million new, used and rare books from all genres.
Three Lives & Company
- 154 West 10th St, New York, NY 10014
Founded by Jill Dunbar, Jenny Feder and Helene Webb in the late 1970s, Three Lives & Company is an independent bookstore in the West Village. The name comes from the Gertrude Stein novel Three Lives. The bookstore initially opened on Seventh Avenue before moving to its current Greenwich Village location in 1983. Three Lives & Company has an extensive collection of signed first-edition novels, plus tons of new books. The shop has welcomed patrons including Toni Morrison, Michael Cunningham, Maya Angelou and Kazuo Ishiguro.
Book Club Bar
- 197 E 3rd St, New York, NY 10009
Whether you enjoy cozying up with a good book or socializing at your favorite neighborhood pub, Book Club Bar is the best of both worlds. Discover an exciting blend of literature and libations; peruse through thousands of paperback and hardcover titles while sipping locally-roasted coffee or crisp craft beer at this East Village spot. Book Club Bar hosts an array of events, including various book clubs, author visits, live poetry, literary salons and more.
Kitchen Arts & Letters
- 1435 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128
Foodies and book lovers alike find solace at Kitchen Arts & Letters, located in Carnegie Hill on the Upper East Side. Founded in 1983 by Nach Waxman, this bookshop’s inventory is focused on cookbooks and other food-related volumes. With nearly 12,000 titles on the shelves, the bookshop also offers rare editions of cookbooks, reflecting Waxman’s mission to preserve out-of-print books. The store frequently welcomes Michelin-starred chefs who take to the shelves for inspiration, as the collection consists of many cookbooks written by those behind some of the world’s most cherished restaurants: Frantzen, Via Carota, Rosetta, Septime and more.
Drama Book Shop
- 255 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018
Founded in 1917 by the Drama League, the Drama Book Shop fittingly sits in the heart of New York’s midtown Theater District. The bookshop is steeped in theater history; Lin Manuel Miranda wrote the majority of In the Heights here and is now one of the store’s co-owners. The Drama Book Shop is the go-to spot for dramatic works and thespian literature, including plays and musicals, industry memoirs, theater histories and criticisms, plus writing and costume design guides. Grab some tea and a pastry from the coffee bar before sitting in on a lecture or show.
Cafe Con Libros
- 724 Prospect Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11216
Founded by Kalima DeSuze in 2017, Cafe Con Libros is an intersectional feminist bookshop and café in Brooklyn. DeSuze says this approach was inspired by Alice Walker’s The Color Purple—a read that motivated her to curate a collection focusing on women’s stories. It hosts two book clubs: a bi-monthly Feminist Book Club and the Womxn of Color Book Club that explores the crossroads of womanhood and race. While the store primarily aims to supply readers with access to feminist literature, the booksellers also stock an extensive variety of titles, including classic romance, wellness/self-help, art criticism and more. The bookstore-café hybrid offers a monthly book subscription if you are unsure where to begin.
The Corner Bookstore
- 1313 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10128
Just a block east of Central Park, the Corner Bookstore is an ideal stop on the way to an afternoon picnic or a stroll through the city’s green space. Before setting up camp beside the reservoir, peruse the shop’s wide selection of fiction and nonfiction books. Taking note of the residential area it occupies, the Corner Bookstore makes a concerted effort to stock a well-curated assortment of children’s books and young adult literature. The bookshop, open since 1976, offers “charge accounts” for young readers; children are also invited to review advance copies of age-appropriate books, and encouraged to contribute reviews to the biannual The Corner Bookstore’s Kids Newsletter, by Kids, for Kids.
Mil Mundos Books
- 323 Linden St, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Mil Mundos Books is a community bookshop that caters to long-term Bushwick residents. Founder Maria Herron opened the space in 2019 to celebrate Bushwick’s rich and diverse culture and combat rapid gentrification. Operating entirely on a volunteer basis, the co-op hosts readings, language classes, workshops and book clubs, spanning topics ranging from gendered language, South and Central American culture, anti-gentrification policies, accessibility and more. The indie bookstore works closely with the Ayuda Mutua foundation, which strives to increase literary access for the community’s underserved residents.
The Ripped Bodice
- 218 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Romance readers are sure to fall in love with the Ripped Bodice. Owned and operated by siblings Bea and Leah Koch, the Ripped Bodice originated in L.A. and opened a second outpost in Park Slope in the summer of 2023, to much fanfare. From Emily Henry to Sarah J. Maas, this bookstore has something for every type of romance reader. The Ripped Bodice’s Read, Romance, Repeat subscription boxes, which can either be sent to your door monthly or on a one-time basis, consist of the owners’ romance fiction picks. The bookstore hosts several book clubs for every type of reader, whether you’re looking for an LGBTQ+-focused group or a fantasy book circle. The Kochs release a yearly report outlining the percentage of books authored by BIPOC writers in the romance category.
Albertine Books
- 972 5th Ave, New York, NY 10075
Located inside the Payne Whitney mansion, Albertine is an uptown bookshop with a collection of over 14,000 contemporary and classic French language and French-to-English translation titles. Opened in 2014, Albertine is home to the largest selection of French language and English translation titles in the U.S.; much of its inventory was hand-selected by the French Embassy Book Department. Curation isn’t limited to classic literature; the bookstore sells graphic novels, too. The interiors, designed by Jacques Garcia, are just as elaborate as the book selection.
Books Are Magic
- 225 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
- 122 Montague St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
New York Times bestselling author Emma Straub opened Books Are Magic in Cobble Hill in 2017, alongside her husband, Michael Fusco-Straub. They subsequently opened a second location in Brooklyn Heights in 2022. With an emphasis on community and inclusivity, the space offers a literary journey for readers of all ages; the bookshop’s “hidey-holes” are ideal spaces for children to cuddle up with their favorite story, while adult readers might be intrigued by its frequent in-store events. The bookshop also has a candy machine consisting of poetry-filled gumballs; arguably, this is not exclusively for kids.