New York City loves its independent bookstores. It eulogizes those that have faded and celebrates when new ventures are launched. And while the historic Book Row may have passed away in the 80s, there are still many indie bookstores dotting the map, across all five boroughs. Here, I have attempted to collect all of the currently-open general-interest independent booksellers in NYC. Any store with regular-ish hours (excluding religious booksellers and appointment-only rare book sellers) is included.
While Manhattan and Brooklyn still lead the pack, Queens has a respectable number of stores, and all five boroughs are represented, with the Bronx and Staten Island both hosting lone independent stores. Lower Manhattan has the highest density of booksellers.
The listings here are kept up-to-date to the best of my ability; however, I make no promises about either the accuracy or reliability of the information. If you spot an error, or I've missed a shop, please let me know by email, mastodon, or twitter. Originally based on the "Hack Spots" website by @jllord (although I don't believe any of the actual underlying code still survives at this point).
There are currently 120 stores indexed on this page. Last updated April 22, 2025.
55 E 52nd St
New York, NY 10055
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Chartwell is the only bookseller in New York (and probably one of the only in the world) devoted to the life and works of Winston Churchill. It carries basically everything he ever wrote (as well as anything worth reading written about him) as well as a curated selection of military history books and a smattering of european import titles across the other genres that are otherwise difficult to find in America. They also do a lively trade in Churchillania, including typed letters and other ephemera handled by the man himself.