Every time I am in the Valley West area shopping I must stick my head in this great store to find a…read moretreasure I can't live without. I love the variety of their selections.

This is a cute little bookstore, with a coffee shop. While we meandered most of the stores, this…read morewas by far the busiest one. The staff was attentive and helpful. While there wasn't a depth of books on any particular topic, it seemed all the topics were covered here. And if you want advice, it seemed the other patrons were all friendly enough to share their favs with you. There are several small niches to sit and read, or people watch and enjoy your beverage. This store had a very welcoming and open vibe.

Beaverdale Books has been one of those places I've passed by and said "I really need to stop by…read morethere" for way too long. Don't make the same mistake I did and wait so long!!! It is truly a hidden gem of Des Moines. They carry many genres of books to appeal to all groups, but by the looks of things they also rotate new material in regularly. They had a great selection of feminist authors as well as poetry and some non fiction I went in specifically to get; the selection goes on and on, though. They really do have something for everyone. If you're not sure what to get, just ask for a recommendation. The customer service is fantastic. I'm sure they would be happy to help you find your next perfect read. Next time you're in the Beaverdale square, grab your next book at Beaverdale Books and then walk over to Grounds for Celebration and grab a warm drink to start that book with! Seriously, stop in. It's a great little shop. Here's hoping every neighborhood bookstore is as cool as Beaverdale Books!

Friendly staff and an amazing selection of books in such a small space. Excited for their expansion…read moreinto the space next door!

I was really excited to see Book Warehouse in the Outlets of Des Moines. The store is fairly large…read moreand has a lot of good books. However, I did not see any any newly released books though. A lot of the books were 60% off and because I had a coupon for the store I was also able to get an additional 20% off one item. I purchased a book that was retailed at $27.99 and after all the discounts it ended up being less than $10. What a great price! Much cheaper than Amazon too! Service was fast and friendly here. I'd definitely recommend any book lover to check this place out.

Service here was pretty sad. The employee did not greet customers and provided poor interaction…read more She wasn't paying attention and also took forever to check us out. Book prices are amazing here, though. I have trouble understanding how they stay open with prices so cheap. If you don't care about customer service and want cheap books, I'd recommend book warehouse.

Quest Haven just opened during the summer of 2024. The owners, locals who went to school here and…read moreare part of the community, have added a few twists to this bookstore. As you can see from my pics, they are still a bookstore. But not to be out done by the online book seller favs, you can open the QR code (see my pic) or punch in bookshop.org and reference Quest Haven to order your books online and support this local store. (A fun fact, if you open my pic of the QR code on your desk top monitor, you can open the QR code with your phone while in photo mode pointed at the QR code.) But you can also see at the rear of the bookstore, there is a soda station. As you can see from my pic, they offer several flavors, leading to a ton of flavor combinations. As we head into winter, they'll probably be offering hot beverages. In the middle of the store there are racks of comic books. This has to be one of the few places where you can actually shift comic books to find the adventures of your latest hero or character.

I always enjoy visiting this little shop in the East Village…read more They offer a wide variety of books unlike so many stores that simply carry current bestsellers. While the prices are not discounted, I am willling to pay them because the staff makes great recommendations and the store carried some edgier writing that I can't find everywhere.

I popped in here with my sister for the Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour and this is definitely one of my…read moretop 5 favorite shops. It was a very chill and calming shop in the middle of the East Village. The table in the front had so many books I'd never seen before and it was hard to choose one book to bring home with me, so I had to choose two! It's hard to put into words but I really felt recharged when I was in there. Can't wait to visit again!

It was a treat to visit this location because it is so much larger than the Barnes and Noble in…read moreCoralville. I found almost everything I was looking for and the staff at the information desk was very helpful in assisting me. Of course, my preference is always an independent bookstore, but this B&N surprised me with the great selection of periodicals and books.

Calling to the book seller to place books on hold is quick and easy. As a Premium Member you can…read moreget 10% off books and merchandise. The options available are bountiful in a clean, safe and serene environment. Picking up a hard bound book is a choice and well worth the value. Not only are the words on the page everlasting, but you are bound to cuddle up with your choice selection over and over!

My last couple visits to BAM have been accented by a really friendly and engaging guy who has come…read morefrom behind the counter to help me find a particular book, magazine, or gift. And last week, he was wearing a cool Puerto Rico baseball jersey (Santurce Cangrejeros) with Roberto Clemente's number (21). BAM also has an extensive magazine collection that you just don't see anymore. It's right next to the coffee shop, which accentuates the book and periodical browsing experience.

I love that there's still a bookstore in town. There used to be that amazing bookstore over in the…read moreLincoln Center mall, and we had Borders, but now this Borders has closed and turned into a Books a Million. Everything is laid out about-ish the same that Borders used to have it laid out. There's music and movies in the same spot, the children's area in the same spot, the coffee and seating in the same spot, and of course, the bathrooms haven't moved. Shopping here is nice. They have a ton of clearance, but that seems to be standard for a lot of bookstores. Prices are pretty standard for books (higher than online), but they also are lower than prices I've seen at Barnes & Noble, so that's a positive. It was easy to locate the area that I was looking for. There are large signs on top of shelves that let you know what type of books are on there. They have a pretty large biblical/Christian section which I found surprising. It's larger than quite a lot of the other sections, and I think it actually might be getting close to the size of some of the fiction sections. Over in the Transportation section, I found what I was looking for pretty easily. They even had a good selection. However, the books were not in order like they should have been. Books about airplanes were strewn throughout and between books about motorcycles, trains, and cars. They were in the right section (Transportation), but definitely not organized how they should have been. So if you're looking for a specific book, make sure you look through the whole section. There were quite a few Clearance books, and I came out with 5 books instead of the original 1 I was looking for. Most of their clearance is very reasonably priced at about 50% to 75% off the original price. The books are in decent shape too. I had a really fun time looking through clearance. Check-out was nice and simple. They asked me to sign up for their membership program which I declined. They also offered me to sign up for their "3 free magazines" deal, but none of that was particularly pushed on me. They were really friendly about it and didn't push when I said no. Staff was extremely friendly and I was greeted on multiple occasions. Didn't try out the coffee area or look through the Children's area. Final thoughts: I'd definitely come back. The prices are higher than what I could get online, but there's something to be said for in-store book stores. I love being able to buy a book locally and help support the local economy as well. Plus, looking through Clearance is easily one of my favorite aspects of bookstores. I came out with 5 new books at least than $40; that's definitely amazing for book prices. I'm glad Ames still has a local bookstore.

Selection? Unmatched! Quite literally walls of books! Just when you think you've browsed every…read moreisle, there are little hidden rooms with more books. They've got every genre & even an entire section for the little's. The little lounge area and table with chairs is quaint. Finding this place was worth it & we will be back! They'll even take your used books for credit. Everyone who worked there was very helpful!

It was nice to find a terrific Ankeny bookstore on a recent weekend. Walls of Books combines book…read moreknowledge, comfort, selection, solid pricing, and atmosphere in its venue. Plus, they have Isa (pronounced "E-sah"), the German Shepherd, one of the sweetest and friendliest dogs of all time who wanders the front of the store, greeting customers! I appreciated their selection of new and used book options, and I enjoyed interacting with kind and helpful staffers. I also loved their layout. I plan on returning frequently and will enjoy hanging with Isa!

I think in all of the IA Indie Bookshop Tour, I spent the longest time in this shop. There was so…read moremuch to look at, a cozy loft to just chill for a minute and try to narrow down my selection to 2 books - which ended up being 4... They have a wall of pre-loved books in great condition for great value and I also found a graphic novel I've only been able to find on Amazon. I am so glad I was able to find it and support an independently owned bookshop with it's purchase. I was next to tears by how many families with kids were in visiting the book shop, and carrying books the little ones picked out. Plus, the little reader nook in there is adorable. Also, something that really warmed my heart is the all gender private bathrooms (at least the one I went into) had a changing station and lots of room. Great coffee, good vibes and a great time. Can't wait to visit again!

Passing through to Des Moines, we stopped at Dog Eared Books. What a lovely shop! The exterior is…read moreso fun and welcoming and the inside is just the same. We were warmly welcomed by the staff. They have a great selection of books, including a shelf of previously loved with discounted prices. They have a great variety of merch too. Stickers, socks, t-shirts, etc. I will visit anytime I am down that way.