We wandered into this bookshop after dinner one evening and fell in love!! Sadly we live a couple…read morehours away but this would quickly become a regular spot if we lived nearby. The decor in this store is fabulous! Books galore (obviously good for a book store). I want a room in my home to look like the Painted Porch! It's cozy and full of possibilities. We didn't purchase anything so I can't speak to service, but the books were normally priced for a bookstore that sells new books. Overall, a great store with a good selection!

The Painted Porch Bookstore feels like if that couple in your friend group, the ones everyone…read moreaspires to be, decided to share their personal library with the world. The couple who reads voraciously, has exceptional taste, thinks critically about what they consume, and can explain exactly why each book matters. After years of friends asking for recommendations, they finally thought: why not open the collection to everyone? So they found a space, bought dozens of copies of their favorite books, and created something extraordinary. That's the Painted Porch. It's a jewel to anyone who reads. A gift to anyone who considers themselves a lifelong learner. The staff embodies this same spirit. Corey, Kim, and Peyton are all lovely souls and are an absolute pleasure to interact with. Kim's book recommendations alone are a testament to what happens when people genuinely love where they work and who they work with. Thank you, Ryan. And most especially, thank you, Sam.

We found this place due to looking for independent bookstores when we travel. This one is tucked…read moreaway in a nice little spot. Parking is pretty good. It is not super big but it makes great use of the space it has tons of pre loved books, stickers, various gifts, oracle and Tarot cards, witches candles and so much more. SHANA SAYS: Super cute atmosphere, fun organizing of the books like pre loved, and lots of cute gift items. Plus a cat with its own hours! Kathy was super friendly and helpful. Made the whole experience better and is a genuine person. They do have a game room and a snack bar with free water as well as a keuring and snacks for sale. The bathroom is for everyone and they are very welcoming. Of course as an independent bookstore they have a wide variety of titles with some new books thrown in. They do mystery sells and bundles where you get a vague description of a book that is covered up and you take a chance. It should go without saying but as you are supporting local businesses the prices are a little higher the HPB or Amazon but it means more here and you should buy local when you can. I highly recommend this place. They even have a section where if you spend $50 you get to choose a free gift from books to sunglasses to other items. Go in, say hi to Kathy and The Cat!

What a wonderfully weird place! I was looking for a local bookstore that was close to my hotel and…read morewould let me explore a little. The Book Burrow did the trick! I will start with the "downsides" (as few as they are). This place is pretty small. Like smaller than I thought. Because of this, its not the greatest place for browsing. They had some "witch" stuff which was interesting, but I was looking for a book. Also, most of the books are used which isn't terrible, but not exactly clear. As for the positives, this place is a true small business so you really get the personal touch when it comes to service. I also picked this place because it did a "blind book" service where they will pick out a book or two for you based on your description. A bunch of bookstores do this, but the Book Burrow understood the assignment exactly. They got me THREE books and all of them were PERFECT. I was surprised how they found my vibe and found me unique books! They also wrapped it in a beautiful paper and addressed it to me! It was like a little birthday gift to myself! As you can tell, I was very floored by the selections. This is the small business of small businesses so I am so HAPPY that I was able to stop by! While the place is small and their selection is in flux, I really appreciated the personal touch from the staff at The Book Burrow.

Lots of variety. Everything from bible studies, and reference bibles, to gifts. The staff were…read moreextremely friendly and helpful. I'm sure some of the items you could have gotten a little cheaper online, however I love supporting our small local businesses. You just can't get the same customer service elsewhere. I came in for bible highlighters and bible tabs. They not only had them, but multiple options as well. I'll be back for sure.

Hidden gem. Great selection of gifts and items you'll want for yourself. Local family owned…read morebusiness that is very knowledgeable and helpful.

Big and beautiful store full of great books and amazing cute toys and accessories. I prefer it over…read moreonline shopping. We found a few good books. They also offer some books buy one get second half price or on sale. Pleasant customer service from nice staff. I would go back to this location for sure.

I love Barnes & Noble. All of the employees are so helpful and I'm able to find any book title with…read moretheir assistance. The selection of books is so wide and I greatly appreciate their selection of banned books. But I do wish they had more community events. My kids always love the lego events and they're always asking for more events.

This store is genuinely great for gift shopping. If you need a present, you'll probably find…read moresomething perfect without the usual chaos of fighting traffic and crowds on Congress. Much easier to just slip over to 12th Street, do your shopping, and then reward yourself with a drink next door (as you should). Highly recommend for a relaxed, feel-good browse. Also, I've heard about their Pride Market in June ...definitely on my list to visit!

10 STARS ACROSS THE BOARD FOR THE LITTLE GAY SHOP!!!!…read more Anytime I'm traveling, I look for bookstores and libraries. Lucky me this time I paid a visit to The Little Gay Shop. As many times as I've been to Austin, this was my first visit here. We stopped in before getting on the road to head back to Houston. There's a large selection of apparel, socks, stickers, cards for many occasions, enamel pins, decor, art, and books. In my opinion they didn't have the largest selection of books but just enough. It's colorful, bright, and welcoming! Kirt was really friendly and provided us some history/details about the bookstore. We left with enamel pins, stickers, a card, and sweatshirts! The goods are highly worth the value (I mean it's books- duh) When I'm in Austin, I'll make a priority to stop by this bookstore. I looooooooved it! Oh the day we went there was a walk/run going on so streets were blocked and the general parking lot was not being used. All street parking was free and typically is. Their parking lot lies directly across from the bookstore. Enjoy! Check them out!

HPB is quintessential to Texas. I think it started in Dallas actually but this location on Lamar…read morewas a frequent haunt of mine growing up. They have pretty much every bestseller; they do sell some new books too which tend to cost about as much as they would at any commercial bookstore but obvs buying a used copy can save you a bit. They do buy books and media materials but know you won't get much (around 50% of the book's selling price assuming it's in excellent condition seems to be the pattern I've noticed). The staff are always really helpful and knowledgeable. They have plenty of parking too. Will mention I have noticed the location on N Lamar tends to have more books in general (it's bigger!) but as a South Austin native I'm glad to have a location down here.

This place has always been my go-to for buying and selling books. They don't give much on buy…read moreback, but happy to find a home for the books rather than just throwing them out. They usually have the weird titles and authors I am looking for, if not locally, then at another store and has them shipped. I am a loyal customer- thanks for sticking around for so long!

We came here as our city is being a jerk and closing this down. I know some of that is that our…read moreolder generation didn't want any new taxes on anything as they are selfish and don't want to pay taxes on the 3 houses they own or whatever. Still it sucks to see this going away. We came in, bought some books and browed a bit. They place had a fair amount of people, still quite a few books, music, and movies. I couldn't find much I was intersteied in but Shana did and even found me a book or two. The bathroom is weird, it is around a corner that looks like you are not allowed to go to and there is a key on a hanger that you take in with you, you don't need to unlock the door and I am not sure it even locks. If the key is missing that is how you know the bathroom has someone in it, there is a small hook on the inside to hang the key while you are in the restroom. So you have to hope people notice it is gone and you have to hope everyone puts the key back. But they are clean and they have a sign in the bathroom that the front desk can supply you with pads if needed. The one misstep here was the guy running the front desk, he was not super friendly, I heard his reaction to a lady gushing about how great the place was and how many books she found for such a good price, some were gifts and he could care less. He wasn't rude but he was doing that thing where you just nod and say uh huh. I also heard him later say he was from another branch of the library, I don't know which but I hope we don't run into him again. We got something like 7 or 8 books for 9 bucks which is fantastic. He checked us out fast, as he had better things to do and we headed out.

Recycled reads is a really interesting place. I found out about it from Google when I was looking…read morefor a used copy of a specific book. Let me start with - it's not a big place, and the selection isn't huge so it's not terribly likely you'll find something very specific, much less a popular title. However, it's a nice concept. They sell retired library books for VERY cheap, so if you're list looking for a new book in general, this is actually a pretty decent spot to get some and save money. They have a small lot out front but I had no trouble finding parking. The staff there were really friendly and helpful; they don't have a catalog because of all the turnover but they do have things arranged by genre so they could point me toward where I might find the book I was looking for.

Support local businesses! Super cute store with so many great finds. Went in the other day to get a…read morebaby gift for my boss. Every item was a hit! Charming and woman owned. Will definitely be back again and again!

Paper Bark Birch Books is a delighful children's bookstore. They also have a YA section. The store…read morehas reading nooks as well for the kids and teens.

Love, love, loved this bookstore. staff was friendly and helpful--selection was clearly curated…read morewith thought and care. My wife and I really enjoyed how welcoming the store was--we will definitely be stopping by whenever we are in town.

Here with a review update...as it stands...still...I love Book Woman. I will always make my way to…read morethis bookstore when I'm visiting Austin. Now, what I do not love is not being acknowledged/greeted when I enter an establishment. Furthermore, if I give you my card in your hand do not ever place my card on the counter. I have hands as well and that's how I should receive my card back. Shit is annoying and disrespectful. Now that I got that out of the way, do better as it relates to customer service because I brought someone to the bookstore after raving about everything from the books to the stickers. Greet people, it's simple. We did receive a bland "Happy Pride" on the way out. You could have kept that tho.

This is a great bookstore in the heart of Austin. Great selection of books and I really like how…read morethey have little summaries with the staff picks on them. The staff is very friendly and helpful with recomendations as well. Price was competitive as well. It's a nice place to spend some time and browse their books. They have a great kids section as well so we always end up leaving with a bunch of new books.

Continuing my tour of all-time Austin favorites, I made a stop at BookPeople. It's hard to remember…read morea time before it, at least for me, it has always been there, and always been my favorite bookstore. I remember when they sold records and magazines, and while the post-pandemic version leans more into books, gifts, and coffee, the heart of the place hasn't changed. It's still a space that invites you to wander, discover, and hang out. There's something special about its scale and presence as it stands as one of the largest and most iconic independent bookstores in Texas, but never loses that personal, neighborhood feel. Still one of my favorite places to spend time.