A very small bookshop in rural Woodbury, CT. Couldn't pass by w/o taking a look, but the Sci-Fi…read moreFantasy section was so minuscule, it only took a minute to see that there was nothing there that interested me. Honestly, I've found selections of used books in church basements. That's my report, "Hidden Gem" it is not.

I had a fantastic experience when I visited this store on a Saturday. The two people working there…read morewere incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. The prices are very reasonable, and the selection is surprisingly extensive for a small secondhand bookstore. I highly recommend stopping by the Book Cellar in Woodbury, CT--you never know what treasures you'll find!

We happened upon this delightful independent bookstore after enjoying a late lunch at the…read moreMediterranean restaurant next door. It's brightly lit and beautifully arranged by theme, with lots of staff pick summaries/comments posted all around. Friendly staff and welcoming vibe. Great book selection of books!

This is such a cute and cozy bookstore! The River Bend Bookshop is set inside a refurbished old…read morehouse in downtown Gastonbury. It's an adorable New England town that looks like it was plucked straight from a movie. When you go inside, the store is so cozy. It's packed full of books and bookish merch, but so well set, there is plenty of room to explore. There are books in every nook and cranny, sorted by genre, with bookseller recommendations and plenty of signed copies. The booksellers are very knowledgeable and helpful too. If you are looking for a gift for an avid reader, they will definitely be able to help you find the perfect present. This is going to be a permanent stop for me every time I head through Connecticut.

This place is freakin' cool!…read more I was at Factory Square for an event and stubbed upon this spooky gem. It was a self-guided walk through (and some merchandise like books) of unusual, haunted, and fantasy. The exhibit had cool effects and was very impressive experience. I recognized displays like Alice in Wonderland. There were something that were for purchase like books, novelty items, and etc. I didn't notice the prices at all, but the lady that welcomed us into the shop was very nice. I was telling friends and family all about the Curioporium and that it's a must visit.

Curoporium is a curiosity shop that opened in Hartford, Connecticut in September 2018. It was…read morefounded by entrepreneur Nathan Nunez. Although raised Catholic, Nunez was interested in the mysticism aspect of other religions, such as Buddhism, Wicca, Paganism, etc. He had an idea to open a curiosity shop where he could give customers an interactive and immersive haunted "shop-sperience". Opening at a mixed use building in the Parkville section of Hartford, Curioporium became host to a variety of special events, such as musical performances, séances, magic shows, and even photos with Krampus at Christmas time. In March 2025, Nunez relocated Curioporium to Factory Square in Southington. My older son and I recently stopped at Curioporium while we were visiting Factory Square. We were about to head to GameCraft down the hall when we suddenly noticed some spooky sounds emanating from Curioporium. We decided to enter and investigate. The shelves of the shop were lined with all sorts of creepy objects, such as occult books, shrunken heads, skulls, bugs, torture devices, laboratory equipment, magic wands, potions & elixirs, healing crystals, talismans, and lots of other creepy items. An Oddity & Curiosity Bar at the back of the space gives customers a chance to craft a very different sort of cocktail (or shall I say "wet specimen") that may contain a sheep eye, pig heart, or some other putrid ingredient. One of the creepiest items we saw on display was the "Mirror of Hades": a noisy mirror that seemed to be possessed by evil spirits. My son refused to go anywhere near it. After spending a good amount of time in the shop, my son decided that he had his fill of frightening things for quite some time and asked if we could leave. Although our visit was brief, there's a very good chance that I'll be making a solo return trip so I can explore Curioporium and all that it has to offer in greater detail.

Great little shop for gifts. Really affordable and just the most personable and lovable staff…read morearound. They sell great skin products made locally, trays , scarves, garden decor, plant hangers, candles and diffusers among a wide variety of decorative accessories. The owner has a great eye for bringing new things in and anything you buy is placed in a white shopping bag with tissues and ribbon, so you can take it out of the store ready to gift. Be sure to visit this great shop the next time you're in town.

Best People you will ever meet do to their Kindness, understanding and smartness. I'm lost in new…read moreplaces or places I haven't been in years. Great selection and best value is free.

Located in the basement (or lower level, depending on how you look at it) of the Watertown Public…read moreLibrary, there's a great little used bookstore. My writer friend and I were looking for some reference materials, and having exhausted most of our standard resources, decided to try here. While small, there's a wide range of genera to chose from, including health (men's and women's), art, cooking, history, biographies, and, of course, fiction. There's an extensive selection of children's books, and a surprising number of antique and collectable books available. My friend and I both found some good reference books, and I picked up a couple of cookbooks as well. The prices are right (I think the most expensive book was $4, and that was a recent fiction release), and the volunteers are friendly. Keep in mind, the selection is constantly changing. Need a book? You could always borrow one from the stacks upstairs, but the ownership of a book is a special thing, and this is the place to find a book for keeps.

Explored this place as a random Yelp find. It certainly takes a minute or two to find being in the…read moreart space multi building parking lot, and figuring out how to get buzzed in by calling, however, there's some really good book hunting here in the decent sized space, particularly if you're a fan of old books. The owner was very friendly and chatty to me and I had a pleasant experience, found a few old reads, and would return. Thanks!

Weird little place in a weird little space. The whole store is under lock and key--one must buzz-in…read moreby telephone request unless one has made a prior appointment to access what could be a browser's paradise. The owner (as he announced himself) is, on every third Thursday of each alternate month, a nice-enough-fellow full of the love of books. But every other day at the store, he cements his love of books at the cost of a passing indifference for his customers that borders on hostility. While the book selection is as comprehensive as it is well-organized, something about the place seems... well... 'off.' It's as though one is being watched--or rather scrutinized--by unseen eyes, suspicious you may be replacing a book in the wrong place, disturbing the piles of rarities without regard to how the newly imbalanced feng-shui will impact the owner as he lingers scowling from the sequestered bowls of the shop. The books are, nevertheless, excellent and priced clearly in the "almost-too-expensive-but-still-just-affordable" range. Comparatively, the prices here are fair to good. You will not be finding any shocking bargains or hidden but neglected treasures here. The books are carefully selected, after all, and intended to turn a profit for the owner. After all, buying low and selling high is the name of the game--and yet, listening in on the owner's bargaining with one collector attempting to sell her books, I'd say there are fairer prices to be had from other buyers. But after exhaustive talks ranging from condition to author popularity (when has it been hard to sell Orwell?), she settled on a price with our peculiar host all the same. It was, in a word, creepy. Upon leaving with my new acquisitions, I was reminded of John Locke's description of this weird trade which combines refined erudition with predatory avarice: "Printers, binders, sellers, and others that make a trade and gain out of them have universally so odd a turn and corruption of mind, that they have a way of dealing peculiar to themselves, and not conformed to the good of society, and that general fairness that cements mankind." True enough of this odd little place, I thought. And then I went home, placed the books on my desk, and retired to take a nice long shower.

I have literally been waiting to check out Retro Junk for like 4 years and this weekend was finally…read moremy chance to do so. I was last in the nutmeg stage way back in 2022 when some friends and I drove to Manchester to check this place out, well, we should have checked the hours because it was closed and I wanted to cry. Well, now it's 2026 and a buddy of mine made sure we came on a day they were actually opened and I'm sure glad we did. This store is absolutely perfect from the first room full of arcade machines, on card action figures, and random toys to the video game room full of classics from the Dreamcast, GameCube, and even modern switch stuff. The last room here is vintage shirts and such which I didn't spend much time glancing at, but was a cool edition. It was cool seeing a place in Connecticut filled with old WWF stuff, Big Bad Beetle Borgs, Nintendo Powers, and tons and tons of figures, I wish this place was here when I lived in the area a decade ago. Overall, this is definitely one of my new favourite spots on Connecticut and definitely somewhere I'll be shopping at again on future trips. Even though I left empty handed (can only fit so much back to LA) I already look forward to coming back.

Very awesome and nostalgic store! There's pinball machines and arcade games you can actually play…read morein the front of the store. Super fun to browse and look at many things from my childhood. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Their selection of items is huge; video games, action figures and items from the 80s and 90s. Value depends on what you purchase. Video games ranged from $4.99-$13. Collector items are worth more so you'll spend more.

Awesome selection of vintage booths and excellent choices of record albums. Vintage band posters,…read morepins, clothing and more.

Recently went here bc of seeing a lamp on fb marketplace. I had never heard of it and don't get to…read moreWethersfield all that often. I got the lamp, and a little bag in another booth. Obviously some booths fit my liking more than others. Mostly older stuff but a few booths had new merchandise. The staff was nice but I didn't interact much with them. My lamp was a good value. But every booth and item will vary. It's in a Good location - lots of of shopping and places to eat in a pretty close vicinity b