My top-tier chum from the Kingdom of Sussex and I came here for Stop #2 of the 2nd Annual NJ…read moreBookstore Crawl (a 5-star extravaganza in and of itself) last Saturday morning. We hit up all three Sussex bookstores, and this was my chum's very clear favorite of the batch. I was a big fan too, even if ultimately it wasn't geared toward my literary demo. Our carefully planned itinerary suffered some issues with this one because Black Dog apparently moved fairly recently to more spacious accommodations further up 15. My chum frowned in confusion in a parking lot in the downtown Lafayette area for a few minutes before we got our bearings and retraced our steps north. I think that's on our Crawl Itinerary Expert but without context/knowledge of the move (which must have been at least KIND OF subtle since she lives within a few minutes of here and had no idea) an easy mistake to matter. No matter. Very easy to find once we had, you know, the actual address. And for the record, my chum said this was a HUGE upgrade over the prior location. All's well that ends well. I was REALLY hoping that someone took the name Black Dog Books literally, so it was an absolute delight to encounter a dark-tinted, wizened canine on the premises almost as soon as we walked in. Anya the chiweenie was a real trooper and an excellent addition to the festivities. I will say she's clearly an older pooch and didn't seem enormously thrilled by some of the younger human pups frantically taking selfies and whatnot (in my mild defense, I professionally took one tasteful photo and then gave her some space), but she handled it like a champ. I will say this for the record - every indie bookstore should have an accompanying canine chum. Apparently the Lambertville bookstore had a bloodhound, which is next level (massive FOMO but is what it is). But this was a good one. Thank you for your service, Anya. Unlike its literary counterpart in Branchville, Black Dog has much better lighting and much more space. It's no knock on them, but I just like the mild claustrophobia and overall personality that comes from having to get creative with the space you have and the massive amount of books to display. All due respect, this didn't feel as unique to me. I will say that out of the three bookstores we went to up here, Black Dog was the most enthusiastic about the Crawl, which is probably a huge reason my chum had the best experience here. They were giving away raffle prizes, naughtily had free wine(!) available before 11am and someone offering free fairy hair. I took her up on that generous offer but then belatedly realized it meant I had to stay still for more than five minutes. I just wasn't made to be an adult. My other slight issue with this bookstore (and again, this is me and I'm sure plenty of people have zero problem with it) is it just doesn't have the inventory that other places do - they leaned into presentation and more chairs and non-book products. And that's not necessarily a bad thing at all, but for me, it meant there was less overall space and options for the books I might potentially purchase. Also like a lot of bookstores in this day and age, a little too much chick lit for me; just not my thing. Very familiar with being a chick already; hashtag 1984 birth. The proprietors were VERY nice and accommodating. I didn't notice, but my chum said one of the employees was walking around giving customers recommendations based on their interests, which is a nice touch if welcome/slightly solicited. You felt good vibes throughout the store, which is important and should be a pre-requisite for any small business. (Truly love the Crawl for bringing stuff like this to my attention). Shameless judging books by their cover, I ended up purchasing Anthony Doerr's 2021 novel Cloud Cuckoo Land. Haven't gotten a chance to read it yet, but I selected this one because the design on the front was intriguing and it had stickers denoting it as a NY Times Notable Book and a National Book Award Finalist. We'll see if I agree with the powers that be. Pleasantly surprised at the abundant literary options up here in the Kingdom, and a solid stop on our adventures.

This is wishful a great bookstore! It is well stocked - in fact it is far better stocked than most…read moreindie bookstores and I think can rival some of the bigger chain stores! Plus the staff is highly knowledgeable and helpful (a former book store owner and writer, a PHD professor and writing tutor, a children's library and literature expert, and every staff member has a genre they help make picks in and support in store!). The store is bright and welcoming and they offer free coffee, tea, waters, and snacks plus a free kids craft table that's always set up and available. Their kids section is delightful with a great safe space to leave the kiddos to play and read while you shop. The overall vibe at this store is so welcoming and their events are so fun that this is a favorite stop of mine every weekend !

Comics in Sparta, New Jersey…read more.. We passed this small business several times because it's on the main road. We decided to take a look... Wow... Located upstairs of a Historical building, Pyramid Comics & Cards is filled with all kinds of merchandise! Dani was very cheerful, helpful, and knowledgeable! My friend was talking about some series that she saw and wondered if it was made into a comic book. Dani found it!!! Preacher! Dani also know the difference between Marvel and DC Comics. She was able to carry a conversation about Spiderman, Hello Kitty, The Joker, and more! If you want to know anything or obtain any comics, Pyramid is the place to be...

Awesome little store with two rooms filled with comics. One room has all the modern releases and…read morethe other has some older stuff.

Skyland's sport shop has a variety of firearms and long guns -the place is located in a convenience…read moreplace on a county road way -and near the skylands ball field, cliff and his wife are straight shooters and tell ya what is good or not and can help put a deal together that not only will be satisfying but worth every dollar spent and worth the ride up ill be taking a ride up to see cliff or his wife for a purchase and i come from paterson nj!!!!!! that should tell you how convinced i am to purchase from them ,so if needing a good firearm to carry and or for target shooting along with along rifle what ever your taste is go on up and say hi talking, old school is their cup of tea befor apurchase they have good selection of ammunition and so on you be the judge -and just down the road is the hampton diner for a bite to eat-seal the deal even more after its done anything works with agood old fashion old school hand shake .

Terry & Cliff are fabulous. Knowledgeable and entertaining at times. Pricing is very reasonable. Of…read morecourse you can do better on the internet, but the internet doesn't replace personal customer service with a smile & worth a couple of extra bucks to support local business. Selection is good & if they don't have it? They will get it for you quickly. Buying guns in NJ is a major PIA, but their turnaround time is tops. 5 stars isn't enough and highly recommend.

What a wonderful time today exploring Bogwater Jim Antiques. They have such a nice selection of…read morepaintings, furniture, vintage sailboats, chandeliers, and more. The staff working in the store can't be more gracious and helpful answering any questions. Their hours are Thursday through Sunday, 10am-5pm. They do accommodate curbside pickup. On July 25th, there will be an outside vendor event (weather permitting) from 10am until 4pm. Masks are optional at this point inside the store.

Great & unique products from friendly & knowledgeable people. Good value for your money.read more

I loved shopping here! The store is incredibly organized and has a great variety of items to choose…read morefrom. John, the owner, was so friendly and helpful, and he helped me find some amazing pieces. For being open less than two months, I'm so impressed with what they've created and can't wait to see how the business grows. Great selection, great service, and a wonderful shopping experience. Highly recommend!!! If you haven't stopped by, you should!!

If I could get this place zero stars, I would. It is definitely , not what I would call a boutique,…read moremore like a garage sale, horders type of vibe. The customer service was lackluster. The prices are astronomical, considering they are secondhand clothes from decades ago. Totally not in style. I wouldn't waste my time going here ever again.

I cannot say enough about how wonderful this shop and owner Lynn are! Lynn's fashion sense and…read moreexpertise are immediately obvious when one enters Interplay Couture, a boutique that where the atmosphere is fun, exciting, and full of warmth and personalized attention. I've found clothing and accessories here that allow me to express myself creatively, mixing and matching fabulous and uniquely patterned tops, pants, jackets, and jewelry while learning tips from Lynn on how to put it all together in ways that suit me physically and also personality-wise. Every visit to Interplay has me feeling that I can't wait to go back and experiment more with new items and looks. Ever since my first trip there, getting to wear these clothes each day has been an absolute joy, and I get compliments from family and strangers like never before!

Delightful vintage couture with a colorful friendly vibe. Highly recommend when looking for fancy…read morehats and evening ware. With a life size wooden lion in the middle of the store and racks of vintage formal wear jewelry, clothes and shoes. It's def worth the drive to Newton.

My top-tier chum from the Kingdom of Sussex and I went to all three of the bookstores in Sussex…read moreparticipating in the NJ Bookstore Crawl last weekend, and Sparta Books was our final stop (which, if you map it out, logistically makes a lot of sense). I wish we'd kept going into Morris County because unfortunately, this was our least favorite stop and left a slightly sour note on the overall proceedings. My chum is actually a semi-regular here and a rewards member, so she knew exactly where to drive us for this one (unlike our slightly ill-fated adventures with Lafayette's Black Dog earlier). Sparta Books has a non-descript exterior essentially in a strip mall, and we were a little disappointed not to see any indication from the storefront that they were participating in the Crawl (and to an extent, I AM reviewing them within the context of that event since they chose to be included and it's how we ended up here last Saturday). That was also true within the store as well, though I think one of the employees did reference the Crawl or ask my chum if we were participating. No signage or interesting promotions, unless you count the book pencil included with our purchases - and maybe you do; mileage may vary, etc. Beyond the limited participatory aspect, I just didn't think this place had much personality and it seemed like they were still sort of moving in based on some of the clutter toward the back of the store. For me at least, it just didn't seem inviting. Similarly, this was the most difficult spot for me to choose a book because most of them just didn't look particularly appealing, coupled with the limited selection. By far out of the three bookstores we visited, this one had the least amount of books and the quality just didn't seem that great. For instance, it wasn't easy to find acclaimed literature, but Travis and Jason Kelce's recent book No Dumb Questions and All of Our Dumbest Answers was prominently displayed. Ultimately I selected Madeline Miller's 2011 novel The Song of Achilles as my purchase (continuing to judge books by their cover) because it was the winner of something called the Orange Prize for Fiction. We'll see how it goes. The biggest issue I had here though went beyond personal literature preferences or lack thereof - it was service, which is not a problem I anticipated nor can I recall experiencing at a bookstore before. That's something I'd associate more with a bar or restaurant than this type of merchant. But when we got in line to pay, there were two women behind the counter. One was handling purchases, though it was a pretty slow process from what I could see. Despite the fact that there were multiple people waiting (I think one other person besides us), the second woman was just chattering away obliviously with a friend, who may have ultimately been a customer but wasn't buying anything in the moment. If you can multi-task/kill two birds with one stone in that regard, go for it. But to just flat-out ignore the fact that you have customers just standing there with literal money on the table is just bad business and didn't leave the best taste in our mouths. It took us close to 10 minutes to pay, which is ridiculous. The whole point of the Crawl is to promote indie bookstores, and by and large that's something I try to do so we as a society aren't just exclusively suckling at the teat of Amazon. But as my chum pointed out after we left, just because it's indie doesn't mean it's good, and since every store by definition is going to be different, some of these places are going to vary in quality. I think of bookstores and coffee shops as businesses that people really tend to grade on a curve, but I just can't justify doing that when at the end of the day, a) there was barely any acknowledgment of the Crawl aka the reason most of your customers are there that day, b) there weren't many books comparatively speaking and c) the customers weren't universally treated with attention and respect. You'd understandably expect any other consuming-facing business to have a solid inventory and good customer service - why should a bookstore be held to a different standard than that?

Great selection of children's books and newly released fiction and nonfiction. Staff is friendly…read moreand helpful. Sunny place to browse and read books in comfortable chairs. Ample parking. Coffee shop next door. Gift wrap available for books and free bags with your purchase.

If I could give more stars I would! This shop is great, the wonderful staff is amazing,…read moreknowledgeable and always helpful in finding what fits your needs. It is my go to place, never disappointed. If you haven't been, give it a try. You will be happy you did!!!

Very big store with lots of goodies. Young man at counter did not seem to know much. Otherwise it…read morewas good experience