Friendly service, inviting atmosphere, knowledgeable staff, reasonably priced books... this is a great local bookstore.

RiverRun is clean, bright and well-organized. The staff is friendly and helpful. But my goodness is it small. And with a significant portion of the space dedicated to children/YA books, there's just not very much to choose from. The last 3 times I've popped in there I've walked out empty-handed. It's a shame because it's a store I'd happily support if there was more to choose from. read more

Quaint and lovely bookstore right off of the square in downtown Portsmouth. Always welcoming with fresh displays and a good variety of books for everyone. read more

RiverRun Bookstore - Sign outside RiverRun bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Grea selection and value! You will love what they have to offer. The staff is very helpful as well.

Great selection of books! If they don't have it they will order for you and you'll have it in your hands in short order. Staff is very friendly and professional. read more

I have never had a bad experience in this bookshop! It is a go to whenever I am in town. The atmosphere is so great and the employees are always friendly and so helpful. One man was able to assist me in getting a special edition of one of my favorite books that was hidden in the back! Highly recommend giving them a visit! read more

Cute bookstore, saw they had Alice Song's new memoir in a prominent spot, snatched that up right away!!!

Bought a broken typewriter that was fixed at little cost by the bookstore. Typing on this typewriters is one of my favorite hobbies, and has helped me grow as a writer. read more

Love this bookstore! Cool vibe. Super helpful. It's small but supporting local is important! Trust me. Stop in. If you love books you'll find something to bring home. ;) read more

I think it's pretty well known by now that I cannot resist an independent bookstore. I was walking toward another destination but had to stop when I spotted Riverrun. Very nice selection of books and the displays were nicely done. The staff was super helpful and in no time found the book I had been looking for. They also have a great (yet small) children's book selection. I was happy to see several customers appreciating the store. Definitely stop in if you're in Portsmouth - it's right off of the main downtown on a side street and easy to spot. read more

A small store with surprisingly wide selection. I was able to find lots of great books and they were all really cool editions. The staff was very nice and helpful. read more

I have taken books to them for years. Derms as if no one knows what's going on in there. I brought in 12 books for credit. They " took " 9 and I wanted 3 to be returned to me. Got a call saying my order was ready for pick up. I told the lady I DID NOT order any books. Now they can't find my books for credit and any money I have on already ( $37) they will not give to me. I will never do business with them ever again. read more

Very welcoming and helpful staff! The lady at the desk helped several people while were in the store. Super cute store! Prices are fair for used books! read more

Absolutely adorable. It's small enough to maintain that cozy, comfortable, welcoming feeling but has enough books to keep you busy! I love the layout of the whole store and the staff that work there are incredibly helpful. Instead of pointing in the direction of where what book I was looking for, the staff member went and lead me there herself, got the book for me and even offered some suggestions! What great service. Very reasonable prices for a used bookstore and I think it's cool they offer brand new titles as well. read more

They've re-opened and their new address is 142 Fleet Street (in other words, the map is wrong). The space is a bit smaller but nicer. They're still unpacking and the place is crowded, but go take a look and cheer them on. Riverrun is a locally owned bookstore which deserves support and while I don't think it has quite the personality of the bookstore in Exeter, I like it and I'm glad that Riverrun is in Portsmouth. There's even a video of the renovation: http://youtu.be/odleYcrUXAU read more

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I hate not to be able to give 5* to support a local independent book shop. The fact the community formed a human chain to move the books from the more palatial market square shop not so long ago certainly shows love. Unfortunately, today the place has become overrun with dozens of boxes of used books. Running a small book store is certainly an impossible task today, but the nearby Book and Bar gets it quite a bit better. read more

RiverRun Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Portsmouth, New Hampshire

"No matter what terror the earth could produce - winds, seas - a person could produce the same, lived with the same, lived with all that mixed-up nature swirling inside, every bit. There was nothing as complex in the world - no flower or stone - as a single hello from a human being." ― Lorrie Moore, Birds of America I was walking to work one morning last week, and a man was standing on Fleet Street looking about confused. Seeing me, he asked, "Didn't RiverRun Bookstore used to be right here?" "Yes," I said. "It was here when I was last here six months ago, " he said. "No, it moved a while ago," I said. "Where is it now?" He asked. "Next to Moe's," I said. I pointed up the road in the direction of the sub shop. He stood there looking baffled as I continued onto work. RiverRun Bookstore is the city's oldest bookstore of our three independent shops. Nestled initially in Commercial Alley above Gulliver's Travels, then onto Congress Street where Life is Good is now, then over to Fleet Street and now up on Daniel Street. RiverRun used to be the only shop in town that held 2-3 author events per week and focused on new books. Now, the shop has a mix of new and used books as well as offering typewriters for sale, or repair services. Additionally, RiverRun is the only bookstore that owns its own publishing company, Piscataqua Press. Many of its staff have gone onto to publishing or reviewing successes. Full Disclosure: I am biased as I worked here fresh out of college, and I also ran a monthly Youth Poetry Series here. Tom Holbrook, the store's owner, is the most excellent boss anyone could hope to have who treats his staff like they are family with kindness, caring, empathy, and giving the push one needed to pursue their dreams without being creepy. read more

Nice location downtown near Market Square and close to the parking garage. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable owner. Local knowledge a plus. Prices commensurate with location. read more

RiverRun Bookstore - Inside counter - Bookstores Near Me - Portsmouth, New Hampshire

What a pleasure to find this bookshop. Eclectic selection of used books with cute old fashioned typewriters in the store. Definitely worth a look. read more

Favorite book shop in NH! Stopped in today, very helpful, great recommendations. We needed some help finding a particular type of literature and Riverrun came through! Thanks! read more

A tiny bookstore tucked away under a scaffolding of construction is quite easy to miss if you're walking by. I sniff these places out as there is nothing like a beautifully constructed room with shelves filled with books and here I was in Portsmouth staring at this place. It's one large room with all the bestsellers upfront and all your favorites in the back. They have a surprisingly large number of books for you to choose from for their size. I think the best thing about it is that they have a large collection of books signed by the author which I think means a large number of authors come through there. I bought a book the other day signed by David Sedaris! How awesome is that? Parking is kinda a pain but there's a garage around the corner that charges $1 per hour! read more

As far as little independent bookstores go, this place was aces. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and they use their space well. Totally nailed the "not too many books but have all the ones I'm looking for" test. I look forward to visiting Riverrun again. read more

Very nice little bookstore with wonderfully knowledgeable, friendly, helpful staff. They stock plenty of local authors and local interest books as well as a wide array of discounted, current interest, and bestsellers. Stop by and grab a book, or three, and then head across the street to the famous Gilley's restaurant for the best burgers and fries in Portsmouth! A wonderful way to spend an afternoon! read more

I Love Riverrun Bookstore and the staff that works there. I can only imaging how challenging it must be to run an independent bookstore. Competing against Amazon and Ebooks, it's clear that no-one is getting rich here. They do this because they love books, and Portsmouth. I highly recommend purchasing all your books from Riverrun to help keep independent bookstores like this in business. read more

It always warms my non-Kindle heart to see such a great, independent bookstore. And they have author events and readings that result in signed copies of cool books that work great as gifts or for your own collection. Support local stores like these; whether you realize it or not, they're an essential part of our culture, and sadly, they're disappearing. read more

A delightful, comfortable bookstore with a welcoming staff. Knowledgeable booksellers who obviously love the art of reading. A row of antique typewriters for sale in the front window seals the deal. I don't live in Portsmouth but if I did, I'd be going there like a shot in the arm every week. read more

Yes, you do have to pay list price for your book. BUT, you can't meet and greet 150 or so authors every year at Amazon, can you ? ( I met and had signed Bill Bryson's new book last week. ) For this alone, I love Riverrun and it's used book outlet, Second Run. I can also trade in my used books for credit towards new stuff. read more

Cool little indie bookstore but not much to it. I had some questions and the cashier seemed not into answering them. I'm definitely in favor of supporting local but I think this place could use some livening up. Specifically if they expanded their religion section (was tiny). They run their own publishing house which seemed really neat to me. read more

This is a great book store - it is so hard to find independently owned bookstores anymore. These folks know their stuff - they are helpful and will get any book for you if they do not have it. The host loads of writers nights and are a great part of the community. It is laid out well - clean - open and clear - free of clutter. Spend your money locally - support these kinds of businesses. read more

I make a point of stopping by this wonderful bookstore once a year on my way north for my summer vacation. The book selection is thoughtful and varied to meet most interests. The staff is knowledgeable and can actually have a substantive conversation with you about the books on their shelves. I walked out with a few books by authors that were new to me based on recommendations of a staff member. Not to miss if you're a book over and you find yourself passing through Portsmouth. read more

Given the size of the store the selection is pretty good. They don't carry a lot of the books/authors that I read, so I can't get a lot here without having to special order. I like to browse in bookstores, so this keeps me away from here. But if I'm buying for a gift, it's my first stop. I love that they have used books, as well. read more

Loved this place! The owner really seemed like he had a collection of books he knew and loved and was happy to give me a recommendation.

This shop has gone down hill. River Run used to be filled with a killer selection but now they have empty tables and shelves. They also seem to have split their used stock between Second Run (their used bookstore) and River Run (this new bookstore) to fill shelf space. For some reason they also raised their prices in the process. I expected to pay the $5 for a paperback book (as I've been happily paying for the last couple years) and was instead charged $7, even though the book still marked at $5. I only later noticed that they had been erasing the $5 pencil mark from the insides of all the books, so they must have missed some. When I mentioned that the book was priced at $5, not the $7 I was being charged, the guy at the cash register (who it turns out was the owner) could have easily just said, "Sorry, we had to raise our prices a bit but we'll continue bringing in great used books" (or something along those lines), but instead he told me some story about how books sometimes have markings from other used bookstores. I get that a $2 price hike isn't that big of a deal but the interaction at the counter was frustrating, bordering on rude. I have been a regular customer for the last few years but I'll probably start looking for used books elsewhere first (or at least used paperbacks. I'd say $7 is still a fair price for a hardcover). read more