Like many things at Colonial Williamsburg, the bookstore is unfortunately less refined and more…read moretouristy than it was years ago, but I think that's a reflection on the visitors and their tastes and Williamsburg's attempts to adapt to what people will buy. The book sections are smaller than they were, the video and music section is gone, and they've moved some of the food stuffs and home decorations from across the hall to fill the space. Still, there is a good selection of books on relevant history from Jamestown through the Civil War, decorative arts, architecture, trades and crafts, cooking and military history for the serious historian; and of course books on Williamsburg itself. Check out the bargain table for good deals on close out items.

On a recent visit to Colonial Williamsburg, I stopped in to look around. Bought some books and…read moreprints. They were nice enough to let me leave my purchases until I finished with Williamsburg. When I returned to pick up my purchases, I was told the Artist came in and they had him sign the largest print I bought. What a thoughtful thing to do for a perfect stranger. Their sales people are the best. Love this store. I give them TEN STARS for super service. Sarah Texas

Love this place!…read more Great book selection. Sometimes it's hard to find the books you want. They have computers set up around the store that make life a lot easier, but sometimes they put books on display, and that's not registered in the system, so you have to roam the store looking for them. You can ask the workers for help, and they try their best, but usually they have the same problem you do. The service is wonderful, though, and they'll do all they can to help you. The real reason I give this place five stars is because of the cafe workers and the seating. The baristas are unreal. They know my name and my order, and the names and orders of several of my friends. They remember you, they treat you like a person, they go the extra mile. You can sit in the cafe and hear them holding discussions with customers while they make their drinks, customers they only know because they order coffee. Wonderful service. Also, they have a lot of seating in the cafe, and a lot of comfortable chairs around the store, which is what I really enjoy. This place rocks!

I stopped in to use their restroom while in New Town and stayed to peruse. I didn't purchase but it…read morewas great to see them thriving with quite a crowd on a weekend and plenty of popular titles to browse. The store was clean and orderly; exactly what you'd expect from the chain.

2nd & Charles in Hampton is one of my favorite "happy accidents" in the area. If you love books,…read moregames, records, or just browsing something that feels genuinely fun instead of generic, this place delivers every time. It's one of those shops where you can wander for way longer than you planned and still feel like you got something out of the trip. The selection is solid and eclectic. They've got new and used books across genres, a great vinyl section that actually changes often enough to make repeat visits worth it, and a lot of tabletop games and collectibles that aren't shoved into a corner. Everything is easy to flip through, and it doesn't feel like sensory overload. Staff are friendly and actually seem to know (or want to help you find) what you're looking for, which is something I don't take for granted. No blank stares or "I guess?" answers when I ask about a genre or game system. What I love most is that it doesn't feel like a chain store experience. It feels local, personal, and like a place that rewards curiosity. Whether I'm picking up a book I've had my eye on, discovering an album I forgot I wanted, or grabbing something neat for someone else, I always leave feeling like it was time well spent. If you're the kind of person who likes real browsing not the "hit checkout immediately" vibe this store is absolutely worth a stop. I'll definitely be back. My kid could stay there all day and be happy but I would be broke so we keep it to a time limit. Be careful!

I love this place. Huge selection. Hands-down one of the best shops in the area. They also buy used…read morebooks, so keep them in good shape.

Bookware house is bargain book shopping paradise!! First off the selection of books is solid and…read morevery well priced. Plus they have several "buy more & safe" type deals. If you are like me and just like to go wherever your spirit takes you the staff will work with you to make sure you get the best deal ever!! If you are shopping with little ones they have cute little tables and a few things to keep your littles occupied. I scored 6 childrens books for just over 20 bucks!! My kids are going to be so happy. I was also given the green light to pick up as many complimentary bookmarks as I wanted!! Fair warning the bags are flimsy and not sturdy enough for books so be sure to bring your own bags!!

I loved this store! I picked up two books (one was one of their blind date with a book) and snagged…read morea few free bookmarks from their free bookmark bar. What a great and fun idea. I picked up two books that I can't wait to get lost in and will be back to visit again soon.

This shop is a gem. If you're into thrifting or looking for…read morea gift for someone, you'll find something in there. One of the people I was with got prints of old planes as a gift for her husband, who loves them and I picked up some cute pins to add to my collection. It does get busy and crowded inside due to the amount of items and people wanting to stop and observe their findings.

I had a great experience at the Yorktown Bookshop. They have a great selection of unique, out of…read moreprint military history books, antique maps, classic vinyl, and several other curiosities all reasonably priced. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. She was happy to assist me with what I was looking for. I highly recommend a visit whenever you are in the area.

Looking for unique gifts with a historic connection? This is the place to go. Most of the…read moremerchandise available in Colonial Williamsburg shops throughout the village is collected here, in one place, making shopping much easier. The book selection, naturally, is oriented to Virginia history and offers everything from baby board books to reproductions of historic recipe books. They also carry local Virginia mead, wine, honey, Christmas ornaments and much more. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Products are high quality and unique to Williamsburg, priced accordingly.

Colonial Williamsburg opened a small bookstore in Merchants Square a couple months ago. They offer…read morebooks for all ages. The shop is located on the second floor above J. McLaughlin and FatFace. You can find compelling biographies and other nonfiction work, as well as children's books set in the pre- and post- revolutionary time period. It's the perfect shop to find a gift for the history lover!

Huge selection. Great gift ideas and souvenirs to bring back home for family and friends…read more Patriotic themed! Pleasant staff and service!

(I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for a "review" to come back to this place.)…read more Sadly, the song remains the same here at Revolutions. If you come to the CW Visitors Center more than likely you're walking in the main entrance door from the parking lot and this place is what you first encounter. Overall the store (it's not really one store as it's more like two or three depending on how you want to count things but technically Revolutions is the one on the left side when you walk in) is indeed massive. Lots of stuff everywhere. On the left side it's a lot of things like stuffed animals (anyone for a stuffed walrus in a CW shirt?), wine/beer, some snacks, lots of CW branded clothing along with a ton of reproduction items and a lot of Chinese plastic junk. The right side is technically the bookstore and it's loaded down with a mountain of titles but also has a Christmas section and even sells things like bird feeders. The two overriding issues are that you can still find too many things here the same as you can find at the shops on DOG Street. While that might sour you the other kicker is of course the pricing. The pricing is very much theme park-esque in terms of how whack some of this stuff can be particularly the apparel sections. The t-shirts and sweat shirts are priced in a way that could make Bob Iger at Disney blush. Speaking prior about bird feeders. The one things CW had a bit more of last time was a clearance section on the book store side. Small as it was for whatever reason the lovely wife insisted upon picking up a double bird feeder for her mother for Christmas which at the time was seven months away. Le Sigh... While I wanted to protest a quick check of The Interwebs said that the thing usually retails for well over a hundred dollars and with the clearance pricing that day it could be ours for around fifty bucks (Oh, Boy - Spoil Me!). So we bought it. It was the first thing we had ever bought at Revolutions in probably a dozen visits. Great place to shop if you're one of those people who likes "stuff" or if you've got more money than God to piss away on BS that likely you'll never use but personally I don't see the appeal which is why we usually just cut thru the Visitors Center and then go right out the back door to hit the trail to the Historic Area.

The college bookstore has moved to its current location in late '21, and it has become more easily…read moreaccessible. There is plenty of street parking, and you don't have to go through the hustle and the bustle of Merchants Square. The bookstore itself is small and quaint, but it still offers a great selection of spirit wear, accessories, gifts, snacks, and other necessities. Staff here are very friendly and helpful; we recently placed a hold on a gown, and it was ready to be picked up when we arrived. Note that there is no restroom, so you'll be directed to use the ones at the public library down the street. +friendly service +great selection of spirit wear +no public restrooms on the premise +street parking available

When the W&M Bookstore opened my senior year, we rejoiced. Finally. Finally. A place to hang out…read moreand be tragically hip with a cup of coffee and some friends. A place to perpetuate our belief that we were oh-so intellectual with our copies of "Leaves of Grass" and "The Psychology of Close Relationships." The old bookstore sucked because it was small and cramped and had nothing but textbooks and W&M Beanie Babies. The bookstore is a Barnes & Noble, so no bonus points for the indie thing. But...then again, it means the store is always stocked with the latest releases, and that the inventory is huge and varied. It also means there's hardly ever a shortage of textbooks, which are all housed in the basement level. There is an *abundance* of W&M gear here. Everything from your standard hoodies and track pants to playing cards, license plate holders, captains chairs, and foam fingers. You can get the W&M or Tribe logo on just about anything humanly conceivable. A lot of it is really nice, too. There is a plethora of Williamsburg merchandise as well. Same idea as the W&M stock. Upstairs -- along with typical non-book stuff you see at a typical B&N -- is the café, "proudly" brewing Starbucks coffee. Again, no bonus points for fueling the corporate machine. But there are tables and chairs for showcasing your latest Mac laptop along with your genius-making textbooks. I know it's cheesy and corporate, but I ALWAYS stop in here on a trip back to Williamsburg for nostalgia's sake and usually end up with yet another W&M logo'ed item.

Small cute bookstore with a variety of books. The staff seemed to really know their stuff and had…read moregood recommendations.

A cute shop with helpful staff, and underneath an ice cream shop! Beware the short steps on the…read morestairs going down though.