This article is from 2010. Check out an updated version of this list here.
Baldwin’s Book Barn
865 Lenape Road, West Chester; (610) 696-0816, bookbarn.com
A restored 1822 dairy barn with five floors devoted to rare books and sets, plus maps and other antiques.
Cathy’s Half Price Books
Manoa Shopping Center, 1305 West Chester Pike, Havertown; (610) 924-0988, cathysbooks.com
Packed with gently used books of every kind. Receive cash or store credit for your own books if they’re nice enough to add to the shelves. Clearance sales every day; some books priced as low as 50 cents.
Character Development Books & Toys
209 Haverford Ave., Narberth; (610) 668-1545, characterdevelopment.net
Kids like to wrap their arms around the lifelike tree that stands in the center of this shop, where books and educational toys revolve around the themes of kindness and the natural world.
Chester County Book & Music Company
West Goshen Center, 975 Paoli Pike, West Chester; (610) 696-166, ccbmc.com
One of the largest independently owned bookstores in the country, with more than 250,000 books and other publications, plus more than 50,000 CDs and DVDs. In-store restaurant with café-style drinks.
Children’s Book World
17 Haverford Station Road, Haverford; (610) 642-6274, childrensbookworld.net
Home to free, one-of-a-kind events each month, including story-times, parties, and meet-and-greets with illustrators and authors.
G.S. MacManus Company
12 Water St., Bryn Mawr; (610) 520-7272, macmanus-rarebooks.com
This former stable features a significant collection of rare books, with a special interest in 18th- and 19th-century Americana.
Readers’ Forum
116 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne; (610) 254-9040, readers-forum.com
Quality books sold in a laid-back atmosphere with a knowledgeable staff.
Second Reading Used Book Store, 32 N. Church St., West Chester, (610) 692-6756
Second Reading II Used Book Shoppe, 929 S. High St., West Chester, (610) 431-2117
Shop for a good cause at either location, where all sales benefit the West Chester Area Senior Center. Each store offers a wide selection of used books starting at $1, with friendly volunteers manning the registers.
Title Page
1 Franklin Ave., Bryn Mawr, (610) 527-1772
Inventory ranges from affordable paperbacks to rare, out-of-print books.
Wellington Square Bookshop
Eagleview Town Centre, 549 Wellington Square, Exton; (610) 458-1144, wellingtonsquarebooks.com
A peaceful setting for book-discussion clubs, open-mic nights, kids’ story-times and more.
Wolfgang Books
237 Bridge St., Second Floor, Phoenixville; (610) 410-5039, wolfgangbooks.com
Browse the eclectic selection of unique titles, including new and used books, and works by local publishers. Book discussions, a philosophy club and more.
