Photo courtesy of @oldtownbooks on Instagram
Ally Kirkpatrick, owner of Old Town Books in Alexandria
Alexandria's bookstore map got smaller when Hooray for Books closed, and anyone who bought their kid a picture book on King Street for the last two decades felt it. What's left is a shorter list than it used to be — but the shops still standing are the kind you can spend an afternoon in, which is the whole point when the weather turns.
Old Town Books — 130 S. Royal St.
The city's flagship independent, a block off King on a quiet corner. Small footprint, seriously curated — the fiction and nonfiction shelves are chosen rather than stocked, and the staff will hand-sell you something if you give them an opening. The children's section carries more weight now than it used to — with Hooray for Books gone, this is where most Alexandria parents end up — and there is a good local-interest table plus enough events on the calendar that the shop functions as a literary hub as much as a store. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days.
The room is narrow. If you are coming with a stroller, weekday mornings are easier.
The Company of Books — 2200 Mt. Vernon Ave.
The Del Ray used bookshop, and the best browsing on this list. Three floors, rooms that open into other rooms, and a selection that runs well past the usual secondhand fare — newer titles turn up regularly and the prices are a fraction of new-book retail.
The third floor is the reason to know about it. It is a genuine community room: game nights, a Silent Book Club, gatherings that have nothing to do with buying anything. It stays open until 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, which makes it one of the only places in the city where you can sit and read at eight on a Tuesday in November.
Friends to Lovers — 301 Cameron St.
Romance, specifically and unapologetically, with the merchandise, stickers and shelf-talkers to match. It is a small, warm shop with a devoted following and a mutual-aid section by the register, and it collaborates constantly with other small businesses in Old Town. If romance is not your genre, it is still worth ten minutes to see a bookstore that knows exactly who it is for. Closed Mondays; open until 8 p.m. the rest of the week.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers — 3651 Richmond Hwy., Potomac Yard
Just minutes from National Landing, Barnes and Noble Potomac Yard offers storytime, spacious café seating, and plenty of free parking plus we're just two blocks from the Metro. Come for the books, stay for the cozy, community vibe! Stay tuned for another Barnes & Nobles coming to the West End this year.
Also read: Something Eerie Is Coming to King Street in Old Town Alexandria
And the free option
The Alexandria Library system has reading space in every branch, and the Local History and Special Collections room at the Barrett branch on Queen Street is one of the quietest places to sit in the city. It is also where you go if you want to read about Alexandria.
