Bookstores near Williamstown

Dog Ears Books, Hoosick Falls, NY

“Okay, hold up. I’ve driven past the sign for this shop hundreds of times in my life. It sits at a busy intersection outside Hoosick, on Route 7 between Troy, NY to Bennington, VT, right across the street from the … Big Moose Deli. But I always figured the weather-beaten sign for Dog Ears Books was for a tiny little shop in some country stable, the outdated books yellowing in the summer sun, hardly worth the time to stop. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This place is a treasure trove, and you have to put it on your ‘Must Visit’ list as soon as you can! … A huge multi-level barn packed with books, towers of books, boxes of books, with that dusty old book smell and creaking wooden floors. It’s cozy and expansive and it feels like a dream.” –James Duncan, The Bookshop Hunter

 

 

Northshire Bookstore, Manchester, VT

The most beloved of the local stores selling new books – a large, handsome place, filling every inch of an 1830s inn, surrounded by murals and statues. Yes, there are toys. Yes, there are lemon bars. But mostly there are books, and a hundred events a year celebrating them.

 

Montague Book Mill, Montague, MA

Often cited as one of the most beautiful bookstores in the US.

“One of my favorite places ever. I first visited the Montague Bookmill, an old lumber mill converted into a bookstore, with a friend in 2013. I knew then that I had to come back. This New Year 2016 holiday, my husband and I drove up to Northampton (which is a lovely 30-minute drive away from the Bookmill), so it was my chance to visit again, and also to share this wonderful place with him.

“It was wonderful and even better than I remembered. … Apart from all the interesting books (I left with a boxful of them, a steal at only $112!!), the space itself is also great to wander around and relax in. Outside, there are balconies and terraces; and inside, there are so many lovely spaces, and so many spots to just take your time sitting — mostly armchairs and couches positioned by large windows overlooking the river and the pine forest on the opposite bank. No one rushes you or makes you feel like you’re taking too much time; my husband even took a nap on one of the couches. And pretty much anywhere you go in the place, you can hear the river.” -Paulphonic on TripAdvisor

 

The Raven

A Northampton standby. An excellent used book store with more recent stock than most, specializing in scholarly books and titles from small and radical presses. Two doors up from Herrell’s Ice Cream, which is reason enough to go.