Bookstore1 - Sarasota, Florida

Brigitte L.

Belle ancienne librairie. Bon service!

Lindsay V.

Love supporting independent bookstores. This store is cute and in a great location. Didn’t offer a lot of seating or reading areas from my experience, but had a great selection of books. Also had a large journal and activity book collection. Kids area was well stocked but small.

Isabella G.

I popped in here not expecting to stay long or to get anything, but I spent quite a while combing through their selection. It is exceedingly well-curated; I think I added five books to my to-read list while I was there. The employees were very pleasant as well. I'd definitely recommend heading in if you are in the area.

Bubba H.

Thank the gods of literature for Bookstore1, the only independent bookseller left in Sarasota. Yes, there are resellers, which we are also grateful for, but there are no other pilgrims in the new title business in town. It’s not a huge bookstore, but that doesn’t matter. What makes this store hum is its employees. You can be sure that if a title is on the shelf, it’s been curated by one of the many knowledgeable readers who work there. If there is a conversation to be had at retail about books and reading and love of literature, it’ll be at Bookstore1. Moreover, the place is a veritable hub of literary event programming, with everything from monthly book clubs in poetry to banned books. Periodically, it hosts “radio” performances in which actors play the voices in dramatic style. The store also performs well above its weight class in getting prominent authors for readings and book launches. It is an official New York Times reporting store, which means that they report their sales to tthe newspaper for the compilation of the NYT Bestseller List. Highly recommended and beloved.

Hippie C.

I signed up for their January 24, 2023, date of their Banned Book Club where we'll be reading Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I registered in December 5th and went over to pick my book up (which is included in the cost of registering). I was told the books had just been ordered and I would be called when they came in, within a week.

On December 30th, I went down to the store (it's about a 30 minute drive from my house) to pick up the book. I was never called, but I assumed they had come in, since I was told it would be the week of the 5th. When I got there, the staff didn't know where the books were and took about 10-15 minutes trying to find them. Finally, another staff member came along who knew what she was doing and checked me in with having received my book. She willingly answered my questions about where we would meet on the 24th.

I will update my review on the 24th once we meet for the book club. So far the registration process was less than smooth, but I'll give them a chance to increase their stars with the actual book club on the 24th and hopefully we will do more books with them after this one.

Jeff H.

This was my first time at Bookstore1 and I can’t wait to return!

The store is exactly what an ideal independent retailer should be - great selection, well-displayed, helpful shelf notes across all genres and friendly staff.

The welcoming space makes you want to wander and browse forever.

Every city deserves a store this good.

Kristin S.

The best place for community in Sarasota. Check out the book clubs and Bre the bookclub queen and author. Love this place ❤️

D.A. S.

This independent bookstore is well-stocked and well-loved by the local community. A staff member is always available, and likely if you're reading this, more familiar with where a particular genre can be found than you are.

An upstairs loft provides space for various events. My favorite at the moment is the regular meeting of the Banned Books book club.