If we left off your favorite bookstore from this list, please let us know — we want more used bookstores to visit!
Long Brothers Fine and Rare Books
📖 Can a used bookstore be hip? This Pioneer Square spot sure is. It cultivates an eclectic vibe by stocking a ton of old books about the Pacific Northwest, Chinese history, and, as its website puts it, a “dog's breakfast of arcane subjects.” It’s one of the best browsing experiences you can find.
Know before you go: Wednesdays to Sundays, Long Brothers has a bar that serves beer, wine, and pizza, giving you even more reason to check this place out. It gets pretty crowded during First Thursday Art Walks.
Twice Sold Tales
🐈 This is maybe the most famous bookstore in Seattle and a local landmark on Capitol Hill thanks to its iconic neon cat sign. Do yourself a favor and say hello to the six store cats and proprietor Jamie Lutton, who is a legend in the bookselling scene. The store used to be open all night on Fridays so Capitol Hill partiers would have a place to go after the bars. It’s not as anarchic as it was back then, but it’s still a Seattle institution.
Know before you go: Follow Twice Sold Tales on Instagram for cat photos plus videos of Lutton talking about books.
Pegasus Book Exchange
🐴 This longtime West Seattle bookstore sells both used and new books, but it really is an exchange. According to its website, Pegasus doesn’t give you cash for your books, but instead offers store credit and a discount, and that credit goes further when you’re buying used books. This makes Pegasus a great place to trade your old books for some new old books.
Know before you go: Pegasus is open during the West Seattle Farmers Market, but note that it doesn’t accept books for trade then.
BLMF Literary Saloon
‼️ Unlike the other shops on this list, this Pike Place Market shop caters to the tourists who swarm the famous market. This means its selection caters a bit more to generalist or popular tastes. It’s still one of the coolest places to hang out when you’re at Pike Place.
Know before you go: BLMF is one of the few Black-owned used bookstores around, and sometimes customers believe the name has something to do with Black Lives Matter. Actually, it stands for Books Like a Mother F**ker.
