I love the location, right off the main street. They have events there all the time, just need to sign up for the email reminders. The prices are comparative to other bookstores near by. The owners of the store are terrific and was very helpful towards me finding a particular book. Support your local bookstore! read more

Lovely lovely bookstore! Reminds me a little of the new Barnes and noble style, but with the indie vibe! Great staff selection and featured titles. They also have nice gift offerings and planners. read more

Bookstore1Sarasota - What I took home from the bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

This store is great. Love to go in and peruse the books and see which one(s) I need to add to my TBR pile. Someone greets me every time I go in which makes me want to stay forever. Not really, but it is nice to be greeted every time. My very personal, may not be an issue for anyone but me, option is it is a little difficult to browse the books in the angled book shelves up by the windows. It is a small space and a tad too close, which makes my eyes cross while I am looking at the books. That aside, the store is great. Wish it was closer so I could go more often. 24.01.2025 read more

Local and independent bookshop in the heart of downtown Sarasota which sells new books. The store is well proportioned with knowledgeable staff and with a good range of books from culture and cooking through to politics and war, poetry and fiction. The books are curated and many of the titles have a little card telling you what one of the store employees likes about it. Prices are about what you would expect. Selection is sometimes limited but always something new to explore. read more

Definitely a Sarasota gem, this downtown bookstore features staff picks, a cozy and comfortable layout, and beautiful books plus some other gifts and goodies. Books for kids, books for bird lovers, Florida books, and raunchy novels! This is the spot. Wonderful to be able to browse in person and the staff I met were friendly, helpful, artistic, and welcoming curators. Get your read on for 2025!!! read more

Bookstore1Sarasota - Bookstores Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Overpriced books and very limited selection. Customer service is lacking. If you are looking for a good local book store just go right around the block to A. Parker's Book & Book Bazaar on Main Street! They are super friendly and have a huge selection compared to this place. read more

Friendly service that is knowledgeable and quick to check you out! The selection is good and they can order anything g for you. They have a bunch of fun nonfiction, fiction and kid books. They also have cards and kids gifts. Parking is on the street and in a main plaza downtown. It's quiet clean and a great place to check out! read more

See all

There is something magical about being in a bookstore and touching a physical book in my hand. It makes me very happy. I love this bookstore. The staffs are very friendly. There is chair around the store. I can just relax and allow myself to read. Come check it out! read more

Found books like this up in the children's section, next to the pornographic graphic novel Flamer. Showed this one to a mother who had left her daughters unattended up there reading books. After her jaw hit the floor, she quickly ushered them out of the store. read more

Bookstore1Sarasota - children's graphic novel - Bookstores Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

See all

Fabulous bookstore!! Great selection of books and other items! Don't miss this gem.

I stopped in to buy a book for a 2nd birthday and was really impressed by the selection. They had a great variety of children's books, but also plenty of options for all ages and interests. They also had a big selection of cards and gifts. The store is amazing, very big, bright, and clean. It's always great to support a local business, especially one that clearly puts so much care into everything they do. They also host a lot of events throughout the year, which are always fun to check out. Highly recommend! read more

This is truly one of the most beautiful bookstores I have ever seen! Curated in a way to touch any book lover's heart and bookish soul! Staff is so friendly. Love this place! read more

A small, niche bookstore tucked away in downtown Sarasota. They have a good selection, albeit minimal in volume. The staff is knowledgeable but the few times I have been seem indifferent to their customers. read more

We love perusing the shelves on Saturday mornings alongside the farmers market. Its so fun when the local authors have a meet and greet outside the store. read more

If you are book lover you feel the excitement and energy as soon as you walk in. Everything was pleasant and clean. The staff were kind and helpful. Of course I found a book purchase. They included a cute bookmark with my book. We are not local, but if we ever move in this area.. I want to work here! read more

See all

Amazing selection of books, service, and the atmosphere was top tier! I was the first one in at opening because I wanted to make sure I visited before my plane home and I wasn't disappointed! Perfect location to do walk around and get a feel for the town! read more

The staff is very well trained and knowledgeable. If you ask a question about a gift they will pierce the bubble and get down to who you are gifting or buying it for and what you might not have thought would be a concern, meaning excellent suggestions for hard to gift people on your personal list! The store is immaculate and beautiful. It is always a pleasure to go to this store. You will find things of use for yourself and friends. Their gift and special day greeting cards are superb! read more

A great little indie bookstore in the heart of downtown, I loved how they featured local authors. The children's section wasn't huge, but they had a diverse and inclusive list of authors, illustrators, and titles. read more

Bookstore1Sarasota - Kids in children's section - Bookstores Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

I love my nook, so I buy a lot of novels via Barnes & Noble, but it was a pleasure to shop at an independent, locally-owned bookstore. The lovely, helpful saleswomen really care about each customer's desires. read more

I was interested in exploring the current banned books. Found this store has a banned-book club. Attended my first meeting and thoroughly enjoyed the leader, a young woman and other participants my age. What a lively diverse group discussing the book (Milk and Honey) and appropriateness for students! Next month we read Huckleberry Finn, yes Huck Finn is banned in some places! read more

My 92-year-old mother lives in Sarasota and like many her age, she has everything!! But, then we found a marvelous place called Bookstore 1 and inquired if they could do a Christmas gift basket with several top-rated books replete with chocolates, cookies, a card, bow, etc. With the help of Cary we were able to coordinate with Kate (store manager) and voilà--a gorgeous, elegant basket arrived at my mother's doorstep. She called immediately and was ecstatic!!! She is difficult to buy for yet the way in which Kate put this gift basket together left my mom in complete awe!!! Thank you Bookstore 1 and we will definitely do this again for special occasions in the future!! David H. in Los Angeles, CA read more

Bookstore1Sarasota - Kate was kind enough to send us this photo of basket prior the wrapping...it even had candy canes. - Bookstores Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

See all

A friend kept raving about this store's "banned book club" and convinced me to break out of my internet bubble and stop in. I regret not listening to her months ago!! The space is so bright and open. Interesting and varied staff picks. Cool to see books laid out on the tables... worth it that it might take a little longer for your eyes to find what you might be looking for. Overheard a passionate convo between some other customers and a young lady about the news in school libraries. An inspiring visit!! Go here!! I will come again. read more

This is my favorite bookstore ever! I live in Kalamazoo, MI, which has lots of great bookstores, but I still stop here every time I visit my parents. read more

I love independent bookstores and this one is one of my favorites. Yes, you will find the current fiction and nonfiction bestsellers, but the staff has curated each section with hidden gems that you can discover on your own or have placed lovingly in your hand by the bookseller that recommends it. It is my place to go when I want to buy poetry, but I always end up with nonfiction books as well. Oh! and their children's corner makes me want to shrink in size. It is not a huge retail space, but I always spend a couple of hours browsing among its shelves. read more

Super great bookstore! My entire party bought multiple books and really enjoyed talking with the staff.

Arrived 5 minutes before close (which I know isn't much time) but I knew exactly what I wanted and was just going to be in and out in two minutes if they had the book. The Open sign was still up but the door was locked and the kid behind the counter just shrugged at me twice despite still being open. I was literally trying to support this place instead of some chain but that response from the employees means I won't be trying there again. read more

Small, but excellent selection of books well laid out. I love independent book stores! This one had a section for children and young adults as well as adults. Displays of staff recommendations in each section were great. The staff was very helpful. They are about to move around the corner ... but not far. read more

We just visited this little gem of a bookstore. The staff was phenomenal. I went in looking for two titles and found them but ended up leaving very excited about two other titles recommended by the staff. Everyone from our youngest of three children to grandma who was visiting with us walked away with books we are eager to read. We highly recommend visiting this independent bookstore. Side note: the store was in the midst of hosting a youth book club discussion - amazing! We highly recommend. read more

I love local bookstores & I love to support local. This store is in such a great location. Unfortunately, there is some definite improvement that could be done. I would love to work here and improve it - such a cute store. If you need help or have questions, you really have to seek someone out. We visited the store several times & each time I felt like I was bothering the lady (she was the older of the 2) 1. They were not up on current books / new releases. For example, Shattered has been on backorder for suite sometime. I asked and this bookstore had not even heard of it 2. Really poor selection of greeting cards. It seems with the number of tourists, this would be an easy item to have in hand 3. We wanted a book on Florida and there was a very limited / poor selection. I would think this would be a popular item to have in hand read more

Beautiful selection and helpful staff. I come here whenever I need a gift. Easily the most personalized service you can receive in town too.

This place is great! I walked in trying to find... something. I didn't even know. The guys at the counter both helped me figure out what I wanted and we even had a nice conversation about some of our favorite authors. Such nice guys! They have a great kids section in the back, too, for the little ones. read more

Convenient downtown location, great staff recommendations, and the people who work there are so nice. Pleasant, relaxed ambience plus large, carefully-curated selection of books and gifts. One of the best indie bookstores I've ever visited. read more

I never write reviews, but this beautiful independent bookstore has prompted me to break habit. Great location, friendly staff, abundant selection of books--what more could a book lover ask for? I only wish I lived in Sarasota, I would become quite the regular. Also, had I known there weren't any pictures of the store here on Yelp (as of today's date: 7/15/2017), I would have sneaked some so I could post them on here! It's a wonderfully cozy store that should be showcased! read more

great small bookstore with something for everyone. the thing that makes downtown Sarasota special is they have done a pretty good job of keeping out the chain stores. support small businesses! the people that work here are so nice and helpful. and support your local bookshop. sadly, they are disappearing. read more

This place is terrific. Not only do they have books but they have they carry the greatest selection of reading glasses and their prices are terrific. Highly recommend! read more

This is the best bookstore I have ever been to. The staff was very nice and helpful and helped me find exactly what I needed. They even helped introduce me to new books and stories. This is great for all ages and I would recommend it to everyone. read more