A must stop for us every time we visit Manteo. A super cute local bookstore that is easy to navigate and well stocked. They have tons of picks by local authors in addition to national best sellers. Their sticker and accessory game is also on point! Do yourself a favor and check out this local gem. The staff are lovely and very helpful! read more

Downtown Books - Mystery book - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

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What a cute book store! The books were organized nicely into genres and they had a good selection of books. The books were fairly priced. The staff were friendly and helped me get checked out quickly. read more

Downtown Books - Outside with my books - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

Lovely local bookshop in downtown Manteo. It's quiet, stocked, and organized. We appreciated all the labels for staff picks. A storm was rolling in so we didn't stay as long as we hoped to. Prices varied as they sell new and used books. Overall, they seemed to have a good selection including a children's area. read more

Downtown Books - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

This is a must stop when visiting Manteo. It is a beautiful shop with many treasures. Loads of books, reading accessories, stickers, journals, etc. We picked up a few books about the OBX and cannot wait to start reading. Everything was priced fairly and they even had a selection of used books. The people who work there have always been kind and helpful. Overall, my family and I highly recommend. read more

Downtown Books - Inside the store. - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

What kind of book store doesn't have a Bible? It's the best selling book of all time. We asked and they said they didn't have any "because they didn't have the room.". Plenty of room for the alphabet books though. read more

This is my favorite bookstore and we come here every single year! They have a great book selection. I am a fan of the buttons from the local artist Taking Care of Buttons. read more

Loved this little store! Probably my most favorite stop all week. I bought a handmade journal while there that I love and purchased a blind date with a book that I can't wait to read. Visited 2 other bookstores while on vacay but they didn't have the cozy feel that this one did or the handmade items/blind date with a book. The girl behind the counter was great and greeted us when we walked in, super nice and even though I spent around $60 I feel like I got a great deal since I have a one of a kind journal! Will definitely visit again when we go back to obx read more

Don't visit this store. Just visited 9/2/2023 about 2:35PM EsT. The person working there asked my wife and two toddlers to leave for sitting and reading a few books. They're sitting right here at the rocking chair and stool provided. My daughter (4) had two learn-to-read books and we were reading them for a couple minutes to choose. My Son (2.5) had a Bluey book and was excited about a stuffed witch toy. We were in the store less than 15 minutes. The older man working there asked my wife and children to leave because 'they needed to make space for other customers' and was making a hand gesture to 'wrap it up' in the same vain as someone who is asking an award speech to be wrapped up. The store wasn't even very busy, 6 or so other people and we were in the kid-specific section. That's pretty rude to do to someone. We put the children's books and toy back. I wouldn't suggest shopping here. Apparently if you sit to decide which book to choose or if your kid gets too excited you're a nuisance. Genuinely my children were not disruptive at all and we were going to make a purchase. I stepped outside for a couple minutes and they came out after being asked to leave. read more

Downtown Books - Apparently these seats aren't for kids excited to read. - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

Just lovely! This might be my all time favorite book store. I love all the recommendations and local options. The man who works here is so kind and knows his stuff! read more

Cute little bookstore, nice book seller and a dog to welcome you. Social distancing and cleanliness whilst your browse. Impressive selection in cutie pie Manteo. read more

I lived in Manhattan for 20 years before moving to the Outer Banks. I used to take my son to the sweet children's area in the Borders book store next to the World Trade Center. After 2001, we walked a little further down Broadway to its new location. But with Amazon taking off, eventually this location closed as well. We switched to Barnes and Noble, happily browsing and reading quietly before choosing our next treasure. When I moved here, I was happy to stumble upon independent book stores, most notably, Downtown Books. This magical place is a great place to browse, and read the handwritten reviews by the owner and her employees. I highly recommend you go there if you haven't already, and support our local businesses. It's a win-win for all of us. "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. "--Dr. Seuss read more

Downtown Books - Handwritten reviews to help you choose your next book! - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

(Formerly known as Manteo Booksellers.) Great mix of books for an indie bookstore. Lots of regional books - Outer Banks, NC - as well as current bestsellers and some used books. Would definitely come back. Friendly staff too. Pet-friendly! - our dog was welcome...and enjoyed the AC. (The sales clerk even pointed to a pet bed under a table so I guess we're not the first to ask.) Social distancing follows Dare County guidelines - masks required. read more

Downtown Books - Downtown Books in Manteo, NC - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

Such a wonderful book store! My daughter and I were recently shopping here while on vacation and she left her beloved Rapunzel doll there. We didn't realize until we went home! The owner sent the doll all the way to Maryland and enclosed a note written from Rapunzel's perspective. This just about brought tears to both our eyes! We so appreciate you going above and beyond! read more

Downtown Books - Daughter left her beloved doll at the shop on vacation. We received this in the mail shortly after - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

I love this book shop! I make sure to stop by and buy something whenever I'm in Nags Head. The have a wide selection of books and unique gifts. read more

What a cute, small, local bookstore! We popped in really quick just to check it out while visiting Manteo and were so pleased. The bookstore itself isn't large by any means but has a fantastic selection. Select books have little notes to the readers giving some insight or advice which I loved! We found a book we have been wanting to read and of course bought it. We would rather support this local bookstore than order through Amazon or anywhere else if we can... so we did! The associate was super kind, very friendly, and best of all stayed out of our way. Not once did we feel pressured or pushed. Thank you Downtown Books for a relaxing Sunday morning experience. read more

This is such a good little shop! Not only lots of books, but stationery, postcards, and other gifts. The man who was working was super nice and gave us great pointers for places to visit around town read more

Just what a bookstore ought to be: a friendly, warm, welcoming place to browse for your next book. Fantastic regional section and children's section, and Jamie and her staff couldn't be more helpful. It's my favorite store of any kind on the Outer Banks. read more

What an awesome little bookshop! It's located at the site of the former Manteo Booksellers which was flooded by storm surge in 2011. This new store is apparently a sister to Duck's Cottage in Duck. They have a wide range of inventory from current bestsellers to local history. Being a lover of used books, I was thrilled to find a small section dedicated to this. I was able to find a couple of bestsellers in this area for significantly discounted prices. The lady at the counter was extremely knowledgeable and friendly talking in depth about which of my purchases she had read and could recommend. I was very pleased with my visit and will be a return customer. I highly recommend it to my fellow book addicts. read more

Even though this was a smaller local bookstore, it had an excellent collection of new reads. I left with a stack: including a free, not-yet-published book (these can be nabbed at the front of the store)! read more

Awesome little book shop with a nice selection of local authors and books about the Outer Banks. They had a nice selection of books from Mo Willems as well. Their used books seemed a little high in price but the rest of the place is a gem. I would buy from here and support this local business. If you are a tourist then come here to buy your OuterBanks books or even their posters of all the shipwrecks. read more

as a book lover, i frequent this shop quite a lot. they always have any books i could ever want, the atmosphere is so calm and perfect, the staff is so helpful and kind, and the dog is always a treat. highly recommend supporting this business! read more

Open 7 days a week. Yelp is wrong. Great store with wonderful local nonfiction and fiction set on the Outer Banks if NC. Carries all the top-sellers and popular reads. Children's and teen's sections are extensive for a cozy and charming place. read more

Downtown Books - Local reads - Bookstores Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

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Love this bookstore. Every year we visit the OBX, we make a point to come here. I highly recommend

Visited this bookstore for the first time in the 2 years that i've lived here. i wish i had visited sooner! i always love supporting my local businesses and will be sure to visit after reading the books i purchased. it has a nice cozy vibe and the gentleman working there was extremely nice and helpful. i was pleased to see everyone wearing masks. the part that stood out most to me was their section dedicated to books about race and poc authors and another section dedicated to pride and books about queerness. overall, a wonderful inclusive book store that i will be sure to visit again. read more

The gentleman working here was so kind and respectful. They have a table with hand sanitizer provided for customers as well. The shop is extremely inclusive across the board which is extremely nice to see. There is also local artwork featured and for sale! I am highly impressed and would definitely make this a stop when you come to Manteo. read more

This store may be small, but it always has an awesome selection of books, and we really love the handwritten summaries/recommendations! The staff are always friendly and ready to help you find the perfect read, no matter what you're looking for. We stop every time we're in OBX. read more

Discovered this bookstore while driving around. My wife and I are HUGE book lovers and we love going into bookstores to browse for something new that we haven't read yet. I was amazed at the local offerings in this store. A lot of books on local history, from local authors, books based in the Outer Banks, etc. They evidently also have regular book signings, so they had a nice variety of autographed copies of different books. They even had a little section for used books. They even had multiple copies of Backstage at The Lost Colony, which is based on the play at the park. If you haven't been, it's a must see. It makes for a wonderful evening. Anyway, I will keep this place in mind when we are in town because we believe it important to support your B&M bookstores, we can't let them die! Digital reading is okay, but there is something about getting lost in a physical book and turning pages vs scrolling. read more