Lots to look at in this cozy bookstore and cafe in Friday Harbor. Decent selection of books, puzzles, games, and souvenirs. Found a great adult coloring book here! Everything is neatly organized and clean. Staff was friendly as well. Will be visiting again next time we are on the island! read more

What a lovely bookstore! Everything was organized with signage so it was easy to find what you're looking for. They have a great little nook of children's book with stuffies of popular characters. In the back, there is a little cafe that sold coffee, tea and pastries. I thought it was sweet how when you purchase a book, they give you a complimentary bookmark with the store name and logo. The bookmark is good quality with some thickness. read more

Griffin Bay Bookstore - Complimentary bookmark - Bookstores Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

This cute bookstore with a Café in back is on the main street in Friday Harbor. Lots of books to peruse, I flipped through both new novels and local topics. I picked up some great souvenirs and bookmarks. Didn't try the café, but the pastries looked great and there are tables to sit at if you need a coffee break out of the sun. The staff here is friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend a stop at Griffin if you're in town. read more

Griffin Bay Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

What a cute little bookstore! I love visiting different book stores whenever I'm traveling. I was on a mom's only trip with a friend and we noticed this quaint place while visiting Friday harbor. We both love books and are obsessed with reading so we thought we would stop in for a quick second. I loved the vertical layout of the store, no fussy zigzagging of aisles here. It was a straight shot all the way in, and everything was faced and presented beautifully. It was a very warm and inviting bookstore, and it felt very cozy. The children's section was very dense and animated. As a parent, it's always so fun to see when the children's section isn't an afterthought. We didn't purchase anything that day, but the prices all seemed on par with current street value I got lots of book recommendations to take home to my kiddo too! read more

Griffin Bay Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

I love supporting local businesses and more importantly local businesses that support higher learning and child literacy. This place is great, they have an excellent selection of books for children, young adults, and young at heart adults. They also have a solid selection of puzzles! You could certainly get swept away in here and get lost for hours. While it is small and cozy, this establishment packs a punch with their offerings. read more

Griffin Bay Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

This is a small independent bookstore in Friday Harbor. It reminds me of our own Village Books (in Bellingham), just a much smaller version. The staff are friendly. While the inventory is small (due to the size of the store), it is carefully selected. It's on the main drag (Spring St) only a few blocks from the ferry terminal. When you're visiting Friday Harbor, I think you should stop in. Closed on Sunday and Monday. ************************************************************ If you found my review helpful, please smash the "useful" button! Don't forget to share my review with your loved ones and those who you care about. If you liked my review, follow me on Yelp or send me a friending request. Also, don't hesitate to PM me if you want my opinion on the business. Stay safe and healthy and keep Yelping! read more

Griffin Bay Bookstore - This message was so effective. Everyone in the store was compliant - Bookstores Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

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I was refused a return on two gift books, and the service I received was unnecessarily rude. A simple return turned into a frustrating experience. I won't be back. read more

A town is defined by its bookstore. This book store is a San Juan Island treasure. Excellent book selection and staff. At the back you can find incredible gifts - from candles to cheeky pencils. Must visit if you are a book lover. read more

A little spendy but very cute stuff and a great variety. Superb coffee shop at the back with tables and awesome service. read more

Griffin Bay Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

13/10 The most beautiful bookstore I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. I had to apologize after I realized I had overstayed their hours by 17 minutes--we hadn't realized it had been 3 hours! Incredible selection, accessible prices, absolutely excellent staff + owner. So sorry again we didn't realize it had been so long, thank you for your patience, and sorry for the delay in the review! I've been meaning to write this for almost 2 months! read more

Overall a great book store. A good general selection and the staff are very friendly when it comes to any help finding a specific book. They also have a great selection of postcards, island related books, and other cute items. Worth the visit! SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS ESPECIALLY BOOKSTORES! read more

This is a delightful bookstore, I like the layout, and it has a lovely café hidden away at the back of the store, serving Café Umbria coffee (I had a latte, and it was delicious). Very clean and well maintained, it serves my love for coffee and books very well! The staff were also very friendly and chatty too :) read more

Griffin Bay Bookstore - View from the café area to the front of the store. - Bookstores Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

This handsome and inviting independent bookstore is on a main street and is a nice place to hang out while waiting for the Ferry or just browsing. They also have a comfortable cafe in the back. The Griffin Bay Bookstore has a nice selection of local books and some local crafts (e.g., journals), but a surprisingly poor selection of maps. Staff is friendly enough, although maybe not as engaging as the owner of the Harbor Bookstore nearby. read more

instead of showing up in friday harbor just to sit in the ferry line headed east back to anacortes, why not give yourself some time to browse griffin bay because you'll find they have something for everyone. their selection is robust and i'm not just talking about books! they stock small gifts, puzzles, socks, kids' toys, magazines, etc. there's also a lovely, cozy cafe upstairs serving good quality coffee but if you're looking for a bathroom, you'll have to go across the street to king's market since there isn't one in the bookstore itself. griffin bay is the kind of place you walk in and get lost, meaning time flies and you'll find yourself disappointed to have to leave, which is why i suggest you intentionally schedule time to look around rather than making your visit one of happenstance while waiting for the ferry. i love their attention to detail and large selection of items. it's the kind of place that obviously gets business from seasonal visitors but cares about providing locals a quality location to depend upon and socialize in. read more

The bookstore is definitely the best I've ever been to, amazing customer service and the owners and workers are as nice as could be. Great cafe with wonderful coffee and great books for all ages. I would 100% recommend stopping by this wonderful bookstore. read more

The cutest bookstore!! Fun items, well decorated displays, and kind staff. SHOP SMALL BUSINESS!

What. A. Cute. Bookstore. Stopped by on a Sunday evening as this was basically the only non-restaurant shop open at 5:45pm and I'm so glad stopped by! They've got. Ton of selection of books you wouldn't expect since the shop looks so small. I'd say they specialize more in local authors and books about the area/pacific northwest in general so that endeared the spot to me even more. I ended up buying a Northwest foraging book and the lady that rung us up was so sweet and friendly. We were in close to closing and didn't feel rushed at all. They've also got a nice little selection of tiny gifts and bookmarks and such and a cafe in the back! It was the first business we encountered aside from our hotel and I'm so glad I got a slice of the friendly community from here. Definitely stop by if you're in the area and pick up a book about the islands! read more

I'm not sure if I liked the store. I guess I would like it more if I lived around the town. They pretty much have the books you could be looking for. There's upstairs where there's children's section and coffee cafe. Reminded me of Barnes and Noble. I guess you can say it was cozy. I wasn't sure if you were allow to sit at the cafe reading the books. It was alright. I really like their logo design though. It looked vintage. I love vintage design. Reminded me of Belle finding books at the book store. read more

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This is a very cute independent bookstore. I found browsing their selection of current best sellers and editors choices to be very fun. My son also found a new just-released book from a series he is reading, so that was nice. This is the sort of place that you'll want to stop by on your vacation. read more

Great bookstore! Something for all ages. So nice to browse in a real bookstore. You have to check it out when you come to Friday Harbor.

This place is lovely! I came for a spot with wifi to work for a few hours. Cozy little coffee shop at the back, a table full of puzzles, several single tables, a living room set (two chairs and a couch). Lovely staff, amazing Jasmine tea, locals hang-out! read more

Everything a local bookstore should be. Great, curated selection along with friendly staff and a nice atmosphere. In the age of Amazon, the value of a local brick-and-mortar store isn't so much having books, as introducing you to books you probably wouldn't encounter any other way. Griffin Bay does this excellently. How well? A couple weeks ago, we visited Powell's in Portland. After 2 hours of browsing, we came away with 2 books. This weekend, after 30 minutes in Griffin Bay, we were checking out with 7 books. If you judge bookstores by "Minutes of Browsing vs. Irresistible Books Found", Griffin Bay is about the best bookstore I've ever been in. read more

A couple of weeks ago we were vacationing at Friday Harbor and we came across a Griffin Bay Bookstore. We love independent bookstores. I wasn't sure what to get but one of the workers asked what books I've read and what I liked about it. From that she referred a book, Winter People, and it was fantastic. I couldn't put it down. We went to that bookstore everyday. I loved the energy I got when I walked into the store. We loved our visit to the San Juan Island. I know we're going back and we'll definitely be returning to the bookstore. I'm sure I'll come away with more great books. read more

Excellent selection of books that is well-curated to fit the space. An interesting and eclectic selection of reading related paraphernalia and assorted other local/random and interesting things for purchase and a coffee shop tucked into the back. read more

My boyfriend and I wandered into this bookstore while waiting for a table at the nearby Rocky Bay Cafe. It proved to be an excellent way to spend our time. Lots of local crafts as well as books from local authors. Plenty of more mainstream books as well, organized neatly into sections by content. There is a fairly expansive children's section, with everything from picture books to middle reader novels to interactive how-to books (ex: how to learn magic tricks). They have a small selection of popular CDs near the register. We had a lot of fun looking through the comic and comedy books near the stairwell to the coffeeshop. Yes, we were the couple giggling in the back over the Cake Wrecks book. There is also a coffeeshop in the back with seating to enjoy a latte with your reading material of choice. We didn't see anyone at the counter back there though, so I'm not sure if the coffeeshop has separate hours than the rest of the bookstore. read more

It's more than a touristy bookstore; this is the real deal. There's an excellent selection of current best-sellers with lots of local interest titles and quirky staff selections. If you need to kill time waiting for the ferry, go here. read more

Sweet spot. Recommended by a local... Frequented by locals! Really, everyone knows others by name. Friendly staff, tasty coffee, cute kids books and book-related stuff. Got a card and some bday gifts. Great place for a book nerd. They have wifi in the cafe and some comfy seating and hard-back chairs, too. Love it. I'll be back! read more

What an excellent little bookstore and cafe! I'm sitting at a cozy table with my very tasty americano enjoying the eclectic music, free wi-fi and friendly staff. I've passed by this bookstore a couple of times, and I can't for the life of me figure out why it's taken me this long to come in. They have a lovely collection of new material including local authors, and the staff is knowledgeable and quick to answer questions. I will most definitely be back! read more

Cute little store for books and such but ouch on the prices. Wouldve loved to have brought my own books but forgot them. I chose to skip buying a book while here. They can special order anything you want though for free no cost for shipping. Theres only a handful of bookstores on the island so If I was to ever be back here and in need of a book Id come here. read more

This is an okay bookstore. I know that it is local and all...but still a little pricey. The selection is a little limited to more "Oprah Readers" kind of books. They have a coffee shop in there to kick back in...that is nice... read more

Unfortunately we ordered coffee 5 minutes before they were closing, so I think that may have been why I only received 8 ounces of liquid in my 12 ounce cup of coffee! But we thoroughly enjoyed the bookstore. While we searched the racks any questions we had were quickly answered, as well as many recommendations were given. I can't blame them too much for the not so helpfulness when making our coffee since they were closing, but I still recommend it for a great unique bookstore. Reminds me of many places in Ashland, OR. read more

Wonderful independent bookstore offering a collection of books and extras ideal for your wonderings around the San Juan Islands, gifts or to complete your shelf collection. Occasionally they have wonderful events hosting local and off island authors book signings as well as hosting small meetings and an occasional Island Tail Tutors Event. They offer a perfect little coffee shop upstairs for meeting with friends to share a book, just for coffee or for a little snack. You cannot go wrong stopping by for a look. #patodaysji read more

this was fun to find - when you least expect it; I went back two times - once to get a book I saw in the window as well as some cards that were unusual and lovely - love the women who work here; and the selection of books - just odd enough to make you realize they know what they are doing. And there is good espresso in the back. Stop here. read more

What a lovely bookstore. I confess to being a Kindle owner, but I would not enjoy being a Kindle owner so much were I not able to browse a bookstore for inspiration. I try to split my purchases up...50/50....between paper books and eBooks, because I would hate to live in a world without an indie bookstore. And of my paper books, 95 percent of them come from Griffin Bay Bookstore. Imagine how great it is to be able to browse through all the new titles while sitting sipping your favorite coffee or tea and eating a tasty pastry? Add to that a rainy afternoon and I'm in heaven. The staff is knowledgeable and very willing to answer any question you might have. If what you're looking for is not in stock, no problem...they'll have it for you in the store in a matter of days. Bravo! read more

We had a great visit to this bookstore. The selection was well curated, the staff was friendly, and nice little café in the back.

Best bookstore. We come here annually and my kids get to pick out a new book. They look forward to it every year. Authentic and charming atmosphere. Great children's selection with knowledgeable staff. Helped my 9 year old pick out some non-stop graphix novels she is finally excited about! read more

Nice little independent bookstore with a coffeeshop in the back. I have a thing for cute little bookstores, so I'm a fan. I didn't have as much time to browse as I would have liked, but they did have a nice local section with fiction, NF, local authors, etc. Cute, cute, cute! read more

From the moment I walked in, I felt the warmth and coziness of this eclectic book store. They had something for everyone, I walked in and the first thing I asked is if she knew about the camel that I had seen in the past year and she sent me upstairs to read a great article that made my vacation read more

Griffin Bay Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

wonderful store, particularly amazing selection of kids books! great place to look for a gift.

Really nice little bookstore. Stopped in twice on a recent visit. Friendly staff, broad selection, and nice coffee shop in the back with seating. read more