I visited The Book Trader a few days ago. What an experience!…read more First of all, they have every type of book imaginable. From cookbooks to sci fi, from fantasy to biographies, from adult romances to children's picture books! You could find books from the 1600s all the way until the 21st century. The Book Trader is exactly what its name says: it trades books. You can bring books, which they will give you store credit for and then you can buy books for cheaper than they would cost in a regular store. This was such a great idea, in my opinion. I traded in 2 books and bought one. Now, aside from being separated vaguely by genre and authors' works being mostly together, there is no other sorting system to this store. Books, as you can see in my pictures, are all over the place and it is very hard to walk around parts of the store. If you want a specific book...good luck! Also, make sure you have cash on you. The store only takes cash and checks.

Tons of used books available, and the owner was extremely helpful. Very reasonable pricing and they…read moreeven offer a trade back program (bring books you bought back for credit towards another purchase). We will definitely return when we finish reading what we picked up in this trip!

Small businesses are the backbone of our Bernardsville community. The Bookworm is the place I go…read morefor books. The staff at the Bookworm are always professional, friendly and helpful

Was in town visiting family and wanted to buy a few books as gifts. Kind of knew what type but…read moreVera really helped me narrow it down to the perfect selection. This place is such a breath of fresh air versus the big book stores and when you really want good advice. I'm so happy to support these types of stores!

I called and asked if they carry cookbooks. I was promptly hung up on. To bad he does not carry, I…read morewas looking for an out of print book that is pricey online. Tried to support a local business but will never go in due to rudeness.

Open only on weekdays during daylight hours, this tiny one-story bookstore between Cartridge World…read moreand the hair salon that keeps changing its name is perhaps the only bookstore in all of Metuchen. It's been around for as long as I can remember, and until I walked in recently had no idea it was still in business. Specifically, it's a purveyor of used books: I spent a good 15 minutes browsing and I couldn't find a single book published in the last 5 years. (Many of the dusty yellowing tomes appear to be from before I was born.) It seems like a good place to find old magazines and discontinued mass market paperbacks, particularly in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. In terms of ambience and decor, it's really less of a bookstore than an uncle's basement man cave which has been converted into a walk-in storage unit for forgotten books that have spent years soaking up the cigarette smoke of the owner, who in all fairness seems nice enough. There's a very worn armchair in the backroom if you need to sit down. If you're a commuter, you won't ever notice this bookstore unless the door is open and a cardboard box of paperbacks is sitting on a folding table outside. Only cash and check are accepted, though it's not entirely clear how the place generates enough revenue to stay in business.

Loved this indie bookstore. It has the best selection of books and the staff are super friendly too.read more

Delicious ice cream-LOTS of flavors to choose from. They even have no dairy alternatives (parole…read moreice cream). Clean bathrooms!

Really nice lady running the show!…read more Lovely displays. I bought some absolutely beautiful cards made by a local artist Z I couldn't be happier .

I'm a firm believer in supporting mom and pop businesses. Tell me that your business was opened in…read more1934 and you pique my interest even more! That's how it was with The Town Book Store, a neighborhood fixture that was once located across the street many years ago. Now in a cute corner of Westfield, this cozy, beautiful store is very welcoming. You step in and see a counter to the right and books (along with plush animals and more) throughout the rest of the shop. There are even a couple nice chairs in a nice little waiting area off to the side. Walk towards the back and you find shelves with featured books and even a sale section. The woman behind the counter was extremely friendly and it was nice chatting with her as my girlfriend and I looked over the books selection. The store seems to largely aim towards kids. The kids section is extensive with the adult sections are a bit less packed with selections. That said, my interests skew towards scifi/fantasy and graphic novels, and you cannot expect every store to carry those in bulk. There was also a shelf dedicated to the town of Westfield itself, with books that covered the history of the town and even a pack of greeting cards with paintings of buildings from around town! This is not the flashiest bookstore around, but that's the charm. I absolutely recommend a visit if you are in Westfield.

Beware. You could spend a lot of time in here getting lost amongst shelf after shelf of used books…read more The staff greets you warmly from "the back" and allows you to browse. They have a great selection of books. Titles are well organized and in good condition. Madison is a cute town. Street parking is plentiful enough and free. There are several public lots behind the store fronts as well. It's worth a stop when in the area.

LOVED this bookstore, so many cool gems and the shop owner is friendly but not too pushy. I…read moreespecially liked the historical documents section, they have items from the 1800s which was so cool to see.

The only time I see B&N bustling is around the holiday season. 'They' say that people don't read…read morebooks anymore. I don't think it's entirely true; however, I suppose some readers might agree that B&N has gone out of style over the years. For instance, in the Edison location B&N still features a huge area entirely devoted to DVDs and CDs - forms of media which increasingly become irrelevant to consumers with each passing year. The advent of technological development has overtaken the usefulness of paper books. Even the professors from my graduate school program studies (circa 2020-2022) elected to use digital textbooks for 85% of the curriculum coursework. Perhaps brick and mortar B&N stores ought to inject a new retail experience into their business model that involves the offline-to-online and online-to-offline offerings (i.e. digital kiosks in stores)

You're not allowed to read the books. You gotta buy them…read more This is the only barnes and nobles you can't read the books.