The only reason not five stars is I haven't been in person ;P I ordered from this bookstore online. I wanted to support a local bookstore and they are on the other side of town from me (I know, boo hoo), so I decided to place an online order (which I'm so happy they have). They had a fantastic selection of puzzle books, which was what I was seeking, and at reasonable prices. The shipping was smooth and efficient, even choosing media mail, which can be slower. I loved the update emails they sent - their tone as well as the helpful info. Will hope to go there in person one of these days! read more

Very cute independent book store with a wide selection and a robust website. I was able to order online and pickup in store. Staff was friendly and set me up with a loyalty card! I loved their cute Valentine's Day displays. I had a great experience! Let's keep shopping local independent bookstores and keep this place going! :) read more

A wonderful, cozy gem in the heart of Ballard. The book selection is wonderful, the space sweet, and the minimal toys and games and miscellaneous offerings are thoughtful and gentle. Service is unassuming and friendly. read more

Secret Garden Bookshop - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I love a local bookstore. We stopped in after lunch and enjoyed browsing. The shop is well organized, has good inventory, and is very welcoming. The children's section is really cute, complete with a little table and chairs. They also have some cute local-themed prints and other items if you're looking for gifts. Definitely check them out and support small business! read more

Secret Garden Bookshop - Children's area. - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Really nice bookstore in Ballard - took a mini scroll here after the Ballard Farmers market and enjoyed it very much. They have a good selection of books for teens, adults and kids alike. Plus they had bird books!! They know their customers. read more

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I've been going to Secret Garden for years, a much-loved resource. Buy books online, pay at the store when you pick it up. My most recent purchase was a pre-order, which was a good thing, because the book was so popular, that the first print run was sold out, except for the ones who had preordered. read more

Friendly and helpful staff. Great selection. Always fun to visit small book stores while on vacation. read more

Secret Garden Bookshop - Graphic Novels. - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I love this place! I used to come here often when I lived in the neighborhood and I still try to make a stop here if I'm running errands in Ballard. They have a great variety of old classics and new releases as well as magazines that are hard to find elsewhere. Plus, the decor is thoughtful and their brick floor makes me happy! :) The staff are very helpful and friendly and they are happy to order books for you and hold them until you can pick them up. Support your local bookstore! read more

With all that downtown Ballard's been through coming out of the pandemic, it feels good seeing a small business like Secret Garden surviving and thriving. Secret Garden was among our first stops when we moved back to Seattle a few years ago. And I'm always pleasantly surprised to find that they have what I'm looking for, whether it's a somewhat obscure novel or a best seller. I'll be back soon. read more

Great looking displays and organized layout. Would have been cool if the employee acknowledged my presence, but alas no hello or welcome despite passing 5 times. Definitely have lots of merchandise that will strike your fancy. I really dig the displays set up throughout the store. They really make browsing fun and interesting. read more

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Such a great bookshop with a really nice guy who runs it. Glad I stopped in. Fair prices on the books and you feel really good about buying from here rather than a huge chain bookstore. I like to support local every chance i get! Great adult and children books, and it's also a nice place to get a baby shower gift. They even had a few onesies, water bottles, and kids items to go with the books. There's also a stamp card program. Love this place and I'll be back! :) read more

Secret Garden Bookshop - 3 books and very nice prices! - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I've been a customer since the 1980s. They always have wonderful books, especially the ones for children. They have been a great source of books for nieces and nephews, and now grandnieces and grandnephews. And this year I relied on them for a Christmas gift for my husband. Perfect service, including full covid protocols. read more

Pretty small bookstore but oh so homey! They obviously can't have too many books because of it's small size, but what they do have is quality! Love the little handwritten summaries of some of the books. After a while I found myself just walking around trying to read all the summaries. read more

Came in looking for books by an award-winning cartoonist who recently passed. His works have been featured in The New Yorker, Playboy, and National Lampoon. The person behind the register treated me like some tourist yokel inquiring about the latest Danielle Steel novel and condescendingly told me "that doesn't sound like our type of book." Aside from the unnecessary (and hilariously culturally uninformed) judgment, this is a cute place with a robust local section and some nice stationery and gift items, too. read more

No, No, no.. This is NOT that special spot that Frances Hodgson Burnett once wrote about in 1909, nor is it the magical place 'The Boss' claims crappy alcoholic sports agents, a la Jerry McGuire, go to be "let in her heart." It's a Bookshop, okay. A BOOKSHOP! Because it's smallish in size and there's no computer available for a quick easy search (I know! You actually have to talk to a person!), it's a bit difficult to navigate unless you know exactly what you're looking for. While books for the grown ups can be found here, the real reason I'd shop here again is the huge of children's books. Loads of them! Mostly newer titles, which is expected since many of the older titles are out of print and they don't sell used. They could use a few more people working on the weekends.. or a computer (yes, I'm back to that). It gets busy and while the staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, get two or three people in here with questions on where to find something and you're a guaranteed player in the waiting game. I'll definitely come back when I need a kiddie book, but I'll do my homework before I do. My advice to you: Know thy author! read more

Before heading home from Seattle, I wanted to find a book to read for the flight home. (I didn't want to count on there being any book stores in any of the airports and I wasn't sure if I'd have time during layovers.) We stopped at Secret Garden before dinner one night and my first reaction was, "Is this a kid's book store or do they have stuff for adults, too?" You'll be pleased to know that they do have books for adults, but it seems that the store caters to children. (Which is great, don't get me wrong. I think it is absolutely wonderful that they have so many children's books and they are encouraging children to read. If you have children, definitely bring them here and let them browse to their little heart's content.) The right side of the store is the adult side, which is pretty apparent once you enter. I had a list of about five books I was looking for, all within the horror genre. Secret Garden does not seem to have a horror section and I did not find any of the books I wanted, but the girl working behind the register did look them up for me, just in case. She offered to order them for me, but I had to decline since I was leaving in two days and wouldn't be there to pick them up. I appreciated the offer, though, and I really wish I could have taken her up on it. (Also, to be totally fair, the main book I wanted was published in 1985, which I did not know at the time. I don't fault Secret Garden for not having it as I'm having a hard time finding it anywhere. The other books weren't mainstream, either, so I definitely understand why a book store of this size wouldn't stock them. Not many people want books like that and they need to stock what sells.) They have a decent selection for a small book store and I browsed through the rest of it, in case anything looked interesting. I didn't find anything, but my boyfriend found a book about coding that he purchased. I did notice that they have a really cool selection of puzzle books - think crosswords and word searches. I am a die hard word search fan and I have been since I was a little girl. Some of those books were so cool - super difficult word searches where you find the same phrase 30 times or you have to fill in the missing letters, things of that variety. I almost bought one and then I stopped myself, but now I really wish I had bought one. Certainly would have kept me busy on the flights back home. That's okay, though. Now I'll just have to see if I can find those puzzle books at one of my local book stores in Austin. read more

This bookstore has a great selection and is the only one near my house. If it wasn't for these two things, I would never go back. The employees seem bothered by questions and in a perpetual zombie-like state. I will, however, keep giving them my business because I want to support ballard business. please don't eat my brains! read more

So, the only good thing about my English major is that I give good book. Seriously. At least once a month, I look at my poor, useless diploma and then at my empty wallet and then pull at my hair and wail at the sky. But at least I give good book. People who think getting books at Christmas are lame? They've never gotten one from me. But then, my fellow-book-loving nephew turned 12 and ... I hit a brick wall. What do 12 year old boys read? Little girls? I'm set. I was a little girl once. But I was never a 12 year old boy. Didn't get 'em then ... apparently still don't get 'em now. Anyways, Secret Garden Bookshop to the rescue! There are all these wonderful women working there who seem to actually answering the question: "So, he's 12. And he likes to read. And he likes planes. What should I buy?" I've also gone in there a few times with even *more* annoying questions. You know the type: "I read this book over 15 years ago, and can't remember the name or the author. But it had this girl in it and a desert and she had a sword and she fought things." And they knew the answer! (The Blue Sword, if anyone is actually interested...) Lots of times they don't have what I'm looking for, but they order super-quick, and I enjoy walking up two blocks to pick up my purchase. It's a really warm, friendly, peaceful store to mosey around in. Stores like this make it easy to 'Buy in Ballard'! read more

Expensive books, staff didn't greet customers, it was small and had some charm. I didn't end up buying anything, even from the sale section. I'd recommend if you're REALLY into books and would like to invest in them. read more

I buy kids' books here all the time. Great selection, in-store author appearances, courteous, helpful employees, some of whom are really hot librarian types, and a great location are just some of the reasons I haunt this place. A nice selection of books for grown-ups too, as well as a very hi-tone little selection of magazines. Sorry, they don't carry "US Weekly" or "Nascar Today". I love it, you'll love it, go there immediately, if you're into this sort of thing. read more

This is my beloved neighborhood bookstore and one of my absolute favorite indie bookstores in Seattle. It's especially a great place to shop at if you're looking for children's books. Some of the staff are really well versed in this area and have given me excellent recommendations for picture books, middle grade novels, and YA novels for all the kids that I shop for during the holidays. read more

I think other reviews have covered the bases, so I'm just throwing in my hat here: 1 - Great selection of kids books to peruse 2 - Lots of other books to look at, and they can get what they don't have pretty quickly 3 - WTF customer service? They've been helpful to me when I engage them, but nobody says "hi" to you, or asks what you're looking for, or chats about books. When you approach the counter you feel like you're intruding on other things. My suspicion is that as this is one of the last actual bookstores in existence, it is some kind of haven/refugee camp for the few remaining bookstore employees in Seattle. Perhaps they are too scared to cause noises or make movement that will attract the all-seeing-eye of Amazon. I'm going to stick with four stars even though I lament the general trend away from good ol' customer service in our world. The staff are very helpful when I have made the effort to ask them about what I needed, and it is nice to have an independent bookstore where you can go see (and smell!) actual physical books. I don't live in Ballard, but as long as the customer service doesn't degrade to the point of them hurling insults and coffee cups at me, I will continue to stop by this bookstore when I visit the area. read more

I find myself in this bookshop a few times a year, mostly when buying books for my niece in NY. The staff are super-friendly and helpful, and if they don't have the books on my niece's 'list', they will order them and they'll be in the store within a few days. I love that they are independent, I especially love the friendly atmosphere - a fabulous place to encourage the art of reading in the younger set! I encourage you to stop by and give them your business! read more

This bookstore is great! I am only visiting here for two weeks, and I love visiting bookstores when I travel, so going here was a great choice. Good prices, and great selection of books. 100% would come here again. read more

As the daughter and sister of librarians it's safe to say I love books. I have always found book stores to be my happy place and Secret Garden book store is a little slice of heaven. They have a great children's area that my 14 month old loves. When they didn't have the book i was looking for they happily special ordered it for me and called me for pick up when it was ready. read more

Very sweet, little, independent bookstore. Yes, it does carry a large portion of children's books, but they do also have a good selection of books for adults. I enjoy getting to scan their selection. I like a smaller bookstore - it makes it easier to actually pick out a single book. Prices are typical of an independent bookstore and the staff has always been very friendly and helpful. read more

I found a great card here, also good selection of books. A quant, traditional interior with decent displays and a good variety. I witnessed a catty customer interaction that was unnecessary from both the customer and employee's perspective, but such is our nature as people sometimes. Generally enjoyed the atmosphere and its selection. read more

Nice little bookstore. Good selection in the various sections. Great for the neighborhood. My only complaint is that I bought a book because it was staff-recommended and described as being similar to Patrick Rothfuss but it turned out to be nothing like Rothfuss at all. So I am not sure about their staff recommendations. read more

A great bookshop if you need a gift for a child. They seem to specialize in books for the little tykes you'll find running around the shop. Although they do have interesting Authors stop by occasionally. I suppose anytime you can support a local store its good so if your in the neighborhood wander in and perhaps you'll find a new title of interest. read more

Secret Garden Bookshop - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Best selection of kids' books in town. I've found it hard to get the attention of the staff, who always seem to be busy doing something else, but when I seek out help I always get it. They were able to order a much wanted copy of "That's Not My Pirate!" which was in the store within 24 hours! They also have a really great frequent buyer program which allows you to get a free book based on the average purchase price of you last ten purchases. My kids could spend hours there, and I've picked up some great reads too! They carry "Make" and "Craft" magazines, which is a huge plus! read more

Ouch. My wallet is a little sore after my first (and only) purchase here. I'm all for supporting local businesses and would gladly pay a few extra dollars but the cost difference between this store and the exact same thing on amazon.com is simply too great! I could see getting a book in the store for a premium charge to have it immediately but they didn't even have the book I wanted in stock! read more

The Secret Garden of Rude. "We close in five minutes, sooner if you are not buying" she said. We put down the book my daughter was considering and left. read more

This is an awesome place for children books. Or for the adult with a childish side. 3/4 of the store is for children (not young adult). They have a small selection of mystery, sci-fi, and non-fiction. There's a card program where they'll deduct the average price of 12 books off a 13th book. Kind of seemed like an awesome deal. read more

Was really pleased with the selection and service I got. I had a long gift list for my friends and family and the clerk helped me through and every book. Quality service right there. Plus, the cat was nice. read more

The owner attended our community event today as a vendor. With her, she brought a generous and very thoughtfully considered selection of books. FCC is a community of adoptive families with children (95% girls) from China. The familiarity with authors, stories, and our local stories made me all warm inside with affection for one of our few remaining locally owned neighborhood bookstores. I left with an arm load of books and intentions to follow up soon with a trip to Ballard to see what the brick-and-mortar store has to offer. it was especially news to me, to hear that there is a significant inventory of books for older readers too, it's not just for children anymore. To the owner: Thank you for your repeat presence at our special event over the years. That kind of personal touch is rare and valuable. I truly enjoyed our visit. read more

i like it. Design books. Browsing galore. Quiet. good. read more

As an artist I'm a sucker for illustrations in children's books. This place, even though it says "books for all ages" is mainly for the little short people. You can find adult books in the back and they will special order things for you, but the real gem is in the front where they have bricks (signed by authors I think) that are in place but not yet cemented together. A little rocky, but a lot of charm. Perhaps this is Ballard's "shop around the corner"? (if you need a book for a child of artists... look for the MOMA book... I forget the name, but it was adorable!) read more

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I love the Secret Garden Bookshop. First and foremost, this is a bookshop with a hand-picked selection rather than a bookstore/warehouse holding every book under the sun. I must begin by describing the unique charm of this small bookshop. As you enter, there is a hardwood pathway leading to the back of the store. If you immediately turn left, you enter a loose-tile nook chocked full of picture books for children. As the tiles clank underfoot, you can browse hundreds of titles, many with hand-written recommendations. Grown-up titles live on the right-hand side of the store along with young adult titles. It should be said that the bookshop is primarily catered to books for children. The staff will not approach or bully you as you browse, however, they are incredibly helpful and friendly when you have a question. I recently attended a book talk from a local author that was fantastic and intimate. Teachers receive a generous 20% discount on books used in the classroom. Overall, a fantastic local bookshop. read more

To all those struggling (like me) with the Amazon vs. Independent Bookseller battle. Here is one for the "independents." My 10 year old approaches the sales clerk (perhaps the greatest bookstore sales clerk in history) and the dialog goes like this.... My daughter "there is this other great book I really really want to read" Clerk "ok. What is it called?" I dont know Who wrote it? I dont know What is it about? I dont know. My friend had it and I always like what she likes. What color was the bookjacket? There was some purple on it. Anything else? I think there were 2 girls. 1 had black hair and 1 had white hair. I interrupt and try to drag my child away so as to avoid wasting any more of this poor clerk's time. A second later.... Was it this book? My daughter screams...THATS IT! THATS IT Oh my gosh!! Thats it! There were many other shoppers following this ridiculous dialog and we all burst out in a spontaneous cheers when the book was discovered. Best sales clerk ever!!! TOP THAT AMAZON! read more

This is a nice little bookshop with a good selection, but the staff are always a little stand-off-ish. Strange. When asking questions, I often get blank stares from behind thick-rimmed glasses. We're buying books, not shopping at Louis Vuitton. I take my attitude and severe looks from the ladies at the library, thank you very much. Shhhhh! read more