This bookstore is what dreams are made of. Serendipity books on San Juan Island is hands down my favorite bookstore. Not only does it have small town flare, but it also has the largest assortment of used books that I've personally seen. The store sits inside a small house on the main strip of San Juan Island. It looks tiny from the outside, but, oh wow, does it hold entire worlds inside. There's a multitude of rooms all themed after each genre. You'll find everything from cookbooks, history, fantasy, young adult, sci-fi, history, fiction, self help, and autobiographies. Like other reviewers have mentioned you might have to do a bit of digging, as most of the books are stacked since they do not have the space on the shelves. Something else to note is that they do not allow food and drink inside, but they do have the cutest fireplace for you to place your hot coffee or tea on to keep it warm. Highly recommend checking out this spot when you're on San Juan Island, and be sure to stop by next-door to pick up a homie style lunch. read more

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Wow! I'm glad I stumbled upon this cute book shop - serendipity, indeed! I did find a lot of different genres, so it's worth exploring. Personally, I was looking for the science fiction / fantasy section, and yep, I found one of interest! It was perfect. Others were stopping by and were couples. Unfortunately due to scheduled travel times, I could not spend unmarked amounts of time getting lost and wandering amongst the tomes. I will have to stumble my way back sometime in the future! read more

Serendipity the Used Book Place - It's right out of a storybook movie - Hallmark, perhaps? So cute - Used Bookstore Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

This is every used book lover's dream. You step in, and there are books stacked from the floor to the ceiling. Once I got over some mild claustrophobia, I greatly appreciated how extensive the selection was. Half of the fun is searching for the book you're looking for amidst the stacks, but if you want to procure it quicker the shop owner is a sweetheart and will eagerly help you. Located right by the ferry terminal, I highly recommend you visit while waiting to board or immediately upon disembarking! read more

Love it's all in the computer and it's an amazing selection. The only downside is some items are boxed up and I didn't have time to try and get into all that. You may need to climb some to get what you want. Send a friend in if you have an issue with tight spaces. Seemed super popular which is so nice to see the support for a local business. read more

You can get lose track of time and miss your ferry if you risk stopping by Serendipity Used Books in Friday Harbor. Picture stacks that cover every wall and go from floor-level nearly to the ceiling, with some books hiding behind others. An ideal place to browse and discover. The store has tens of thousands of titles, arranged by category, as well as a helpful owner armed with a computer containing files of, I guess, nearly every title in the store. The prices seem to be about half of what the books originally sold for. Though Friday Harbor is known as the place to party in the San Juans, Serendipity offers a bit of quiet and the pleasure of perusing thousands of gently used books. I never leave there empty handed. read more

You have to look a little harder to find this bookstore, but it's worth the jouney. Serendipity sells used books, including Northwest themes, fiction, children's books and other almost any other topic you might think of. As you might expect, this bookstore space is fully loaded with books (hard copy and paperback). And of course it's a comfortable place to browse, either sitting or standing. They are open every day and year round. read more

Huge selection of books from a friendly and helpful bookseller. They have every book in a database so if have a specific author or title in mind, just ask. It's a used bookstore so their prices are not exactly expensive, but they're not basement bargain prices either. But considering that it's harder and harder to be a profitable bookstore in the age of Amazon, Serendipity is absolutely deserving of your support. As it's name implies, this is the place to stumble upon your next page turner, out-of-print treasure, or last year's best seller. read more

For a bargain bookstore it sure is pricey. I cannot bring myself to buy a hardcover book over $10+ when I know I can buy a hardcover book at Goodwill for $3.99. Quite unfortunate. However, it is a cute bookstore. read more

What's up with the Islands and great used bookstores?! Even Anacortes had some delightful ones you could get lost in all day! Used bookstores are always on my radar when I am visiting new towns and communities. Serendipity is the type of book store I have my fingers crossed for when I'm on the hunt. An old, restored house as the location is always a good sign. It usually means that the owners will have a creative sense with the interior, but will keep things just cluttered enough to make you feel like you are at home in your own rumpled mess of books. The woman behind the counter (owner?) was friendly and gracious but somewhat brief, allowing us to meander through the maze of covered treasures to our hearts content. I ended up finding a great book on champagne and called it a day before I spent too much money. This is a highly recommended spot if you're a book person, and quite a short walk from the Ferry Terminal. Grab a coffee and be on your way to this gem of a bookstore! read more

Greatest used book store in all the land! It was my first time visiting Friday Harbor and I returned to this book store, three times in one weekend. Yes, THREE TIMES! I still feel like I didn't have enough time, so when I go back, I will be in this book store from beginning to end. And still, that wouldn't be sufficient enough.. read more

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The name is eerily true. Every time I step into this place, I find some treasure that is so perfect at that moment, yet I'd never heard of it before. If you're not ready for such magic, the staff are very well-informed about what might appear to be unmanageable heaps of books sprawling through a labyrinth of rooms. It's all on their computer, and it's all available online. Still, I prefer to just wander around until fate strikes! read more

Used book stores are a favorite of mine. 40,000 used books haphazardly stacked in a small/awkwardly laid out store. Really good titles and interesting finds (I just expected to browse but we got three books). The sections are written on note cards and not all of the books, in each section, have been organized completely (most are). There is a small wood burning fireplace in the middle and it's filled with that great old book smell. The precariousness of the book shelves and the obviousness of its overcrowdedness gives you that romantic feeling of what a local book store should be. The owner was very sweet and spent most of her time trying to organize and cram in books onto shelves from boxes (all wine, beer, liquor boxes). Made me wonder where all these books could possibly be coming from. Although there are some organizational issues, the shopkeep can assist you - or at least hunt with you which is half the fun. Cannot recall a better used book store that I've been to. read more

Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky, My pile of books is a mile high. How I love them! How I need them! I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. -Arnold Lobel I love this bookstore! A friend's son introduced Serendipity to us on a sailing trip 5 years ago. It is just a quick jaunt from the Friday Harbor marina and is worth the walk every time. I could spend hours in there but due to hopping boats to get home, I manage to snag a couple of treasures each time and am off. They have something for everyone. You could ask for help (and the owner is very friendly and helpful) but it is so much fun browsing their piles. Next time you are in Friday Harbor, stop in and see for yourself. You'll be happy you did. read more

Not only do they have thousands of books piled high, but they are all catalogued! I was looking for a specific book and we couldn't find it in the shop; the man working searched the bookstore high and low. I've never had anyone work so hard to get me a book, but he said he knew he had a couple copies at home and to come back the next day. I did, and he sold me that one. Amazing place, wonderful people. One of the best used book shops you will ever walk into. read more

As opposed to the sterile, corporate kind of bookstores that dominate the landscape now (*cough B&N cough*) Serendipity is a more classic kind of place: fairly small but packed with tons of books, including sections for every subject you can think of. They have a nice little section of vintage books that I was pretty tempted by. They have a computerized inventory so they can tell you if they have a particular book, but of course the appeal of a place like this is to wander around and look through the treasure trove itself. All my book needs are met by the King County Library System, but it's still nice to browse through a real honest to goodness bookstore. read more

Great bookstore in this cute tourist town. My son found many good condition used books here. Very cute decoration also.

Picture a little yellow and pink English house, with roof angles going every which way, looking like it would fit in the Shire, stuffed to the gills with books in every nook and cranny. And a perky English shopkeeper... sitting behind an enormous Apple monitor. That's Serendipity bookstore. Current and "new arrivals" in the front room, subjects and genres as you move further back. Big local section; don't buy a local guidebook without checking here first. Be sure to look in the rows behind the front row on every shelf; the books are double and triple stacked. Note the pricing structure : unlike most used bookstores, Serendipity charges half the publisher's printed price, which can be much higher than the usual $1 or so you might expect. read more

Great selection, great organization, friendly staff. Wonderful place to while away an hour or two browsing their extensive collection. read more

Serendipity the Used Book Place - Used Bookstore Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

LOOKING FOR AN affordable READ - Serendipity is your place. You would never know from walking by just how many titles and authors they have in that (deceptively) little building. Packed to the rafters you will find everything in those walls! Not to worry, the staff is super helpful for finding the right section and all books are on computer data so if you know the title or author... or part of title you will find your book in minutes. All the benefits of Barnes and Noble without the big sticker price and crush of small publishing houses. Hats Off for Small Book Stores - Your A Gem! #beonsanjuan read more

This is a small store but they have a ton of books and they are cheap. I got a few books here before I left to go back to Seattle

Can't think of a better bookstore! Wide variety of titles, so many that lots of them are stacked in front of others. Really fun to browse, spend a few hours, and find a treasure. If you don't find what you want, they will search for a specific book for you and call you when it comes in. Great store, be sure to allow yourself enough time! read more

There are two kinds of indie bookstores: the kind for talkers (book club bookstores) and the kind for readers. The former sells lots of reading gifts (framed bromides, tchotchkes, mugs with pictures of authors on them) with a small section of bestsellers and beautifully covered classics for the purpose of shelf decoration. The latter tend to sell books and only books, stacks and towers of worn paper for people who don't mind a crease in their spines. I went to two different bookstores in Friday Harbor, each an apotheosis of the different kinds, but I'm putting all my stars on Serendipity. read more

If like me you like tall stacks of books, this is a good place for you. There seems to be a good enough ratio of interesting stuff to be worth the visit. We walked away with some summer reading. The inventory is said to be computerized but I cannot find a way of searching it on the web, so I guess you have to call and ask, or visit. The location is a short walk from Friday Harbor "downtown". read more

Need a good read? Every book you read makes the world a better place and next door to the Hungry Clam is a great place to get started on this important task. I had fifteen minutes waiting for the ferry and wish I'd had all day to check for hidden gems. read more

Super cute little used book store that has a stunning variety. Staff is very knowledgeable and will help to get the right selection for you. A must go and see if you are visiting San Juan! read more

Never have I see such a selection of books! 50,000+ used books in this quaint little (actually it's kinda big) shop. I found a wonderful illustrated copy of Don Quixote from the 1930s which was pretty cool. If you're looking to find old, obscure, or otherwise interesting books, this is a place to check out! read more

This is the best used bookstore I have ever been to--50,000 titles all affordable prices. They had the best collection of travel writing I have encountered, as well as a terrific selection on the sea, sea adventures, etc. Carol is fantastic. I was in book heaven. I limited myself to ten titles... read more

This is truly a great bookstore. There are books on every topic imaginable and it's all in their computer so you can ask for a particular book without having to search for it. The owners and employees are friendly and know where to find everything and even when they don't find it right away, they look for it until they do! They have a great deal for people who donate books -- you get an amount of store credit for future purchases, so that when you buy a book, your price is only half of the asking price, until your credit is gone and it's time to donate more books! I live in Friday Harbor (check out http://www.simply-san-juan.com for Island information) and this is my favorite bookstore anywhere. read more

We love this book store!! It is jam packed with every kind of book imaginable. It's especially cozy in the winter with the stove crackling.

Sooooo many books! Great selection, god quality, fair prices. Puchased too many books here but loved the option and the owner was very helpful! Will be back. read more

Well stocked and eclectic collection of used books in a unique location. If you are spending some time on San Juan Island and want quality reading material, this is the place to go. I spent an hour here one afternoon after eating a great lunch nearby. Definitely worth the visit for anyone who appreciates books. read more

I loved this little book store! Gal at the register was super friendly and happy to help. My family and I felt welcomed and we ended up purchasing over ten books! Prices are super reasonable and books are in very good condition. This is a used bookstore with a great little ambiance and selection. Includes many children's books. read more

Serendipity is a must-see island treasure. They've got a huge selection of relevent books along with all the classics, the staff are attentive without being in your way, and the prices are unbeatable. Great place to spend a few minutes while you're waiting for the ferry! read more

Absolutely delightful and like the name suggests serendipitous.. Drop by for a browse and guaranteed you will find something you have been looking for ... read more

This is the sweetest bookstore. It has just the right amount of clutter plus organization to make us bibliophiles happy! Their whole inventory is computerized, so if you want something specific, they can see whether they have it. Otherwise you can just browse and get lost in the books! Hours can go by and you have no comprehension of time! It is one of my favorite places in my hometown! read more