Small shop but packed with tons of great stuff, pleasant staff, great place. Very clean and…read moredisplays are appealing, you feel like you're in a gift shop rather than thrift. fun items on the dollar rack, and nice jewelry

From the owner: We are a nonprofit thrift store that supports our Ministry, Hand To Hand Direct Care Ministry, Inc…read more We help people in need in our community with free furniture, household items, and clothing. Referrals are required.

Grey Matter is heaven in a used bookstore! It has such a large and extensive collection of titles…read morein every category. I am particularly impressed by its offerings in art, theology, philosophy, literary theory, and literature. (Where else could I find, to my delight, a copy of Julia Kristeva's Desire in Language, which was a work cited and consulted in my master's thesis so many years ago? It was like bumping into an old friend.) Some first editions reside inside glass display cases. Academic titles abound. The store is impeccably organized and there are no boxes of incoming titles obstructing one's view or path. They have a pile of free books near the door and a rack of titles for $1.00 each both outside as well as inside. Grey Matter is a must when book shopping in New Haven. (And I think I'll be back to pick up that title by Kristeva!)

Our bellies were full and we needed to burn off some calories while in downtown New Haven, so my…read morefriends took my wife and I over to Grey Matter Books since we are big readers and don't care to just walk into the Barnes and Noble down the street. From the moment you walk into this place you are slapped in the face with the lovely smell of used books. This shop is filled from front to back with thousands of used books all separated in little sections. This place definitely doesn't have a ton of newer titles, but is definitely the type of place you can spend an hour or so in just digging through everything and finding some weird and quirky reads. Overall, Grey Matter Books is a very solid used book store with a wide array of different types of books. Although I didn't leave with anything (I live in LA so I can only travel with so many new books, which is a shame) this place is definitely somewhere I'll continue to stop at when visiting Connecticut in the future.

This is a great used bookstore. It is almost a literal hole in the wall, located in an old factory…read moredown a long hallway. The books are used but all in fantastic condition. The aisles are narrow so only one person can occupy the space at a time, but it just means you have to look at other books waiting your turn. The prices have a range depending on type, age, and genre but are pretty easy to figure out. Those that do have special pricing are also clearly marked. The shop doesn't have set hours so definitely follow on social media. Not only is it fun to see all the new books that come in, they're very clear about when a sale will come along.

Great used book shop. They're done an expansion for add to their overall are which allowed aisles…read moreto be expanded for easier movement. All books are in great condition and very from an average of $2-$10 with children's books at .50, occasional $1 finds and signed copies or harder to find/newer books being over that $10 average, which is perfectly fine. Still a great overall discount usually and the experience is always great. Always busy!

I visited here again recently and this place is still just as magical! It's tucked away in the…read morewoods and is chock full of immeasurable charm. The owner is English and her business is an extension of her lovely personality. I have childhood memories of this place that could have come straight out of a magical fairytale book. There are many categories here; a large history section, gardening, art, film, geography, mythology, crafts, so many categories and subcategories, and because they are curated by someone passionate with books there are no filler books here. The prices are unbelievably reasonable, this is a curated collection by a woman passionate about books, making a living off of it feels secondary here to the passion of finding the books. You will not ever find another place like this. In a small rural town no less! This is a destination place if you are visiting the area. Such a gem!

Brief drive up winding hillside roads gets you to this barn/oasis of books, reasonably priced and…read morefun to browse across 2 floors and an adjacent annex. Will be back. Be sure to say hello to the tuxedo cat haunting the stacks.

Wonderful selection of novels, but the lady at the register never looked me in the eye or even said…read morehello. She acted like I was bothering her by buying books. Dampened a great vibe.

It's an independent book store. It's not huge, but they have a wonderful well curated selection in…read morethe beautiful well lit space they have. The staff is always helpful, and do a beautiful wrapping job if requested for gifts. You'll find tags with staff recs hidden around the store which is fun. The kids section is a bit limited, but the wall of books it's behind is creative and the selection that is there has great classics mixed in with some great newer publications.

I'm not writing about the bookshop per se, but rather the area outside the bookshop that has some…read moreexhibit material, collectibles, and book sharing shelf. Also a bulletin board sharing literary events It's a bit tricky to get to; you need to park in the parking structure that is somewhat shared with The Summits complex which appear to be living and working accommodations. Looking forward to visiting when the store is actually open.

A true hidden gem! I absolutely fell in love with this book store! I went in looking for a book…read moreclub book, and was absolutely blown away by every aspect of this store. The owner was so personable and ordered the book I needed for me. It came in a few days. I was happy to see my money going towards a local store vs something like Amazon! They also have an amazing kid section. My two young children have already asked to go back twice. The store has so many hidden details. It's a dream for my book loving family. Everything about this store is 5 stores and I will for sure be returning! Thank you for bringing such a great spot with character to our neighborhood!

Based off the bookstore in StarsHallow. They have a designated small section to Gilmore girls and…read morewill give you a QR code you can scan or a paper copy of all the little places from the show to to look at

Very cute bookstore. A good variety and there's an entire section for kids. I would come back.read more

A small independent LGBTQ+ bookstore located on Main Street in Southington. Staff are friendly and…read morewelcoming. Inventory includes all genres but with LGBTQ+ characters and/or authors as well as some book themed gifts and art. Selection includes books and authors not always carried by the big, box stores. Books, gifts, and art were all affordable. Recommend parking in the lot behind the building as street parking is limited.

The Enchanted Violet is a small gem of a store located in a multi-purpose building. There is a sign…read moreoutside with some directions (down the hall of the building and to the right!) to get to the shop itself. I stopped by while doing some shopping in the area after my friend and I had seen a sign for it in a local coffee shop. I'm glad we did! We were greeted kindly by the bookseller, and we got to chat all about books and upcoming local events for a while. We got recommendations and had an incredibly pleasant conversation!The books are catered towards being LGBTQ+ friendly, and focus on romance and romantasy, as well as offering a selection of manga. The store had a variety of deals ongoing and many options were 20% off! There was a section where you could select a mystery bag for a piece of jewelry. I got the cutest earrings from my bag! Speaking of jewelry, this bookshop offers a variety of jewelry as well as clothing and some posters/cards/art/stickers. There were so many fun things to choose from! Super cute, I'll have to check out some of their community events sometime for sure. Definitely worth a browse!

Nora helped me find a rare old book when I could not find it on the internet. Wow! Great person who…read moredoes a lot for Bethel. :)

I am a giant nerd. I own multiple bookcases filled with books in multiple languages in addition to…read morean extensive e-book collection. I have "issues" with books. Folded corners irk me. Notes incense. Books abandoned open and face down may lead to crimes against humanity or, admittedly more often, indignant snorts. Rainy Day Paperback Exchange appeals to all of my sensibilities. Bright, well-lit, well-organized, and pleasantly musky with the smell of aged paper, I felt as though I were in an awesomely curated library rather than a used book store. I navigated to my go-to categories of U.S. public policy history and science fiction/fantasy and was pleasantly surprised with both the breadth of the selection available and the condition of the books themselves. The owners clearly aren't in the business of selling messy, haphazardly used books with large stains or ample evidence of dog or cat chewing. That the proprietor and the other staff member I met were also charming, intelligent, bookish people more than happy to discuss the town of Bethel, forthcoming improvements to it, and provide me a bit of perspective on its character only added to my impression. Were I closer to Rainy Day Paperback Exchange than Buffalo, NY, I assure you that it would be my first stop for all of my literary needs.

I am so grateful they had a sign pointing the direction of Whitlocks Book Barn on the main road - I…read morewasn't 100% expecting it to be in a residential area. But it is, and the store itself is lovely with the books split between two barns. The upper barn (as was explained to me) is where the majority of their fiction is and the best prices on used books. The lower, or main, barn with the cash register has their newer and rarer inventory. The floor is a bit warped so just be careful with your step. They do accept credit cards despite the initial appearance of a vintage register.

Neat place. Two…read morebarns off the main track. Good prices on used books and a cool atmosphere. It's been here since 1948, a very hidden gem.