The gentleman who was there was incredibly helpful and a delight to talk to. While a smaller shop there was a wonderful selection of both fiction and nonfiction books. Would recommend anyone to explore this gem of a place. Well worth the value in my opinion. read more

The Book Owl - Book Owl in Portsmouth Va - Bookstores Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

Such an adorable little book spot with the sweetest staff. I get lost just browsing and finding treasures you never know what you will find here. read more

I had seen this place when I was next door at the Thai place, but it had closed. I swung by on another day when they were opening on a weekend. The proprietor was late opening the business by over 10 minutes. The inside is a little stuffy (temp) and there's lots of books and stacks all over. There are little nooks to sit here and there. A couple owl theme areas. The cozy stuff I like in an indie place. It's a little difficult to find the section you may want, but proprietor knew where stuff was. I found they had a very well organized cook book section! I found several great books and enjoyed my time combing through them. I saw so many kinds. They had celebrity chef books, older books, foreign published books, cook styles, and even those bargain ones for $10 from B&N. I had trouble when I wanted to ring out. The proprietor had gone in the back and the door was shut. I wanted to check out and had to wait a while for them to come out. It would have been nice to have a bell or something to signal them. I wasn't willing to be rude and bang on a door. read more

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I give it a 4 because I was a little nervous to knock books over. I wanted to look a little longer, but some books were stacked horizontally on the verticals lined ones. There needs to be a little more room due to all the donations. Other than that. Two things up. Lots and lots of books to choose from. Kids room has a lot of options. There's a religion room with fictional authors and I LOVE that. It's great to have more options than Bible or theology. And the prices can't be beat at all. Half price on some books, and half off on half off of you also bring in donations. And your store credit never expires if you choose to use it later. Dope. read more

The Book Owl - Lovely quotes posted in the Book Owl - Bookstores Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

I finally found an indie used bookstore not that far away from me! And it was great to see. The owner is very helpful and I liked the way he organized all of the books in the store. It was great to see all the used books stacked up to the ceiling and all over the store! It was a book lover's dream come true. All of the books are half off the original price on the back. The owner said this includes new books as well. If you want to get an additional half off, you can bring in your old books that you don't want anymore. This starts a store credit for you, it doesn't expire and there's no maximum amount you have to worry about. I ended up walking out with three books - I really showed some self restraint! - and now I know where I want to drop off some of my books that need a new home. read more

The Book Owl - Storefront of The Book Owl - Bookstores Near Me - Portsmouth, Virginia

Hi. My name is Carissa and I'm a book-a-holic. Not much else in this world brings me the pleasure I get from walking into a bookstore, breathing in the scent of paper and ink, and lovingly running my hands over hard covers and soft, shiny ones alike. But I digress. Like so many other gems in the area, I found Book Owls here on Yelp. I had the day off and decided to take a drive and check it out. I was immediately greeted by the owner. He gave me a tour of the shop and explained pricing. He carries used and new alike and everything is half off the list price. I did find this a bit pricey as I'm used to paying much less for used books at the library book sale. However, this store has been around for 8 years, which is remarkable when so many little bookstores have closed their doors due to Amazon and places like Barnes and Noble. When I take that into consideration, I had no problem paying that price. There was classical music playing while I perused the shelves. He also sells some DVDs and has a special room full of children's picture books, complete with little chairs for tots to sit and begin nurturing that all important love for reading. Places like this need to be supported as they are so important to the community. I am a strong supporter of digital books, but there is nothing like browsing in a store and purchasing real books. Walking around a bookstore such as this ignites the senses. I will be back! read more

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I can't believe I never knew about this little bookstore. Soooo many books of all subjects. They also have the best trade-in program (you get 50% of the listed price on the book) and if you have a credit and you buy a book there, you get a discounted price of the purchase. Definitely prefer their trade-in program over 2NC read more

Looks like a hot mess when you walk inside, but there is a method to the madness. Everything is organized by genre/author. The owner takes (i believe 40-50%) of the price printed on the book or more if there is significant wear. I got a few books and he is really knowledgeable. He may not have read the specific books I purchased, but had interesting factoids about the author. I do not live in the Suffolk area and I just needed some books to pass the time. I was really happy to find this place. read more

This is the sweetest little shop and the owner is so kind and knowledgeable. I visited here on December 29th and was so impressed by the collection of used books available. Each book was 50% off the original price with the option of additional proce reductions if you were to bring in books to donate. It seems unorganized at first, but it is actually very structured while giving off the old cozy bookstore feeling. I will be visiting again! read more

I love this book store. No, it's not as cheap as a thrift store or some of the other book stores out there, however you can easily find books because everything is clearly marked. Yay for business owners that want you to find what you are looking for!!! It's also a clean store, no musty smell there at all. Usually these book stores tend to smell like old books, but Nelson keeps a nice shop. Nelson is the owner and is quite pleasant to speak to on a variety of topics. I'm a talker so that's important. I also like the idea of "Cheers" and would love to go where everybody knows my name! He remembers people!!!!! So ditch Barnes and Noble. Come to the book owl. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the books aren't as cheap as I want. But very few things in life are as cheap as I want them to be. Oh, and he has movies too as well as a nice kids room and a room for Christian books! read more

I live two miles from this bookstore. As an avid book reader and a huge fan of locally-owned bookstores, I thought I'd struck gold by being so close to such a cozy-looking nook. Not so much. First and foremost, good luck finding anything. Books are stacked three deep in some places, making casual browsing nigh impossible. Towers of books are stacked threateningly in corners, sure to topple over if someone sneezes nearby. The store is so overcrowded it's not relaxing to enter. Next, the general condition of the books is extremely low quality. Do they have no standards for what they accept? At my last visit I found three different volumes that were generously highlighted, and many more that were so dog-eared I amazed the corners simply didn't break off. Thirdly, they don't pipe their music over speakers; it's a CD player that is played so loudly in the back that thought is impossible. But you know, I could learn to accept clutter and creases and cacophony if once, just ONCE, someone greeted me when I walked in. I have never been even acknowledged with a glance when I walk in. For a small business that is seemingly always devoid of customers, that is inexcusable. Even big-box stores employ greeters. After having my "hello" ignored the other day, I've decided to take my used book needs across the tunnel to the Book Exchange. read more

While you technically can go here to find books, I wouldn't go if you're looking for something specific. The selection isn't very good and reminds me of the slim pickings at a thrift store book section. (As in there IS books but....... eh.) You may find a gem here or there but I wouldn't count on it. Also, the prices are a little bit high for a USED bookstore. I go to bookstores to find the *unique* and to get lost in the stacks and that simply didn't happen here. Not the bookstore environment I was looking for and I didn't find anything I wanted, felt like a waste of my time. read more

This is a quaint book shop nestled in the middle of Churchland that offers a fine selection of books of different topics ranging from education to entertainment. The owner is kind and gives excellent service. He helps people find what they are looking and also accepts used books for store credit to get books. The other reason I recommend this place is the permanent discount. His books are always 50 percent off cover price everyday. read more

I ordered an out-of-print book from them via Amazon. Their price for an unused, new copy was half what all the other booksellers offered. Moreover, I ordered the book on a Saturday morning, and received confirmation that it had been shipped by mid-afternoon! This was a welcome surprise because I had been a bit late in ordering the book as a birthday gift for my son, and was hoping it would arrive on time. Assuming the book is in the condition they advertised, I would definitely be a return customer! read more

This is a great local business1 The best part of it or any bookstore is when you find a new title on a subject that interests you. For example I bought a biography of Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, when I was looking for something else. I also found one called Disney War that explained the inner workings of Disney during the tenure of Michael Eisner. I wasn't looking for either book but browsing and being surprised to have found them was the best part! read more