Like many things at Colonial Williamsburg, the bookstore is unfortunately less refined and more…read moretouristy than it was years ago, but I think that's a reflection on the visitors and their tastes and Williamsburg's attempts to adapt to what people will buy. The book sections are smaller than they were, the video and music section is gone, and they've moved some of the food stuffs and home decorations from across the hall to fill the space. Still, there is a good selection of books on relevant history from Jamestown through the Civil War, decorative arts, architecture, trades and crafts, cooking and military history for the serious historian; and of course books on Williamsburg itself. Check out the bargain table for good deals on close out items.

On a recent visit to Colonial Williamsburg, I stopped in to look around. Bought some books and…read moreprints. They were nice enough to let me leave my purchases until I finished with Williamsburg. When I returned to pick up my purchases, I was told the Artist came in and they had him sign the largest print I bought. What a thoughtful thing to do for a perfect stranger. Their sales people are the best. Love this store. I give them TEN STARS for super service. Sarah Texas

The Fallen Acorn is a cute bookstore and feels like a hidden gem in Williamsburg. I like how each…read moresection is labeled with some showing favorites. It is a small store, so you might find one copy of a book you're interested in and no others similar to it. If anything, you could see it as a hunt for a book you're looking for. I also liked their bookmarks, stickers and cards they had around. Plus, the staff are very friendly.

Small cute bookstore with a variety of books. The staff seemed to really know their stuff and had…read moregood recommendations.

Looking for unique gifts with a historic connection? This is the place to go. Most of the…read moremerchandise available in Colonial Williamsburg shops throughout the village is collected here, in one place, making shopping much easier. The book selection, naturally, is oriented to Virginia history and offers everything from baby board books to reproductions of historic recipe books. They also carry local Virginia mead, wine, honey, Christmas ornaments and much more. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Products are high quality and unique to Williamsburg, priced accordingly.

Colonial Williamsburg opened a small bookstore in Merchants Square a couple months ago. They offer…read morebooks for all ages. The shop is located on the second floor above J. McLaughlin and FatFace. You can find compelling biographies and other nonfiction work, as well as children's books set in the pre- and post- revolutionary time period. It's the perfect shop to find a gift for the history lover!

The college bookstore has moved to its current location in late '21, and it has become more easily…read moreaccessible. There is plenty of street parking, and you don't have to go through the hustle and the bustle of Merchants Square. The bookstore itself is small and quaint, but it still offers a great selection of spirit wear, accessories, gifts, snacks, and other necessities. Staff here are very friendly and helpful; we recently placed a hold on a gown, and it was ready to be picked up when we arrived. Note that there is no restroom, so you'll be directed to use the ones at the public library down the street. +friendly service +great selection of spirit wear +no public restrooms on the premise +street parking available

When the W&M Bookstore opened my senior year, we rejoiced. Finally. Finally. A place to hang out…read moreand be tragically hip with a cup of coffee and some friends. A place to perpetuate our belief that we were oh-so intellectual with our copies of "Leaves of Grass" and "The Psychology of Close Relationships." The old bookstore sucked because it was small and cramped and had nothing but textbooks and W&M Beanie Babies. The bookstore is a Barnes & Noble, so no bonus points for the indie thing. But...then again, it means the store is always stocked with the latest releases, and that the inventory is huge and varied. It also means there's hardly ever a shortage of textbooks, which are all housed in the basement level. There is an *abundance* of W&M gear here. Everything from your standard hoodies and track pants to playing cards, license plate holders, captains chairs, and foam fingers. You can get the W&M or Tribe logo on just about anything humanly conceivable. A lot of it is really nice, too. There is a plethora of Williamsburg merchandise as well. Same idea as the W&M stock. Upstairs -- along with typical non-book stuff you see at a typical B&N -- is the café, "proudly" brewing Starbucks coffee. Again, no bonus points for fueling the corporate machine. But there are tables and chairs for showcasing your latest Mac laptop along with your genius-making textbooks. I know it's cheesy and corporate, but I ALWAYS stop in here on a trip back to Williamsburg for nostalgia's sake and usually end up with yet another W&M logo'ed item.

My kids and I have a great time every week picking up our comic pulls and browsing back issues!read more

Adorable doggie greeted us at the door. This shop was well organized and the owner was very helpful…read morewhen we were looking for certain comics. Will return soon!

I have enjoyed shopping here! The sales people are always willing to help you find what you're…read morelooking for. The store is clean and neat with attractive displays. It's a bit small but thats probably due to the small town area. For some reason I was surprised they had a public restroom. That was also clean with plenty of space. The store has a nice variety of christian themed bible covers, journals, gift cards, children's books, and devotionals. If Heaven & Earth does not have the product you are looking for they are willing to order it for you. I hope this store does well and stay for a long time in this location. There is definitely room for expansion to add additional product lines such as adding more t-shirts, music and videos. I have always made a purchase on each visit.

One thing to understand about Colonial Williamsburg is the naming of the buildings is not by…read morecoincidence. John Greenhow was a merchant that operated a store on Duke of Gloucester during colonial days. The history of the man is as important to me as the current day store which I do enjoy browsing. John Greenhow was born in England 1724. He has been described as enterprising for the day, a real go getter. He operated a three man eight ton Schooner named "The Robert" along the James River from Virginia to Philadelphia carrying butter, pork, peas and lard to Pennsylvania. His return trips to the Old Dominion brought back coffee, chocolate, flour, bread, skillets, soap and even furniture. Williamsburg was not his only store as he operated a second location in Richmond. Mr. Greenhow passed in 1787 and is buried close to his mercantile at Bruton Parish Church. His stone is visible to this day. The present day store instills some of the old past of products like soap and housewares among lots of other items that may, or may not have been carried in the shop like home decor, clothing and even wine that seemed logical for the colonial time. Visitors can also purchase, or rent period wear. I have shopped at this store dozens of times in the past 30 years. I seem to always find something for purchase. The last time it was a few bottles of Williamsburg Winery Wine. Other occasions it's been soap which is fantastic. During Summer months when mobbed it can be a tad crowded to navigate. Staff typically is not in the floor to assist, but is more than willing to help when asked. It's no fault of their own, it's CW's staffing needs adjusted during the height of tourism. The clerks working the store are super friendly and knowledgeable about their goods and the history of Greenhow. It's fun to throw them a question, or two about the old day store. I would recommend a visit to The Greenhow store when strolling down DOG.

I'm not a shopping person and sadly I've become not much of a CW person but if you're in CW and if…read moreyou're going to shop, the Greenhow Store is not a bad place to do it. My Yelp brother JD did a great job covering the history of the man who's name is on the building. I have nothing to add other than the current store is not one of the original 88 CW buildings but it was built on the site of the original and on land that Mr. Greenhow owned. Back in the day you could easily see the yard over at Bruton Parish but FWIW this is the final resting place for Mr. Greenhow: makinghistorynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/mr-greenhows-tomb-bruton-parish.png Usually I'm in here because I've got people in my family who love the soap balls that they sell here (maybe they have them in other stores but usually I find the bars everywhere - not the balls), the vanilla beans, the musket balls and a few other odds and sods. The other reason I like to shop here is because of the one "sales interpreter" who normally works here. When you walk in he's usually at the register on the left side. He's a taller older guy who wears small round wire rimmed glasses. He's the one guy in the store who usually will engage you in sort of a quasi-in character demeanor. He's hysterical and I always enjoy seeing him and I remind him of that whenever I'm there. While this store is normally very crowded on my most recent visit we walked in to find we had the whole place to ourselves. Three employees in there with just us. After a few minutes another couple came in but that's how dead it was on New Year's Day. One brief negative note regarding that visit. While there were three sales interpreters there. Cluelessly, there was also a supervisor/manager present who kept having a little meeting with the group over in the one corner out front even though they could see that I was at the register ready to go. Experiences like that are the types of reasons people say "Never Again" to CW. It's small but it also shows you a small spot of where management's focus truly is at. That singular visit aside, normally it's a decent experience here and it's always worth a visit to see what they have when on DOG Street.

In love! I have passed this place a few times heading into Gloucester. They are about 3-5 min on…read morethe left side when you come across the bridge. The store has so much charm! They have decor, jewelry, limited clothing, limited children's items, pillows, some furniture and many great gift items. Farmhouse vibes for sure! Heather was helpful while I shopped. She greeted me when I walked in and informed me of any sales they had. She then just let me shop to my hearts content. Allowing me to place items up on the cash rep area so I could use both hands to shop. She was awesome!

Right over the Coleman Bridge in Gloucester is the Merc. A…read morefamily owned small business is one of my favorite stores to shop at. This store is so unique with items you will not find anywhere else! From home decor, clothing, jewelry, bags, socks etc. If you are in need of a gift for someone this is the place to come! There is a new addition to the store where they will personally help you design your home, equipped with rugs, lamps, furniture and a bunch of fabric to choose from; making your piece personal. The store is very clean and well organized. The social media director is very good at posting new items on Facebook and Instagram. Their marketing skills are amazing! The staff and employees are very helpful and friendly. I only gave this store a 4 stars because the prices are a bit steep, but they always have sales and a clearance section. I myself being a business owner understand and always love supporting small businesses! This is by far my favorite small business to frequently visit!