Looking for cozy bookstores in Dallas, Texas? This article spotlights six Dallas bookstores we’re obsessed with!
This time, in Dallas, I gave in to the urge to visit a bookstore. The urge started as it always does: as an itch, an ache, and then a longing. I tried swatting it down, pressing it up against my mind like a fly on a window—that rattled me, so I let go and didn’t fight the feeling.
A mistake. A bookstore crawl is not the right solution to a book-buying problem, but it is the path I chose. Dallas bookstores are near each other. You can walk between the shops in Bishop Arts District and then drive out to Deep Ellum and The Pavilion.
So, I came back with more books than I intended. At this point, you could call my love of books lust. You could call it an obsession. Tsundoku, or something like that. I won’t disagree.
I could try to introspect and figure out why I need to be surrounded by stories to feel snug and cozy, or I could blame Dallas for enabling my bookstore addiction and share bookstores you can visit, too.
Below are my favorite Dallas bookshops (Bookaholics Anonymous, feel free to send me your intervention card).
Poets Oak Cliff
Founded by a local poet and the author of Naked Gulls, Marco Cavazos’ Poets Oak Cliff is a pretty place for those who love pretty prose. It’s a small shop, just one room, with deep teal walls, a Gatsby-indulgent ceiling, and tall, unencumbered shelves stocked with genre-bending novels, PEN-award winners, and poetry by Isabelle Rodriguez, John Keene, and Mosab Abu Toha.
General Info
ADDRESS: 506 N Bishop Ave, Dallas, TX 75208
Read Next: 9 Best Things To Do In Bishop Arts District, Dallas
Wild Detectives
Just a short stroll away is Wild Detectives, Javier GarcÃa del Moral’s and Paco Vique’s cocktail of whiskey and words. Part bar and part coffee shop, Wild Detectives is one of the most unique bookstores in Dallas. Every time I walk in, I feel like I’m entering a cozy cabin on a cool autumn day. The interior is woody, from the pitched roof to the thick beams, and the tabletops (also wood) soak up the scents of ground beans and crisp pages. Bookshelves are the first thing you see, followed by face-out Penguin Drop Cap classics, Indie Next recs, Oprah Book Club picks, and selections from former President Barack Obama’s reading list.
Travel Tip: Relax in Wild Detectives’ fairy-light-strung backyard, where wooden benches make perfect outdoor reading spots and pinned pages flutter in the breeze.
General Info
ADDRESS: 314 W Eighth St, Dallas, TX 75208
Whose Books
Most independent bookstores in Dallas lean on lit fic, but Claudia Vega’s shop, Whose Books, uplifts children’s and middle-grade stories. Vega channeled her two decades of public education experience towards making sure Oak Cliff kids feel special and represented, so Whose Books’ curation is deliberately diverse. This Dallas bookshop is a safe space, a third place, a place to get absorbed in head-in-the-clouds fantasies, where a little nook is a story time area and a vibey lounge room doubles as a book club zone. Side Note: Whose Books carries Charco Press publications in Spanish!
General Info
ADDRESS: 512 W Davis St, Dallas, TX 75208
Deep Vellum Books
Will Evans started Deep Vellum as an indie publishing house in 2013, pumping translated and foreign-language books into Dallas’ literary landscape. The brick-and-mortar store came later, its seven-shelf, black bookcases stuffed with everything niche, nonconformist, and counterculture.
There’s no room for argument: this is one of the best bookstores in Dallas. Deep Vellum is the largest publisher of translated literature in the United States, and Evans is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (yes, France knighted him for evangelizing French literature). So, go to Deep Vellum for books first penned outside the US that, in English, still feel timely, piercing, and urgent.
General Info
ADDRESS: 3000 Commerce St, Dallas, TX 75226
Read Next: Top 12 Hidden Gems In Dallas
Interabang Books
If you’re holiday shopping (or gift shopping), swing by Interabang Books in The Pavilion. Past Interabang’s TARDIS-blue door is a roomy Dallas independent bookshop where staff can help you find just what you want. And if you’re short on time and need a cute, last-minute gift for the book lover in your life, scoop up one of the boutique’s too-pretty-to-annotate Penguin Orange or Penguin Clothbound Classics.
General Info
ADDRESS: 5600 W Lovers Ln #142, Dallas, TX 75209
Half Price Books
Then, there’s Half Price, a used bookstore chain I love so, so much. Half Price Books’ flagship store is the biggest bookstore in Dallas. At 54,000 square feet, the shop feels like a giant warehouse, with white lights reflecting on romance and horror and sci-fi and manga. When I started my first job after college, I spent entire weekends at this family-owned bookshop, browsing from open to close (please don’t judge). Every time I visited, I lunged for an Arcturus classic or Knickerbocker classic or YA fantasy series that lived rent-free in my mind. Before I knew it, I’d be balancing an armful of titles like a juggler in a circus. My to-be-read list piled higher and higher, and when I moved to Nashville, I told myself that the next time I’m in Dallas, I won’t give in to the urge to visit a bookstore – y’all already know how that worked out.
General Info
ADDRESS: 5803 E NW Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231
How To Support These Bookstores
📚 Bookshop.org: Bookshop.org is an Amazon alternative that raises money for independent bookstores (this is the website we personally use to buy books online).
🎧 Libro.fm: Love audiobooks? Libro.fm, an Audible alternative, uplifts indie bookshops! Select a bookstore, search for an audiobook, and support an indie bookshop through your purchase. Libro.fm’s monthly membership (the plan we have) profit shares with local bookstores, giving back to communities. If you use the code CHOOSEINDIE, you get a bonus audiobook!
📅 Attend Events: Many bookstores frequently host events like author talks, signings, pop-ups, and book clubs! Be sure to check a bookshop’s events calendar (or follow them on social media) to find fun bookish activities!
More Bookstores In (And Near) Dallas
- Read Shop: I recently visited Read Shop in Atlanta and found out they now have a location in Dallas! Grab a coffee and soak up the Architectural Digest meets Taschen atmosphere. You’ll find beautiful coffee table books and cookbooks so thick, they could prop open a door!
- BLACKLIT: BlackLit began as a subscription box, a spotlight on Black literature and Black entrepreneurs. A brick-and-mortar location opened up in Farmers Branch. Visit to support a Black-owned bookstore near Dallas!
- Lucky Dog Books: one of the friendliest used bookstores in Dallas where every visit feels like a little treasure hunt
Did you enjoy this list of bookstores in Dallas? What are your favorite bookstores in Dallas? Let us know in the comments below!
Okay, I’m obsessed with your blog now and happy I discovered your page. One of the best things to do in a new city or town is search for every single Indie bookstore. Can’t wait to check these out when I finally return to Dallas after all these years.