Attention book lovers: 9 best bookstores in the Colorado Springs area
Find a bookstore to wander around while you escape fall’s inevitable chill. While we’re still having summer weather, you can use this list to help you flee the heat and daydream of autumn leaves with a good book in hand.
Read on to find the best bookstores around town, as determined by Gazette readers for the Best of the Springs Magazine. Many of the stores are independently owned and unique to the Colorado Springs area.
9. Books For You
Books For You opened over 30 years ago and has kept the same location for that duration. They offer “fine quality used books” and an emphasis on fiction, according to their website.
They’re located at 1737 S. 8th St. You can read more about them on their website.
8. Arc Thrift Store
A pedestrian walks past the temporarily closed ARC Thrift Store in the Lamar Station Plaza strip mall on West Colfax Avenue on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Lakewood, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/Denver Gazette)
There are multiple Arc Thrift Stores around Colorado Springs, and each has a section for used books. You can find the closest location to you here.
7. Covered Treasures Bookstore
Tommie Plank opened Covered Treasures bookstore in Monument 26 years ago. She says her storefront book sales are growing as consumers grow tired of “all things digital all the time.” She believes the look, feel and smell of books and bookstores satisfy sensual and cerebral desires computers, tablets and smartphones cannot match.
This bookstore opened in 1993, according to Covered Treasures’ website. They expanded from one small room to three rooms full of new and gently used books.
Covered Treasures is located at 104 2nd St., Monument. You can learn more about them on their website.
6. Born Again Used Books
Born Again Used Books is “your local used Christian book and homeschool curriculum resource,” according to their website.
They opened in 2004 and changed locations once since then. They are now located at 4810 Old Farm Drive.
5. Young Bookworms Bookstore
Young Bookworms, with self-published books and book-themed items including T-shirts and hats, facilitates and encourages creativity.
This bookstore provides the community with a wide selection of children’s books, and also offers writing and publishing classes. They also have monthly subscription boxes for all reading levels.
They’re located at 3604 Hartsel Drive. You can read more about what they offer on their website.
4. Barnes & Noble
A Barnes & Noble Booksellers store in Pittsburgh. Demos Parneros, the former CEO of Barnes & Noble is suing the bookseller for breach of contract and defamation following his termination in July 2018.
Barnes & Noble first came into existence in 1971 when the trade name was merged with an already existing bookstore in Manhattan. Since then, they have become the top book retailer in the United States, according to their website.
They have multiple locations in the Colorado Springs area. You can find the one closest to you here.
3. Hooked on Books
New Hooked on Books shop owner Joseph Shearer gets help from former owner Mary Ciletti, while unpacking a shipment of books on Monday, April 10, 2023. Mary started the Maizland store over 40 years ago and is helping show Joseph and his wife, Mikayla Shearer, the ropes during the transition in ownership. Mary and her husband, Jim Ciletti, will still own and operate the Hooked on Books store downtown. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
Hooked on Books opened their first location in 1982. They’ve opened a second location since then, making them the largest independent bookstore in Colorado Springs, according to their Facebook page.
They offer “Over 1/4 million books in stock, HUGE sci-fi/fantasy section, school-required reading in stock, rare, vintage and collectible books,” according to the same page.
2. Tattered Cover Book Store Colorado Springs
Piles of books wait to be put on shelves at the iconic Tattered Cover’s new location in downtown Colorado Springs on Friday. Tattered Cover, the state’s largest independent bookstore, it set to open the first of the chain’s shops outside of the Denver metro area in an 8,000-square-foot space at 112 N. Tejon St. on Tuesday. (Parker Seibold / The Gazette)
Tattered Cover first opened in Denver in 1971, according to their website. They have expanded to multiple locations around the Denver area (one is four stories tall) and one location in Colorado Springs.
The Colorado Springs store is located downtown and includes a full bar and café. It’s located at 112 N. Tejon St.
Reader comments:
“A wonderful downtown book store and a great place to spend an afternoon with a coffee drink in the upper loft from their wine bar”
“Love the selection and their support of writers.”
1. Poor Richard’s Bookstore
Alejandro Garcia, 9, talks about his book “Seven Year’s Strange” in January inside Poor Richard’s Bookstore where it’s being sold.
Poor Richard’s opened in 1975 as Poor Richard’s Used Paperbacks, according to their website. Since then, they’ve started selling a mix of used and vintage books. They’ve expanded even further to include a restaurant and a toy store.
Reader comments:
“Such a cozy, quirky place. Locals know about Poor Richard’s and want to go to Poor Richard’s.”
“I love the feeling that I get when I walk into the store! Old fashioned and modern, all at the same time!”
“I love Poor Richards! One of my favorite places to shop for gifts.”