King Street in Charleston

The small but mighty
local bookstore

Charleston Literary Festival is committed to uplifting local bookstores by encouraging readers to purchase their books from bookstores in the community.

Charleston Literary Festival
Book Store Crawl

We are so excited to debut the Charleston Literary Festival Bookstore Crawl! Designed to highlight the magic of Charleston's local bookstores, this walking tour will take you 1.8 miles from Dock Street Theatre, down King Street, and into the Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood to visit six incredible shops. Participants will be given a postcard at the Dock Street Theatre, collect a sticker at each store, and return the postcard with all six stickers for a free tiny tote bag designed by local company J. Stark and made right here in Charleston. Happy walking and shopping! The crawl will last the length of the Festival, Nov. 6-15.

Thank you to our participating partners: Buxton Books, Preservation Society of Charleston Shop, Sweeter Than Fiction, Ladybird Books, Blue Bicycle Books, Philosophers & Fools, and J.Stark.

Local Charleston Bookstores

Why support local bookstores?

  • Local bookstores are cultural hubs

    Everyone loves the idea of an small, local bookstore, but we have to visit them and spend our money there if we want them to be able to help keep their doors open. They are jewels of a community—show up for them.

  • Ah, that bookstore smell

    There is nothing like walking into a charming bookstore and meandering the aisles discovering the perfect books along the way.

  • For the love of booksellers

    You can’t log in online and ask for the book you loved that just came out with the blue cover. There is nothing like connecting with a bookseller who places the “new to you” book in your hands. Algorithms can’t remember you and greet you with a warm smile and remember your reading interests from your visit last summer.

  • Shop local and small

    By spending your money at a local, small business, you’re contributing to the local economy by supporting entrepreneurs and local jobs.

Here are a few local Charleston Independent bookstores to check out when you’re in town for the Festival. Our Book Club Concierge is available to help your book club put together the perfect bookstore tour itinerary.

Charleston Literary Festival icon
  • Interior of a bookstore with shelves of books on both sides, a wooden table with stacked books and an orchid in the center, a reception desk with three hanging lights above, and a cozy reading area in the background.

    Blue Bicycle Books

    420 King Street, Charleston, SC, 29403
    Phone: (843) 722-2666

  • Exterior of a bookstore with white walls and a partially open glass door. Two chalkboard signs are outside, one reading 'Books Bloom at Buxton' and the other 'Shelter in Place.' Inside, bookshelves and a customer working on a laptop are visible.

    Buxton Books

    160 King Street, Charleston, SC
    Phone: (843) 723-1670

  • Exterior view of Indigo Books storefront with red door, blue sign, and surrounding greenery on a sunny day.

    Indigo Books

    472 Freshfields Dr, Johns Island, SC
    Phone: (843) 768-2255

  • A small blue house with pink window frames and a mural of an open book with yellow rays and the words "Books move me" painted underneath on its exterior wall. The house has a wooden ramp and a sign indicating it is a bookstore.

    Itinerant Literate Books

    4824 Chateau Avenue N., Charleston, SC
    Phone: (843) 225-6569

  • Charleston Bookstore with a glass door and window displaying a bookshelf inside. The door has a large decorative wooden circular emblem. The window has lettering that says "Ladybird Books" -- a bookstore on King Street in Charleston.

    Ladybird Books

    299 King Street, Charleston, SC
    Phone: (843) 973-7644

  • Interior of a bookstore with black bookshelves filled with books, a green sofa, a black checkout counter, and various reading materials on tables.

    Main Street Reads

    115 South Main Street, Summerville, SC
    Phone: (843) 875-5171

  • Exterior view of a bookstore with a white facade, glass door with 'Open' sign, and a sign that reads 'Books & Beverages'. There is a tree on the sidewalk and a street with some parked cars in the background.

    Philosophers & Fools

    50 Bogard Street, Charleston, SC
    Phone: (843) 793-4619

  • Colorful hanging flower garland above white bookshelves filled with children's books in a store or library. Sign reading 'STAFF PICKS' with decorative balloons.

    Sweeter Than Fiction Bookshop

    204 King Street, Charleston, SC
    Phone: (843) 641-0947

  • Interior of a bookstore with black bookshelves filled with colorful books, a table with books and a sign, and a cozy seating area with chairs and a couch, red walls, and black and white ceiling tiles.

    Turning Page Bookshop

    604 St James Avenue, Goose Creek, SC
    Phone: (215) 490-1136

  • Front view of The Village Bookseller store with large glass windows displaying books inside and outside, a sign indicating it is a bookstore, and a street scene reflected in the glass.

    The Village Bookseller

    761 Coleman Blvd, Mount Pleasant, SC
    Phone: (843) 654-9449