Brazos Bookstore

Visited Brazos Bookstore for the first time during a school field trip. A cozy bookstore in the heart of the city. A great vibe and friendly staff. Had cute displays of books. I especially loved the table with all the cat selections. 😸 The General Manager (Randi) was excellent with all the kids and very friendly. Thank you to the staff for making it an enjoyable field experience and sharing your love of literature.

My favorite bookstore. I use their website to search for books, order books, and generally be ready to visit. Of course, once I’m there, I have to browse a little! Staff are great, displays are creative, and so much more welcoming than the chain bookstores.

One of my favorite bookshops! The staff are very friendly and helpful. Different genre and topics sections so it’s easy to find the book you’re looking for or in the mood to get. Loads of natural light, a cute bookshop dog, & so many cute little extra things you can get like tote bags, notebooks, cards, stickers and much more.

Very friendly and open to helping on special orders. Very kind to my children’s requests and good communication when ordered items came in. Pricing same or better over online groups. Will shop again ASAP

A well an put together store. Very new and nice ambiance, but definitely a smaller book selection than most book stores. But experience was amazing.

Wow! This bookstore is great! They have a great selection of books. There's also themed areas including Halloween, black authors, and indigenous voices. The children's area is also great and has books for all ages. There are author signing events too. The staff is super friendly and helped us quickly. Make sure to bring a card because they're not taking cash at this moment. The parking lot is also spacious!

I love to visit Brazos not just for the selection, but for the booksellers. They are always ready to recommend a good book and if they can’t, they lead you to the bookseller with the best knowledge.

YOU MUST GO HERE. It is a wonderful local book store with a lot of different genres! They also have stationary equipment, puzzles, candles, and a few pins to get.

The staff did a great job intuiting a book that would please my son. Upon opening the gift, he remarked that he recognized the author but had not read a book by him and was quite excited by the prospect of getting to know the author's works better. Success!

A definite Houston staple and a must visit for any book lover. Brazos Bookstore is bright, spacious and always spotlessly clean. They have a private, kids area/room in the back, which my kids enjoy very much so they often head straight there upon entering the store. The kids' area isn't as filled to the brim like the big chain bookstores, so my girls don't get overwhelmed with choices. Their displays are changed frequently so there's always new things to look at. The stuff gives knowledge recommendations, are always patient and friendly. They host many book events in person and on zoom. They also have a great stationery selection. I just love this bookstore.

I think Brazos Bookstore has changed a lot over the years in terms of curation, but I still think of it as a high quality bookstore and a survivor of the ongoing bookstore purge, so to speak. During my university days, when it was under different ownership and management, it was a lot easier to find theory and other academic books. Nowadays, there is even more of an emphasis on fiction. With that said, however, anyone should be able to walk into the store and find something they like. I was even able to get a Nelson Algren book recently just by calling and inquiring if it was in stock. To me, Amazon and most other bookstores cannot top that. On a different note, I thought seeing a dog walking around the store was cool. (Haha!) Finally, while thinking about Brazos, I remembered a great talk and book signing featuring author Hanif Abdurraqib, which was held at the store a few years back. This event, among other reasons, convinced me to keep doing business with Brazos Bookstore. We should support small, independent bookstores as much as we can.

Amazing selection and knowledgeable staff make this a go-to for poetry and travel books

Such a cute bookstore!! We spent over an hour here on a weekend looking for books. Extremely helpful employees and a great staff recommendation wall with descriptions of books to try. I'll definitely be back in the future to help out this local business!!

Great local bookstore with very helpful staff picks and a fun selection of pens. I found a 1000 sticker book that I never knew I wanted and also a collection of short stories by A.S. Byatt and a feminist retelling of Greek goddess Circe. They also have a kids section in the back. They also have authors come by to speak. Staff are helpful and masked. Easy parking and inside the Rice VillHe area. Highly recommended for book lovers! Come support local business, nothing like the smell and feel of a book!

I've found over the last few years that I don't care for this establishment. A couple of reasons: Staff are not helpful, or at least never have been to me. Example: I was in a while back and picked up "The Passenger" by McCarthy. I asked at the counter if they knew when Stella Maris would be on the shelf and the counter person tried to fake it but had no idea what I was talking about or who McCarthy is. And it is OK, to not know. It isn't indicative of a very knowledgeable staff, but ok. Not a sin. But what am I getting by patronizing here. This visit for me crystallized that there is no reason to come here. I think if someone is a regular and a familiar face that may auger better service and they may attempt to actually care. A few times I have been in and felt as though I was being a little rushed. I've just felt a little funny, the store is not welcoming at all. It doesn't pretend to be, In my experience. So ok. I've been basically paying about 10.00/book above Amazon or B&N, in order to help independent bookstores. Buy why? I mean, seriously. Why? I've purchased quite a few books here and online from them. But I'm going back to Amazon and B&N for my book purchases. I can think of absolutely zero reason why I shouldn't.

Nice small intimate bookstore where you can get to know employees get recommendations. Pens/ paper accessories are available to purchase. It's a great local neighborhood bookstore to support.

Nice independent bookstore with a good selection of various genres. There was a very cute children's area. Also a nice selection of non-book items like pens, calendars, journals and affirmation cards.

People who know me know that I love books, reading, and bookstores. I finally made my way to Brazos Bookstore after having it saved for so long. Given the times, they have taken great measures to keep staff and customers safe during the pandemic. There are options for contactless/curbside pickup, only a certain amount of people in the store at once, hand sanitizer, and masks are required. Social distancing is definitely in place and it is highly appreciated! I was so excited to finally visit so I took my time and explored the place. The staff members are very friendly and helpful. I love the setup of Brazos and I cant wait to go back and actually purchase some books. (I bought some pens and a pen pouch and no books since I put myself on a strict 'do not buy anymore books until you read the ones you have ban.' Yikes, haha) Anyway, I love Brazos and you should check it out!

Awesome awesome book shop. Relatively small but it has such a personalized touch. This shop specializes in new books - which for the most part were published recently (go somewhere else for your classics or used books). That being said, prices here are higher - and they primarily offer hardcovers it seems. Just be aware of that going in. I LOVE how the shopkeepers write their own little handwritten reviews of their favorite books in the shop (as seen in picture). Honestly just going here to scope out new books is a great idea. Highly recommend - just understand that this place is pricier and specializes in new books/hardcovers.

Great selection of books, always finding some new recommendations from the staff picks. Friendly staff who genuinely enjoy their interactions with patrons.

I'm a huge book lover and reader, so I've spent a lot of time in bookstores. This one is not my favorite. I've visited it twice and there's just nothing special about it. They do show the newest or trending books, so it's cool to survey the displays and remember a few book titles to purchase on Amazon later. However, the staff is not the best nor attentive, the only interaction my boyfriend and I had the entire time during our perusing was at the end when my boyfriend said "have a nice day", to which one lady employee grunted "mmhm". It just rubbed us the wrong way. They sell everything for absolute retail or higher and I would rather just go to Barnes & Nobles or Amazon for that.

(Before moving, my fiancé and I decided to do a Bookstore Tour of Houston as a last hoorah, and this was our second stop) This is such a cute independently owned bookstore. It definitely had a lot of personality, so it was really fun to browse through. Their selection is more on the contemporary side, which I enjoyed. I especially enjoyed the staff favorites shelf (as seen in the picture).

I love this bookstore! Every time I go it warms my heart, brings me joy and makes me feel like I'm at home. For its size they have an incredible selection and always have something new even when I go in on a weekly basis! The staff are very knowledgeable and have never failed me when I do for a book rec for myself or a friend. I also love the "staff pick's" books and the little cards with the book descriptions from staff. There are a couple staff I have found I have similar taste with and their staff picks never let me down! Brazos has also become my go to for gifts for friends, family and coworkers. They have lovely cards and other gift-worthy trinkets.

This is one of the best independently owned bookstores in central Houston. The service is always top=notch, and everyone who works there is kind, helpful, and super considerate. During the pandemic, they have been wonderful about contactless-pickup and curbside pickup. I have definitely bought books from them during the pandemic, and they are always available for pick up when I arrive; plus I want to support small businesses right now (the big box businesses will probably be fine without my support). The bookstore is providing hand sanitizer, limiting the number of customers, and letting you know when your order is ready for pickup. It's great! I have never had to wait more than 6 minutes to pick up something. Before the pandemic, they had great workshops too! They have a few online now, and my favorite workshop is their Bullet Journal workshop, which has been so helpful during this time. I hope to attend a BuJo workshop soon. Love this place and happy it's still around. Bookstores like this feed my literary soul.

I did a reading at Murder By The Book last month, and as Brazos Bookstore was only a couple blocks away, I decided to stop by before my event. I had a novel come out in mid-October and knew this store had at least a few copies in stock, so I dropped in to say hello and see about signing them. I also saw that Saeed Jones would be doing a reading here and figured I'd buy a copy and get it signed if I could. The store was lovely, and I was pleased to see my book displayed on a table of hardcover fiction along with many other new releases. I love a good independent bookstore, and this one was excellent, with a strong selection and plenty of great staff recommendations. I met a couple members of the staff, and they were super nice. I always feel kind of awkward introducing myself to booksellers, but they were welcoming and friendly and let me sign the six copies of my novel they had on hand (a pretty good number for a store that didn't know I was coming). This may all be boring to you if you're not an author, but readers do benefit when bookstores are author-friendly. It means they're likely to get cool authors to come and do events, and to have signed inventory. I'm always disheartened when I see sentiments like this one, in a perverse 3-star review on this page: "This place is great. A friend told me about it and sure enough everything they said is true. Who buys books at bookstores anymore?" The answer is people who appreciate the value of an independent bookstore, a community hub where you can see author events and get personalized recommendations from knowledgeable booksellers. If I lived in Houston, I'd be at Brazos all the time.

Not a lot of selection of books. More empty space inside than books. Employees do NOT know anything about books and are clueless. I asked for a book author and the 1st employee pointed me to a book. I then asked if there was another title by the same author and a 2nd nosy employee came over saying "the 1st person already told you that". No, they did not. I was asking for a separate title but by the same author. Note to store: some authors can actually write many books, not just one book. Also, hire people who have actual knowledge of books.

This is my partner's favorite bookstore and I can see why. It's super curated and you can be pretty sure that whatever you're getting there is going to be good. On the other hand, I sort of like the treasure hunt aspect of bookstores and when things are this curated I think some of the fun of exploration is lost. Nevertheless it's a great spot if you're not looking for a specific book.

staff so rude and condescending, Extremely limited selection. No reason to go back here.

Very limited selection, run down shopping center, rude employees who chase people out for not wearing face masks even months after face mask requirements have been dropped nation wide. Stay away.

Will not allow you in without a face mask. Extremely rude. I hope Amazon puts them under.

I'm sure I would have found plenty to purchase but I needed to use a bathroom and they don't have one!

I realize I've been coming to this shop almost two years now and never reviewed it! Lovely little shop with an interesting array of books, and like any good bookstore they'll happily order in anything you're looking for (which I've done on a couple occasions) They also have a neat little selection of stationary available. Currently with Covid they're allowing curbside pickup for online orders, which was super fast! Overall lovely local shop.

Small bookstore but huge on the latest books. Wow. Selection is as varied as books are. They have calendars, writing instruments and lots of stuff. Chairs to sit and there were two young ladies comfy on the floor reading books. Always the sign of a non stressful welcoming environment.

Went looking for a birthday gift for a friend and not only did they have a great collection of books--they also do GIFT WRAPPING!!! So cute and am so happy with my purchase

A welcoming independent store with a not-huge but carefully chosen selection of books. Great staff of avid readers and writers who know all about new / niche authors as well as bestsellers and classics. A cozy children's room with wonderful picture books. Cards and small gifts. Best of all, pre-COVID they had a busy schedule of author events: readings, discussions, book-signings. Hope those return soon!

This place is great. A friend told me about it and sure enough everything they said is true. Who buys books at bookstores anymore? There no way to tell how many times I will return. Thanks for the help!

This independent book store is a gem. Organizing. Signings and readings. One.of the last independent bookstores left in Houston. Don't come because it's independent come because.you want. Something new authors from across the spectrum. Reading's from the authors. You want a signed book from your favourite author knowledgeable and helpful staff. Top notch who get your passion for books

Brazos Bookstore is a treasure for literature lovers, simply the best independent bookshop in Houston. They have an amazing selection of fiction, nonfiction, political science, architecture, arts, poetry and more! If you're a lover of poetry, travel writing and literary journals you NEED to visit this place. Also, they have a decent selection of Spanish and French literature if you're bilingual. The staff is VERY helpful and knowledgeable of literature.

Brazos has an outstanding children's literature department. Their inventory is brilliantly curated and the staff makes excellent recommendations based on the child's interest and reading level. The management organizes fabulous events for children, including meet and greets with prominent children's authors. The adult literature section at Brazos is also well curated. I have discovered many talented authors based on staff recommendations. Keep an eye on the events sponsored by Brazos. They host authors on book tour and have brought some prominent figures and fabulous speakers to Houston.

Great independent bookstore. Not a large store but are willing to try and get any title you need. I LOVE THAT THEY STILL CHOOSE TO HAVE A 'WEAR A MASK' SIGN UP!! IT'S AMERICA! Don't like it take you dirty germs somewhere else.

Cutest bookstore ever. On a busy street but your immediately transported to book heaven and greeted by energetic and smiling staff. Laura provided a warm smile and took the time to show me books like " Pearl". Bought 2 kids books, a small puzzle game, and Birthday card for a total of $45! Deal! Thank you for your service and hospitality, my baby and I will be back soon.

A legend in Houston, the ultimate independent bookstore. I love the readings. The staff often has excellent suggestions for books to read.

Really great selection of books. Staff was friendly but not overbearing. Very comfortable to browse. Several books I saw were already on my wishlist, but was able to add more. Nice selection of gifts and stationary. Bought two unique color LePens.

Very unique small bookstore, I visited because I got a giftcard from here, im an active book reader so this was a great gift for me. When entering I could tell this was no B&N the selection isn't big and while the do have a children and young adult section it's definitely target to an older demographic, that being said I was able to find a few books of my liking but not really what I was mainly looking for, I suggest going in without a book in your mind and just browse around to see what catches your eye, while this bookstore might not be my first option, I'm still excited about the event they offer and hope to be able to be a part of them.

Who: boyfriend & I When: Tues. afternoon Where: Upper Kirby, Bissonnet St What: Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon (~$12) Why: In a city where bigger is better, I am so grateful for Brazos Bookstore. Judging by the outside, it is surprisingly large, comfy, and beautifully laid out inside. The staff is friendly, courteous, and knowledgable. This smaller bookstore does a great job of highlighting lesser known publications while stocking the well-known, as well as nerd-chic accessories (journals, pens, mugs, tote bags, etc.), making it a great place to find gifts. I could have purchased Steal Like an Artist online at Amazon for nearly half the price, but I chose to buy it at Brazos because it was the perfect surprise for my boyfriend to wrap up our date at this bookstore.

I didn't have the same experience everyone else has. I Purchased a ticket for a reading they were sponsoring and I mistakenly thought that I could come by and get the ticket (and the book which my ticket price purchased) that day. Evidently, the book doesn't come out until right around the reading. It was a misunderstanding, but you would've thought by how defensive the saleswoman was that I was trying to scam her or something. I will just purchase the book elsewhere, and I won't be ordering tickets through this place again.

Might as well update this to 5 stars. Easily the best bookstore in town for new releases. With readings from some really interesting authors. With events for children to adults. Staff is always helping you find what you want. They will always take special requests, often they can get a signed first edition for no extra charge. Either from the special appearances, or just through whatever connections they have. Within the last year, I have gotten a signed first edition from Richard Russo, Paulette Jiles, Louise Erdrich, Zadie Smith, among others. I just saw Amor Towles will be at the store in Feb. Which will be a must see. They have gotten rid of their collectible first editions a few years ago. Though I think that has been for sale and/or on display at the Menil Bookstore, or at least that is what I have heard. Anyway, you won't find a better local bookstore dedicated to new releases of all kinds...while I just focus on various fiction, there is much more in this small store than meets the eye. A Houston institution.

It was my birthday and I like to read so I decided to visit a new bookstore. I came to Brazos and started browsing but things got uncomfortable. They followed me around the whole store pretending to fix shelves or pick out books from a shelf. When I would make eye contact with one of the workers she would quickly glance away. Might be because I'm not white, the way I was dressed, or both. The store isn't that big so they could have just stared at me from the counter since I was such a concern. I won't be back but I'm not missing out since the store has books you can find anywhere. They have a decent selection of local magazines and speciality journals, but there are other independent bookstores that carry the same. I walked out of that store feeling very sad from my experience and wondering why they did that.

I'll admit it -- I'm a Kindle owner and an avid Amazon shopper. But I have to say that after coming in here, I do get why independent bookstores like these are still important. I came in here looking for a copy of Houston, It's Worth It and found a treasure trove of other books about Houston and Galveston (there was an interesting one about Glenwood Cemetery, as well as as a book about old black and white pictures of historic Galveston mansions). They have a nice arrangement of art, history, and architecture books that are well-curated and easy to get lost in. Their magazine section contained plenty of quirky ones that I've never heard of (I guess I won't find the National Enquirer or Tiger Beat in here...), and they even had a children's section in its own room in the back. Their staff picks are prominently displayed as soon as you enter the store and don't seem to be whatever's on the bestseller's list -- just good books that they think people should read. The store itself is small (it's not a Barnes & Noble, that's for sure) but it's bright and cheerful in a way that doesn't make you feel like you're in a library and shouldn't be talking too loud. The staff are friendly and helpful, and, after conversing with my friend who had tagged along with me about several novels I've never read, convinced him to join their monthly book club since he would obviously enjoy it (sigh, nerds...) As the staff member rung up my copy of Houston It's Worth It (or HIWI, pronounced high-why, as he called it), he turned to me and said "It's definitely worth it." Why, yes indeed.

I love this bookstore. One of my favorite things to do is to browse the staff recommendations posted around the store to discover new books I may not have otherwise found. Definitely support this local business! They are such a great place for readers and authors in the Houston area.

I really enjoyed coming in yesterday for a visit. Upon arrival we were instantly greeted with smiling faces and if there was anything in particular we were looking for. The bookstore was full of books, from top to bottom. The ambience was relaxed, with great music. The layout of the store was easy to navigate through, along with little hidden gems like the children section. The small gift items we're also a nice touch as I will be retuning for some of those beautiful fountain pens. I noticed chairs were lined up and what seemed to be an author waiting for people to arrive but unfortunately I was unable to stay. I will definitely dig into the website to see what Brazos Bookstore has to offer. I will be back soon!

Came for the children's section, stayed for everything else. We love the Spec's-like blurbs of the Staff Recommendations. Super cute children's story time (and crafts!) on the weekends. We're excited to drive by and see what's been painted on the big picture window to inspire future reading. Never left this place empty handed!

Charming, locally owned bookstore. Great fiction section and lots of great ideas for gifts for the holidays for your favorite bibliophiles!

Was visiting from San Antonio, and was looking for a great local book store. I came across this awesome gem of a place, and was so happy that I did. My girlfriend and I were greeted by the kind staff, and had a great time looking over their well curated selection of books. They had many hard to find books, from interesting short story anthologies, to hard to find cook books. The staff were very helpful, and were extremely knowledgeable. We cannot wait to go back.

Amazing selection of books and a knowledgeable, friendly staff. The only bookstore I've been to where the people are also familiar with Oulipo (according to the person I was chatting with, they're apparently bringing in the translator of Garreta's "Sphinx" which is a ridiculously cool thing!) - if I weren't visiting from out of state I would spend all of my money here. A great bookstore for avid book enthusiasts, but also has accessible great reads for those looking for something more casual. You must check this place out!

Cutest bookstore ever! Had story time for kids, along with crafts. Could browse around here for way longer than I should because I want to buy everything. Adult books, kid books, so many pens and markers, journals, puzzles, fun stuff, you name it!

I come here every couple of months to buy a gift or to just peruse. It's a lovely space and the staff is always very nice and helpful. I love their art book selection. Their graphic novels selection is small but high quality. I wish there were more Spanish language books for adults or kids. Houston is an incredibly diverse city, but Spanish is definitely the second most spoken language here and though it's a small book store I think it would make a difference. Also, wish there was more diversity in the staff!! PS Besides the book store being great, you can also order books through their website (aka not through Amazon) which I have done in the past and have been very satisfied with. You can even buy ebooks on their site. Will come back again and again.