As the rise of e-readers and digital books threatens the survival of mammoth brick-and-mortar book sellers, independent bookstores are still very much part of the fabric of downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. Recently, I browsed five Ann Arbor bookstores in partnership with Destination Ann Arbor and Wanderful. As you’ll see, some of these shops are traditionally bookish, while others uniquely quirky. Yet all five are independent and locally-owned shops bookworms will love visiting.
In one coffee-fueled morning, I found today’s best sellers and favorites from my childhood. There were local comic books and rare first editions. Perhaps most unique was a book filled with notes typed by one of these bookstores’ patrons on an old typewriter in the store.
Notes from a Public Typewriter at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan
What I discovered on my book-shopping stroll in downtown Ann Arbor is niche bookstores have found a home here.
Two downtown book sellers — Dawn Treader Book Shop and West Side Book Shop — have specialized in rare and antiquarian books for decades. Today, you’ll also find books on spirituality at Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room and comic books at Vault of Midnight.
However, this Southeastern Michigan city hasn’t been immune to the economic hardships felt by retailers in this digital age. In 2011, the Ann Arbor-based international bookstore chain Borders Books and Music shuttered 40 years after the original store opened downtown.
When Borders closed, it certainly left a void.
Then in 2013, an enterprising, book-loving couple from Brooklyn relocated back to Michigan to open Literati. The five-year-old general bookstore fills the gap left by Borders. With three floors filled with book shelves to browse and an in-house coffee shop on the upper level, Literati has become a sanctuary for book lovers to shop, read, gather, and interact in Ann Arbor’s walkable downtown.
Since these five bookstores are within a few city blocks of one another, you could easily take a self-guided walking tour. By using the GPSmyCity app on your phone, you can access all of my Ann Arbor bookstore recommendations on the go. For the GPS-guided walking route and map, simply upgrade this article for $1.99. Plus, you can find more Ann Arbor city walks and travel guides on GPSmyCity, too!
For a closer look at where these Ann Arbor bookstores are located, I’ve provided a map below for you to reference. Then read on to learn more about what you’ll find on a book-shopping tour of downtown Ann Arbor!
Stop #1: Dawn Treader Book Shop
Whether you are bargain hunting for 50-cent used books or seeking rare and antiquarian books worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, you’ll find shelves upon shelves overflowing with literary treasures. Dawn Treader specializes in scholarly books, modern first editions, and early travel and exploration, but you’ll also find a variety of fiction, including mysteries, fantasy-fiction novels, and children’s books. With 70,000 titles on display, bookworms could easily spend hours here browsing. I know I could!
Location: 514 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Hours: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday – Thursday | 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Friday – Saturday
Stop #2: Literati Bookstore
Books and coffee — what a winning combo! Upstairs at Literati Coffee, you can grab a latte or espresso. Then, explore the store’s three stories! Filled with a variety of books to browse, you’ll find modern best sellers across fiction and non-fiction genres, books by local authors, cookbooks, travel guidebooks, children’s books, and more. In the lower level, you can even author a sentence or two. Just take a seat at Literati’s public typewriter and pen a few words!
Location: 124 E Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Hours: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday | 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday | 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday – Saturday
Stop #3: Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room
At our third stop, delve into spirituality. You’ll find incense, yoga supplies, tarot cards, and books covering holistic and spiritual topics from aromatherapy to zen. Then upstairs in the tea room, relax with a hot cup of one of 100 varieties of tea.
Location: 114 S Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Hours: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday | 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday | 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday | 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. Saturday
Stop #4: Vault of Midnight
Continuing the tour of Ann Arbor bookstores, our next stop allows you to embrace the geek within you. At Vault of Midnight, the comic book is king. You’ll find new releases, comic books by Michiganders, and the classics featuring your favorite Justice League superheroes and Marvel Comics characters.
Location: 219 S Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Hours: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday | 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Saturday
Stop #5: West Side Book Shop
Having opened in 1975, West Side Book Shop is the oldest of the Ann Arbor bookstores on this self-guided walking tour. Specializing in antiquarian material, the shop is known for books on books, modern first editions, Americana, and travel and exploration, particularly of the Polar regions. You’ll also find children’s books, literature, and a range of non-fiction topics in the arts and science realms.
Location: 113 W Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Hours: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday | 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday
What To Do After Your Bookstore Tour
If you follow the self-guided tour in the order I listed above, you’ll end on West Liberty near South Main Street. You’ll be right near more shopping, including Cherry Republic for all kinds of tasty treats made from Northern Michigan’s cherries and Shinola for Detroit-made watches and leather accessories.
Stepping outside West Side Book Shop, you can spy a few dining options. One of the easiest to spot is the Pretzel Bell, which has delicious burgers and a University of Michigan-themed setting. Just around the corner is one of my favorite seafood restaurants, The Black Pearl. I highly recommend the fish tacos, the swordfish, and any of the martinis. Just across South Main Street is Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery with its mouthwatering pizzas and Belgian-style beers.
For more ideas of things to do in downtown Ann Arbor, check out Destination Ann Arbor or my other Ann Arbor blog posts. If you’d rather keep bookstore shopping in Ann Arbor, check out the list below!
More Ann Arbor Bookstores To Visit
- Bookbound | General Bookstore | 1729 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
- Common Language | LGBT Bookstore | 317 Braun Ct, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
- Friends Book Shop | Used Books, Sales Benefit Local Library | 343 S. Fifth Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
- Garrett Scott, Bookseller | Rare Books | 1924 Packard St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
- Motte & Bailey | Used & Unusual Books | 212 N 4th Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
- Nicola’s Books | General Bookstore | 2513 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
- Ulrich’s Bookstore | College Bookstore | 1200 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
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I actually stumbled upon Literati on my way last spring to pick up goodies at The Cherry Republic. I love, love, love that place and cannot wait to go back. I literally had to drag myself away or be late for my dinner reservation. Reminded me a lot of the original Borders store on State Street which now houses the M Den. In fact when I mentioned it to one of the employees, she happened to have worked at Borders. I definitely will have to add West Side Book Shop and the Dawn Treader Book Shop as I love old leather bound books. Then might just take my new finds over to Blom Meadworks (another new favorite in AA that I discovered with your help) and sip and browse. Thanks for the article…I always enjoy a new bookstore adventure.
So glad to see there are still people out there who love to buy books. Seems like these days everyone just rather stare at the screen. We used to have a book store/coffee shop where I would spend a few hours a week but it was closed, still miss it… I will definitely check these out when I am in the area! great post!
I spent a little bit of time in Ann Arbor when I lived in Detroit and I loved all of the book stores there! There is just something about the smell and feel of a real book in your hands. Thanks for sharing this!
This is my kind of tour of a place! Although I’m guessing my credit cards would protest a little.
There’s something about the smell of a book store that an ereader can never take away. I’m still an absolute fan of REAL books that I can feel the pages. These book stores look super cosy to settle down in, I particulalry liked the comic one 🙂 We don’t have one of those in my hometown, so that would have pure novelty value to go in and have a browse. I loved the bit about where you found old typing in a book, i have some second hand books and have found cute little handwritten notes, love a bonus find to an old book.
I would browse through all of them. Ann Arbor is fast becoming one of the best places to live in the US
Omg I remember when Borders closed here too! I love supporting independent bookshops though so thanks for this.
Oh I love some great local bookstores! This looks much better than a Borders. 😉 I’d head straight for the comic book section. :0
What a fun post! There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book to read – wait! Except browsing through books in a cool bookstore! I love the smell of books, the feel of books, and the culture that surrounds avid bookreaders. I should spend more of my time looking at bookstores when I travel. There is a really cool bookstore in Los Angeles, and several in Paris!
I love old bookstores. I love seeing the old travel books with outdated maps showing us how the world keeps changing.
Dawn Treader Book Stop would definitely be my favourite, I’ll make sure to check it out when I’m local!
I love going into local book stores when I travel. It is really nice that you can walk to all of these easy, and that each has a different focus so you know which one will suite you best.
Oh what a fantastic place. It reminds of my favorite London bookstore <3
Wow did you just say books and coffee? They are just the perfect formula for me time and relaxation!!
They all look so beautiful, kind of like the Beauty and the Beast. I’m recently an ebook converter but there something o safe about a classic bookstore
Sigh! Bookstores. My safe place. Any book store, anywhere in the world has my vote of confidence. It’s great that you wrote about your visit. The list of the places to find the rest of them is a great add. Thanks for sharing.
I feel the same way about bookstores, Aditi! That’s why I wanted to make sure bookstore lovers knew there were even more options in Ann Arbor beyond the five I featured in the walkable downtown.
All of these are great. I definitely miss Borders … have some fond memories of browsing it during undergrad. I’d say Literati is my favorite on this list. I like reading their staff recommendations too.
I miss Borders too, Liz. I had shopped the downtown Ann Arbor store during the Ann Arbor Art Fair years ago. It was always a welcomed respite from the summer heat. I love that Literati has many of the features I liked about Borders, but it also has its own character and charm.