Pilgrim's Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden

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Pilgrim's Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden Our Mission: To Educate, Empower, Inspire, and Enliven.

Cherished by both locals and tourists in Carmel-by-the-Sea since 1969, Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden transports curious customers to faraway lands to cherish all the discoveries they might find along the way. Running the last bookstore in their idyllic community, hands-on co-owners Paul Fridlund and Cynthia Fernandes offer mainstream reading material while extending beyond the boundaries of the usual. Adding The Secret Garden in 2002, the family-run business becomes an oasis for those seeking transformative thought, a sense of tranquility and a bounty of unique, sustainable and often American-made items that serve as reminders of a special place.

Fall cards for the quiet season.Five oracle decks at in Carmel-by-the-Sea—for daily ritual, reflection, or a little mag...
10/20/2026

Fall cards for the quiet season.

Five oracle decks at in Carmel-by-the-Sea—for daily ritual, reflection, or a little magic on the shelf as the days grow shorter:

The Luminous Women Oracle by Eloha Loups Saxod, illustrated by Stéphanie Pitino. A 49-card deck and guidebook celebrating radiant feminine energy.

Sacred Sea Oracle by Justine Serebrin. Luminous, ocean-inspired artwork for diving into the depth of your cosmic soul.
True Love Oracle by BelindaGrace, illustrated by Lori Banks. Attract and create the love you desire, one card at a time.

Portraits of a Woman: Aspects of a Goddess by Riccardo Minetti and Elisabetta Trevisan. Inspirational Lo Scarabeo cards honoring the goddess in every woman.

Butterfly Transformations by Alana Fairchild. Affirmations to energise miraculous manifestations, wrapped in gorgeous butterfly imagery.

See them in person at Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore and The Secret Garden on Dolores between 5th and 6th. Open daily.

2027 is closer than it looks. The new calendars are on the shelves, the kind worth looking at every single day, and besi...
10/20/2026

2027 is closer than it looks. The new calendars are on the shelves, the kind worth looking at every single day, and beside them sit journals waiting for plans, lists, and the thoughts that do not always get said out loud.

A good journal is the rare gift that becomes more personal every time it is opened. Come browse them at your own pace and find the one that feels ready for the year ahead, for someone you love or for yourself.

October's table is for the readers who like it a little darker.Edgar Allan Poe. Gothic Fantasy: Strange Lands, Robert Lo...
10/19/2026

October's table is for the readers who like it a little darker.

Edgar Allan Poe. Gothic Fantasy: Strange Lands, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Werewolf stories. The Necronomicon. The Ghost Stories of M. R. James. The War of the Worlds. Macabre Stories. An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed. A classic ghost story collection, and Wicca for Beginners if the season has you curious.
Short stories for one sitting. Doorstoppers for the whole month. On the table now.

October pick from the coast we call home.Katherine Applegate’s Odder (the novel—and the picture-book version too) was in...
10/16/2026

October pick from the coast we call home.
Katherine Applegate’s Odder (the novel—and the picture-book version too) was inspired by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter surrogacy program: orphaned pups paired with surrogate mothers who teach them how to groom, forage, and survive before they’re released back to the wild. 

By sharing Odder’s story in both the children’s and young adult sections, Applegate helps readers fall in love with these animals and understand the real conservation work happening just down the road. Stop by our Environmental section for more local ocean-awareness reads.

Learn more or order online: https://pilgrimsway.com

Friends, neighbors, and fellow seekers of Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula:On Sunday, October 18, from 3 to 5 p.m., Who...
10/15/2026

Friends, neighbors, and fellow seekers of Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula:
On Sunday, October 18, from 3 to 5 p.m., Wholehearted Chorus invites our community to a family-friendly, participatory matinee of The Way Knows the Way at the PG Performing Arts Center in Pacific Grove. Songs learned by heart, sung without sheet music by people who live among us, will ask a simple and timely question: What is mine to do? Come ready to listen, to sing, to dance a little, and to leave lighter than you arrived. There will be a fundraising bake sale, so bring cash for treats before and after.

This gathering feels close to the spirit of Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore. For decades we have been a small gathering place on Dolores Street where people come to find books that help them listen more closely to their own path, to one another, and to the world. The chorus and the bookstore share the same quiet conviction: that community is built when we show up together, when we learn something by heart, and when we remember we do not have to walk alone.

Tickets are $30 for ages 14–69 and $15 for seniors 70+ and children 6–13 (kids 5 and under free). Details and tickets are at pilgrimsway.com.

We hope to see you there. Come as you are. The way knows the way.

Kids’ Corner is in its Halloween era, and none of it is scary.Grumpy Monkey Up All Night. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s ...
10/14/2026

Kids’ Corner is in its Halloween era, and none of it is scary.

Grumpy Monkey Up All Night. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Peekaboo Halloween. The Crayons Trick or Treat. Little Ghost Makes a Friend. How to Catch a Monster. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween.

Bedtime books, storytime books, and the one they’ll ask for twice. In the shop now.

It’s not too late to get a little ghoulish.Cynthia has curated a wickedly charming stack of Halloween cards at Pilgrim’s...
10/13/2026

It’s not too late to get a little ghoulish.

Cynthia has curated a wickedly charming stack of Halloween cards at Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden—pumpkins, ghosts, and just enough mischief to brighten someone’s mailbox (or their mantel).

Come browse Carmel-by-the-Sea’s favorite spot for books, garden treasures, and seasonal surprises. The Secret Garden is waiting. The cards are too.

Dolores between 5th and 6th · Open daily

Some corners of Carmel are meant to be wandered slowly. At Pilgrim’s Way, the only remaining bookstore in Carmel-by-the-...
10/13/2026

Some corners of Carmel are meant to be wandered slowly. At Pilgrim’s Way, the only remaining bookstore in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a wine-and-wisdom shelf sits beside the Secret Garden’s statues, candles, and quiet little finds.

Gone with the Gin. Tequila Mockingbird. Stuff Every W**e Snob Should Know. Wild Brews. Pair them with a bottle opener that has opinions, and the afternoon writes itself.
Since 1969, Pilgrim’s Way has been the village’s independent bookshop. In 2001 it opened into the Secret Garden, a hidden courtyard of plants, fountains, and one-of-a-kind gifts. Books for the table. Pieces for the home. A pause from Ocean Avenue.
Dolores between 5th and 6th, Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden

Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden is your destination for October treasures. As Carmel turns toward fall...
10/12/2026

Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden is your destination for October treasures. As Carmel turns toward fall and Halloween, delight someone (or yourself) with our curated selection of Amethyst Druzy hearts, polished Abalone jewelry, Lepidolite rings, and inspirational gold statues—each a unique piece for the season of turning inward, honoring what matters, and bringing a little Secret Garden magic home.

Complimentary gift wrapping is available with in-store pickup, making your thoughtful choice even more special.

Open daily: 11:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Phone: (831) 624-4955

https://pilgrimsway.com/
Wander the garden paths this October at Pilgrim’s Way.
. .

But first, tea.At Pilgrim’s Way, the shelves hold the books and the Secret Garden holds the pause. Illustrated mugs, lit...
10/11/2026

But first, tea.

At Pilgrim’s Way, the shelves hold the books and the Secret Garden holds the pause. Illustrated mugs, little dishes that say what the afternoon already knows, and Hunter Gather Cook for the table later. Happiness, it turns out, really is a cup of tea.

Carmel’s only remaining bookstore, on Dolores between 5th and 6th. Come in for a title. Stay for the quiet.

Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden

Address

Dolores Between 5th And 6th
Carmel, CA
93921

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 6pm
Tuesday 11am - 6pm
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 6pm

Telephone

+18316244955

Website

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