The Book Barn

The Book Barn The official page of the Book Barn! This is the official Facebook webpage for the Book Barn in Niantic Connecticut. Hope to see you soon!
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We're an enormous used bookstore with over 500,000 used books. We are chock full of cats, gardens, coffee and an incredibly knowledgeable staff. Please feel free to use this page for store updates and info to any questions you may have. In addition we have our own personal website @ Bookbarnniantic.com. All four Book Barn stores are open from 11am to 6pm every day of the week. If you're looking to

sell us books we buy everyday between the hours of 11am and 6pm. If it's raining, snowing, or in fact, precipitating oddly in any way that may affect the books, give us a call- we may still be buying in small quantities. We buy used books for STORE CREDIT every day, and most days we'll be buying for CHECK, although during the winter we cut back, so GIVE US A CALL to make sure. Our entire inventory is made up of books that other people, people like you, bring us- so never hesitate to bring us your books. We may not take them, but we'd love to have a look.

Some books quietly wait to be noticed. Agatha of Little Neon has taken a different approach. That little yellow house co...
09/08/2026

Some books quietly wait to be noticed. Agatha of Little Neon has taken a different approach. That little yellow house could probably be seen from across the parking lot, which is helpful when there are this many books competing for attention.

Happy Labor Day from The Book Barn. Today we celebrate the people whose work keeps our communities going. Cheese Puff, m...
09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day from The Book Barn. Today we celebrate the people whose work keeps our communities going. Cheese Puff, meanwhile, is concentrating on the well-earned-rest portion of the holiday. He seems highly qualified.

This one barely had time to pose for a picture. The What on Earth? Wallbook of Natural History is big, beautifully illus...
09/06/2026

This one barely had time to pose for a picture. The What on Earth? Wallbook of Natural History is big, beautifully illustrated, and packed with the sort of details that reward a second look, and then a third. It is already at our Downtown Store, if it lasts.

The Downtown Store staff have started something called a “Death Match” for illustrated children’s book series. We had qu...
09/05/2026

The Downtown Store staff have started something called a “Death Match” for illustrated children’s book series. We had questions.

We were relieved to learn that no books are harmed. Apparently, beloved series simply face off, readers vote, tally marks accumulate, and eventually one emerges victorious. There are no prizes, no trophies, and, as far as I know, no post-match press conferences. There is, however, a winner every month, and a very good excuse for kids to browse the shelves, discover new favorites, and defend their literary loyalties with surprising intensity.

Stop by the Downtown Store, inspect the standings, and cast a vote. I’m told this is how these things are done now.

A little light reading before Labor Day weekend. First, an important bit of fine print: the numbers on this sign are BOX...
09/04/2026

A little light reading before Labor Day weekend. First, an important bit of fine print: the numbers on this sign are BOXES of books. Not books.

Two boxes? A couple.
Thirteen to sixteen boxes? A lot.
Forty-one boxes and upward? We have entered the officially recognized territory of "a butt load."

Now, there is a reason this sign hangs near our buying table. The Book Barn buys, on average, about 10,000 books every week. They arrive the old-fashioned way, brought to us by people who pull up, carry them in, and meet us at the buying table. We do not buy from dealers or companies. Thousands upon thousands of individual books must be looked at and considered. And Labor Day weekend tends to add a little extra punctuation to the sentence.

We know that the books you bring us matter to you. Some have been with you for years. Some may have cost quite a bit. Some are simply very good books looking for their next shelf. But we cannot take every book, and when the buying table is busy, our staff has to make those decisions fairly quickly. That speed is never meant to be dismissive. It's our way of being respectful to everyone waiting behind you, many of whom may also have “a lot” of books. Possibly even "a butt load." So, if you are bringing books to us during this very busy weekend, we ask for two small favors: please have a look at the instructions posted at the buying area, and please bring along a little patience with your boxes.

We will supply the book people.

And now you know exactly how many boxes are required before things become anatomically descriptive.

Well, that answers one question nobody had yet thought to ask. Naked Came the Sasquatch by John Boston stopped the buyin...
09/03/2026

Well, that answers one question nobody had yet thought to ask. Naked Came the Sasquatch by John Boston stopped the buying table long enough for a photograph, which seems reasonable when a paperback looks at you like this. It is now headed for New Arrivals, presumably after putting on something suitable for browsing.

There is a new heart beating in the garden. Well, bubbling, technically.Our new heart fountain has found a home at The B...
09/02/2026

There is a new heart beating in the garden. Well, bubbling, technically.

Our new heart fountain has found a home at The Book Barn, tucked behind the gargoyle and just far enough out of sight to require a proper bit of exploring. We could have put it somewhere obvious, of course, but where’s the fun in that?

Next time you visit, take a walk around the garden and see if you can find it. We’re awfully proud of this newest addition, and we think it fits right in among the books, rocks, flowers, odd creatures, and other things that seem to have made themselves at home here.

“You are your own soul mate.”That is either deeply reassuring or a very efficient way of cutting down the guest list. Ir...
09/01/2026

“You are your own soul mate.”
That is either deeply reassuring or a very efficient way of cutting down the guest list. Iris Krasnow’s Surrendering to Yourself caught a buyer’s eye today and is headed for New Arrivals. Krasnow puts the idea plainly: “Get on with your dreams with great gusto, now.”

There is always one child who is this happy about going back to school. Apparently, Duckport has three of them. “Back to...
08/31/2026

There is always one child who is this happy about going back to school. Apparently, Duckport has three of them. “Back to School? Cool!” says Suzy Spafford. We’ll check back after the first homework assignment.

Thoreau, now in a convenient, portable size. For anyone who has ever thought, “I’d like to simplify my life, but I’d als...
08/30/2026

Thoreau, now in a convenient, portable size. For anyone who has ever thought, “I’d like to simplify my life, but I’d also like to bring several hundred pages along.”
“Simplify, simplify.”
Henry David Thoreau

Address

41 W Main Street
Niantic, CT
06357

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+18607395715

Website

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