Blue Bicycle Books

Didn’t get past the first room when we dashed in to get a specific book yesterday, but the guy behind the counter was incredibly helpful and friendly and i, for one, love a good independent bookstore!

Ehh, this place wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I thought it’d be bigger. I walked around for a few minutes today, and I found a coffee book I was interested in. List price? $ 35. Their price? $ 35. I thought it was all used books, but I guess not. Cute place, I guess, but they didn’t win me over.

I love venturing down to Blue Bicycle Books each November for their wonderful YALLFest book festival! I always have a great time! The bookshop itself is small and quite cozy, and they always have a great selection of books. :)

This is the beamst book store I have been to yet. Great selection of used books and local authors. Great atmosphere. Definitely stopping in here more often.

My fiancé and I stopped in after our lunch at Virginia’s. I always like to check out local book shops in hopes to find something interesting.
When we entered, the young man at the desk did not greet us, which made us feel unwelcome. Nevertheless, we took our time browsing the store. There are lots of used books, so you won’t really find a specific book at a given time. However, I was able to find a few interesting books that I ultimately purchased. That being said, be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time here to find something to your liking. I actually don’t mind that :) There was a very rare, old book about Roentgenology (radiology) that I wanted, but I felt that their asking price was a little steep. During our perusing, a cat strolled under my feet, which I thought was funny. I suppose he is the resident loss prevention specialist: D
When we checked out with our books, the young man seemed to warm up and thanked us for stopping by. Just wish he did the same when we entered.
I will definitely return on our next trip to Charleston!

Lovely logo and façade which drew me in. Normally a sucker for bookstores anyway. Arrived just after opening and two bicycles were in the doorway making it difficult to enter and maneuver around other browsers.
Selection was okay. Typical sections like: Charleston writers, southern writers, etc. The mix of used and new always puts me off in a bookstore. Make up your mind. It’s rare that a used book doesn’t off-​gas its decaying stink onto new ones, so why the mix?
Cute kids room. No cat in sight. Found the narrow walk along the bookshelves weird especially when the other customers and I were trying to look at books on opposite shelves.
Person working there was busy talking to someone about invoices. So I didn’t feel particularly welcomed or endeared to browse very long. Didn’t see seating which is a must for bookstores. Perhaps it was obscured by the leaning mounds of bicycles?

From a Pat Conroy fan living in exile: I ordered a signed copy of Pat Conroy’s new book in September. It was supposed to be mailed after his book signing Nov. 23^rd. I have repeatedly called and emailed, as of Jan 6^th I have not received the book. When you call the store they are either too busy to talk or you get the recorder. As of Dec 26, «we’ll try to get it in the mail in a day or so.» No one in this book store seems concerned with customer service.

The Mister and I stumbled in here after being overwhelmed by Recognition Day at the Citadel nearby. We were looking for some quiet and protection from a brief dust storm. We found a wonderfully stocked new and used bookstore with knowledgeable staff. The Mister was able to find a quite uncommon book he’d been hunting for, for sometime. I left with a signed copy of a Billy Collins book.
The organization of the shelves, quality of the selection, the prices, and the help of the sales staff gave us just one more thing to love in Charleston.
I really must get back here and pick up a great Charleston book they had about a dachshund who gives a historical tour of the city.

Always find numerous books here!, Whatever you like: military history, Civil War, eastern religion, history, architecture… Staff is very nice and helpful

I love, love, love book stores. I cannot pass a book store without going in. When I was walking along King Street in Charleston and spotted this little shop, I had to stop in! This place is great. They have a narrow hall with a ton of used and new books. Then along the hall there are smaller rooms with a ton of different genres of books. They also have quite a few collector’s editions. This is definitely one of those places that you can find something unique/​different every time you visit. All their fiction books along the hall were 50% off. Definitely could have easily spent an hour in here but then my friend probably would have killed me.

A cute used, new, and local book store right in the middle of everything on Kings St. I walk in just to browse a little. Nobody was in here. I did not see another customer, or anybody working. I thought it was closed, though the door said they were open.
A narrow hall of book shelves. They seem to try and support local authors as much as possible. I do like the store, but it seemed odd that nobody was here, no background music playing, nothing… Anyway I always like to support local book stores and certainly want to give them another try if I can find the time.

Small and kind of tucked away but someplace we always seem to go and find something we want. Friendly staff, reasonably priced and well organized. I always walk out with something other than I expected.

Great bookstore. It is a hipster worthy book store. It has used, new, and local books. The place has an odd feel to it but it was fun perusing the shelves. They have clearance shelves and a few old books for sale. This was worth a 15 – 20 minute stop in if you like books, bookstores, and eclectic ideas

Lots and lots of books! This shop has a great selection of just about every genre of book you could want and they have lots of vintage books too. I wish I’d had more time to look around when I was there. The guy working there didn’t say much, just a greeting, but honestly for a bookstore I think that’s fine. They had some soft music playing and it was nice to just browse for a bit. There were a couple books I wanted in the local section but they were a little pricier than I wanted to spend at the time. I’ll have set aside several hours and some money next time I’m in town to make a day of it.

Nice selection of books but can find better and less expensive at local thrift stores.
Zero acknowledgement of a customers presence repeatedly is a nogo for me.
The store cat greets me and deserves the one star. The two legged animals working there can’t manage even a look in my direction.

I plan my travels around bookstores. This bookstore would not yield that response from me. I have been there multiple times, and never bought anything. Last week, I was in downtown Charleston and happened to be walking by and had to stop. Had I not been walking by the storefront, I wouldn’t have bothered. Yet again, I walked away with nothing – and for someone that is a voracious reader and collector, that is no small feat. The guy at the desk did say hello when I walked in, but didn’t seem particularly interested in helping me. The cat was friendly though!
This store just never seems to have anything I want, and for someone that has over 1000 books in my collection, that says something.

If the poofy cat snoozing in the window isn’t enough to beckon you inside, the sheer number of lovely books available will make a trip inside worthwhile. I have to limit myself to one visit a week or else I’ll spend all my grocery money on books. Relatively well organized for a bookstore, the kind of place you can poke around in for hours or find what you need within minutes. Helpful staff and a cozy atmosphere.

I wish I had about 5 hours to wander through this fabulous independent bookstore and soak it all in. The layout is so unusual and wonderful, it just draws you right in.
The «front of the house» is bright and inviting featuring newer releases and colorful illustrated books.
Pass the checkout counter and follow the long hallway that extends the length of the shop. Along the way, there are small «themed» rooms off to the right… the history room, the children’s room, the fiction room. All of them with tables and chairs to sit awhile and browse.
At the very back of the store, you’ll find the bottom-​of-​the-​barrel thrift store discount type of books — super cheap, some super cheesy, but all very interesting.
Plus, I’m just a sucker for a bookstore with a cat! Gotta love it.

Blue Bicycle Books is a quite haven and escape from reality. You can drop a needle in that store and hear it bounce. The staff is extremely friendly and very knowledgeable. They are well informed and will help with any question you have. Also, this unique bookstore is very supportive of local authors. If you are looking for local talent that you won’t find anywhere else or just want to browse a large and unique selection, this is the store for you.

Talking atmosphere, this is my favorite independent used bookstore in the world. There is a pretty cool selection layed out in the frontmost room, and I especially like that there is a whole «Charleston» section with books about the area and vintage photos, postcards, and tourism pamphlets.
I think that whenever Pat Conroy is in town, he comes to sign books here. The owner is a writer himself and has been running the place since ’98. He has a very cute kitty living in the shop who is worth searching the stacks for.
I like to walk through the labyrinthine halls and just smell the old binding…
Also I think they have the #1 logo in town!