5 Indie Bookstores to Visit in Houston, Texas
By: Elena Welsh
A large amount of my favorite memories as a kid were made in a small used bookstore down the road called The Bookworm Shop. The store not only supplied me with fodder for my book addiction (notably, dozens of Animorphs books), but also inspired my Girl Scout camp counselor name (Bookworm) and a lasting love of indie bookstores.
These days, as the Director of Marketing and PR at an indie press, I’ve made it a goal to visit as many local indie bookstores and libraries as I can and meet even more people in the book community. And since there are so many amazing bookstores to visit in the city I grew up in, I figured Mom and I should make a day of it.
Our Bookish Day in Houston
As all days with my mom begin, we woke up early and went to work out. While my brain isn’t usually awake until 11:00 AM at the earliest, the 8:00 AM workout followed by a cold shower and driving on I-10 into Houston did enough to jostle my thoughts into action for our first stop.
Murder By the Book
According to their website, “Murder By The Book is one of the nation's oldest and largest mystery specialty bookstores, established in 1980,” and it did not disappoint. The store was delightfully moody, with dark wooden shelves adorned with books and a collection of gothic and murder-y trinkets. Our favorite was a LEGO haunted house (with a working elevator!) perched atop a fireplace in one corner of the building.
Mom and I browsed the shelves, listened as one of the incredibly knowledgeable employees answered question after question, and ogled the decor in anticipation of spooky season.
After much deliberation over the myriad of excellent options, we each picked a book; I got some socks for my partner, and we left to drive to our next stop.
Basket Books & Art
This independent bookstore and art gallery is nestled in the elbow of the historic Hyde Park Boulevard. There might not have been a Star Man waiting at this store, but there was a… phone man.
Basket specializes in small press fiction, poetry, and theory, so the wrinkles in my brain, honed by a feminist studies degree, sang happily as we browsed the shelves. Dozens of avenues of inquiry jumped out at me just from a cursory glance of the space, and I was both disappointed and grateful I hadn’t discovered this store in college. I fear it would have made settling on a topic of research for my capstone infinitely more difficult.
I picked up book after book. A Sade song came on, and Mom started to dance. My inner academic sighed in contentment. Only after we started driving away did I realize I forgot to take any pictures of the inside of the store.
Kaboom Books
Walking into “Houston’s Least Eponymous Used Bookstore” is to be transported through two miraculously arched fig trees into the much-loved backroom of a technologically-adverse antiquarian who holds onto every story just to be able to gift it to the right person.
There were books from floor to ceiling, shelves crowding the walkways, and an almost hidden doorway to another room entirely filled with fiction books. It took me twenty minutes to make it into the second room, and I didn’t even scratch the surface of the first.
I had meandering, lovely conversations with the two employees I encountered within the shelves and not only left with three books, but also the history of their vaulted figs (which only feed on customers occasionally), screenshots of architectural features in New Orleans, and more information about Maurice Sendak’s family drama than I ever thought I would acquire.
Coffee Break - Cariño Coffee
After three stops, Mom and I needed an afternoon pick-me-up, so we walked less than a minute down the road from Kaboom and found Cariño Coffee. They had their fall menu posted, and our autumn hearts eagerly ordered some iced (since it was still about 100 degrees) pumpkin spice drinks.
When I tell you their coffee was so freaking tasty. If you ever find yourself in the Heights and in need of a sweet treat, I highly recommend this spot.
Good on Paper Books and Stationery
Mom and I definitely picked the right time of year to make our first trip to this female-owned and family-operated independent bookstore. They went hard on the fall displays, from gothic Latine literature to cozy autumnal stationery, to an entire table dedicated to witchy books. We had a hard time figuring out where to start. Plus, the children’s section was so cozy and cute with its little reading nook.
Mom and I had a great time bonding over spooky season with the booksellers, squealing over the cute fall-themed children’s books, and otherwise having a grand time browsing the thoughtfully curated displays throughout the store.
The Lost Story Bookshop
This store wasn’t initially on our itinerary for the day, since it had just opened and we weren’t sure if it would be open on Labor Day. But Mom had been following the owner on TikTok and wanted to show me the newest bookish addition to our community in Katy. We were thrilled to find out that it was open!
Built in a house on the Old Katy square, this cozy bookstore is centered on women authors. Each room is catered to a specific genre and decorated to match the vibe, from the bright pink and lacy romance room to the black walls and mossy shelves of the fantasy room. My favorite was the dark green literary fiction room and its cozy reading chairs. Walking into this store truly felt like walking into a home.
We browsed the shelves and then ended up chatting with the owner of the bookstore for over an hour. It was a perfect end to a long day of adventuring.
There Are More Curious Whisker Adventures in Store
Thanks for tagging along for our tour of some independent bookstores in Houston. If you have the chance to visit any of these amazing stores, please do! Each was such a unique and wonderful experience. There really is something for everyone.
And of course, since we’re a couple of curious kinsfolk who love going on adventures (and having an excuse to be in the same city), this will not be our last adventure. Stay tuned :)
