Baldwin's Book Barn — Local services in East Bradford Township

Cool for what it is- a historic bookstore in a historic barn. But it’s really just an old used bookstore. They do have books on absolutely anything, though not too much contemporary fiction. Lots of old books from the 50s-80s. They probably can find any out of print book you want. The coolest section I thought was their collection of original Nancy Drew and Bobbsey twins books- if I had kids I’d probably have bought up as much of that as I could. It was an amazing collection.

And it’s huge- 4 floors.

I bought a copy of Anna Karenina, a Barnes and noble edition from 1997, just because I’ve never read it and I wanted to support the store while visiting. And they sell local honey so I bought a bottle of that, too.

It’s also very cold in there so wear a coat (I mean I should have expected that since it’s a giant barn) from what I had heard I expected it to feel “cozy” and have comfy chairs and cats and reading nooks but it wasn’t that.

I enjoyed visiting and seeing their collection and I’m sure if I were looking for a rare out of print book this would be the place to find it, but it’s not quite a place for a casual book buyer, though I would say that anyone of any age who visits could find at least one book to take home.

It’s definitely worth a visit while in the area, or if you are in search of a hard to find book- the gentleman at the desk seemed kind and...

Absolutely incredible! My mom and I visited after touring Arcadia University (about 45 minutes away), and it is an incredible store!

The building is in decent shape, especially considering its age and original use. The rooms are very well-organized, and there are maps on the first floor if you need them (you do, it’s a big place). The owners are very kind and prices weren’t bad. We didn’t spend as much time as we could’ve, because we had to drive home, but I probably could spend a whole day there, looking through books.

Because we were short on time, I did only leave with one book, but that wasn’t disappointing for me, because walking through the building was the real treasure.

I highly recommend Baldwin’s Book Barn to all lovers of books & history!!

Things to note: —the building is not wheelchair accessible, as there is no elevator (it’s not feasible to install one, and it would be extremely expensive) —there is AC on the top and bottom floors, the building is 5 floors. The AC drifts a bit to the 2nd and 4th floors due to their proximity to where the AC is, but the middle floor gets quite warm —there are lots of stairs, and they are a bit steep —if you have trouble in tight spaces, some of the bookshelves are pretty close together —low ceilings, be sure to duck! I almost hit my head when going up one of the...

There is really nothing quite like the scent of an old book...a fragrance of whiskey and old leather, or forgotten history and true lies.

Baldwin Book Barn is just about all you could ever want or imagine in a bookstore. The look of it seems caught between a glimpse of the past and a child's story book.

Navigating, this once functioning barn, is it's own Olympic sport. I enjoyed ducking through the low Hobbit-like door ways and sometimes, shimmying sideways up the staircases. So, truly, making your way through is not for the tender-hearted. Still, as with any old bookstores, a person can easily lose themselves for a good few hours browsing the floors to seek out a hidden gem.

I was surprised, and a little disappointed to discover that with such a large inventory, the Sci-fi section was relatively tiny in comparison with the rest of the genres displayed.

But still, it's worth the trip, and the staff on hand are even knowledgeable about the the history of the building as well as the inventory of books. So, go ahead, get lost...