[words] Bookstore — Local services in Maplewood

I visited for the first time as a part of the 2025 NJ Bookstore Crawl, so it was quite busy! I'm always happy to share the aisles with fellow book lovers, but since it was so busy, I wasn't able to leisurely stroll & peruse as I normally would on a less busy day (not a complaint at all, just setting the scene!) [words] has a great selection no matter what genre you're looking for & their layout allows you to potentially discover a genre you weren't particularly looking for. On top of being well stocked with a varying selection of books, they also have a great selection of activity kits (for children & adults) and other little "doo-dads" (for lack of a better term) that would make for a great addition to a gift for anyone. All of the staff that I encountered during my visit were very kind & helpful. I can't wait to...

I called into Words twice today looking for a very special book for my fiancés birthday. I am blown away by the service, professionalism and help that I received. Though I was unable to purchase this book from your store, as it turns out it is out of print until next year, your staff graciously put me in the right direction and I was able to purchase not only the book in question, but a signed copy! Your staff deserves a huge round of applause and my huge thanks! I have purchased from your shop on several occasions, and you will continue to be my first stop from now on. Thank you for your dedication to small book stores all around the US. We are lucky to have a shop like yours in our little Maplewood.

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The store owner is very pretentious and rude. I’ve been here a few times and I got a bad impression from him. The biggest thing was when I heard him talk smack about how he would never accept local authors/artists books because they don’t have high quality work and they aren’t “opportunists, they’re just local.” and talked about how it’s a burden when they pitch to his bookstore. For a store that’s “LOCAL, INDEPENDENT , AND INCLUSIVE” this mindset is toxic and hypocritical. When speaking to one of the authors after the book signing died down, he proceeded to look at me and whisper to his wife and keep staring and repeat. Unless you’re a white woman or a famous person of color, they don’t...