White Whale Bookstore — Local services in Pittsburgh

I tried to donate books-my mistake. I unloaded my trunk with two boxes and two bags of nice books . Set them by open front door. Then carried each one back to desk where employee ? owner ? was standing watching me- no other customers in store at the time. I was told when I got them back to the desk I could not donate and she would look through books to see if they wanted any.and then pay me. I felt as though I had offended her ...She picked out 20 or so and paid me. She could have approached me at the door as I was lugging them all in or when I called the store to make sure they were open and said I wanted to bring some books to donate and was only told they were open until 5. There is a list of what they will take on their website-which I did not see until afterwards. It is a beautiful little shop and I am glad it exists, but it was a negative...

I've happily spent hundreds of dollars at White Whale and until today, was my favorite bookstore in the city. They're going to be offering alcohol service now, which as a sober person, means I don't feel safe nor welcome there. There are so few sober spaces left in Pittsburgh and it's extremely disappointing to see a bookstore decide to become a bar. I'm genuinely sad that today will be my last visit to White Whale and wish they had considered how this would alienate members of the community, especially because they sell (and I have purchased from them) Holly Whitaker's fantastic Quit Like a Woman, a quintessential text for understanding America's obsession with drinking culture and going alcohol free within that. Maybe someday White Whale will become an inclusive, welcoming space again, but until then, I'll be...

This is one of my new favorite bookstores, and I see myself returning often. It’s a small, locally owned, well organized shop with a decent variety of genres. The home and garden section is particularly lovely, and it seemed like they had a good fantasy/YA/children’s selection. In addition to books, they have an assortment of cards, gift wrap, and store-specific merchandise. The staff is very friendly and welcoming and even though they didn’t have the book I was originally looking for, they offered to order it for me and helped me find a nice replacement since I was on the hunt for a last minute gift. I ended up chatting with some regulars and it seems like just a generally lovely place. Also, there is a cafe that serves coffees, teas, and some baked goods, plus a few seating options. I look forward to...