Gibson’s Bookstore

I received a gift card for my birthday. Went in with a few books in mind but they did not have them. Settled on something just to use the gift card and as I was browsing was approached by an employee who asked if he could help and then immediately told me they were closing and I needed to finish it up and walked away! Independent bookstores have an uphill battle as it is with internet sales… having rude jerks for employees certainly doesn’t make me want to support my local bookstore. I still have a credit on my gift card I doubt I will ever go back in there again.

My 15 year old daughters and I were doing some Christmas shopping yesterday and thought it might be fun to visit local shops in downtown, since we’d never been (we just moved to Concord in April).
We kept meaning to pop in to this book store before and we finally got our chance.
This place is HUGE! My daughters were excited to find books they were looking for and we also found some unique little gifts in there, as well. The cashier was knowledgeable and friendly.
We visited the adjoining café after our purchases and the staff there were also pleasant, helpful and made our order perfectly.
I can’t wait for an opportunity to visit this place again!

I love it here! The staff are friendly but not overbearing and I always find what I’m looking for. They have a great selection of books and I love going over to the True Brew café and having a cup of tea while I read!

Nice stuff in there, but very snooty customer service. I was unlucky enough to walk in close to when they were closing (6pm cause it was Sunday) and I got more stares of discontent then I could shake a fist at. I understand you have been working all day, but don’t make rude body language to remind me you’re closing soon. Lastly, I know it’s a book store but their barista was rude and needs to learn how to make an iced latte.

Fresh coffee and delicious breakfast sandwich on a croissant with thick cheddar cheese was delicious. Highly recommended

Cute spot!

Some reviews refer to Gibson’s as a small shop, but they moved to a much larger space in 2013 and teamed up with a toy store. There’s also space for a café and seating. Wonderful place to get lost for an afternoon, and I was happy to see a good selection of Shirley Jackson :)

I recently visited Gibson’s while visiting my daughter. What a wonderful bookstore! Lots and lots of great books, an ample selection of cards and stationery, gifts, and a phenomenal children’s section. Friendly and helpful staff and, yes a café. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Visited this store for the first time yesterday and I have to say, A++!! The location is great right on main street and the store has a warm cozy feeling that makes you want to roam around and look for the perfect book. It was nice having True Brew right there so I could enjoy a coffee as well! As an avid reader and writer I will visit often! They had a great selection of books, journals and even cards.
For the longest time I didn’t know Gibson’s existed which goes to show their new store front is working because now it is hard to miss. I used to go to Boarders and hated how every time I went to the counter they would ask if you wanted a «premium rewards card» which costed $ 20 but «would make up the price with the coupons in only a couple purchases». I finally got it and then they went out of business a month later. When I called corporate for a refund they said they didn’t care to make me happy because they were going under. The new BAM place is just as bad. When I go to the counter I say up front «please don’t tell me about a rewards card» and what do they do? Go ahead and ramble on about it! Very rude. When I checked out at Gibson’s the clerk asked if I wanted a stamp card, only when I asked about it did she explain it and guess what? It is free and will still give a discount after a certain amount of purchases.
I will never go to a box store again. Gibson’s is the perfect local book store. Highly recommend it.

I think this is one of the best book stores in Concord. The service is great, the selection of books are great, and the atmosphere is great. It’s very calm and quiet, just how you want a bookstore to be. The only problem is the parking, but I manage to find a spot most of the time. Overall a great bookstore, I would recommend it to any book fan.

I live in Massachusetts but often have to visit the Concord area and I always make a point of stopping into Gibson’s. I LOVE this book store. They moved recently to a much larger space and I thought it was great. I enjoyed a leisurely lap around the store to check out everything they have to offer.
The kids section is fantastic. They have exactly what I find missing in big chain stores which is books that I have not heard of before, books that someone clearly did some research beyond the NY times best seller list to find. So often I will read a lovely book to one of my kids from the library and when I go to a chain store to buy it they do not carry that great book. They say they will be happy to order it for me but I think if you walked into Gibson’s they would already have that great book on the shelf.
Their selection of calendars, cards, magazines, fiction, non-​fiction etc. is all a pleasure to peruse. I find plenty of chairs around where you can take a pile of books and sit for a bit to narrow down your choices. The building is bright and spacious with a nice café up front.

I finally took the time to find the store & stop to check it out. As other’s have noted, it’s a fairly small store with a fairly small selection of book’s (especially sci-​fi/​fantasy). I’m sure i’ll be back when i’m in the area though.

Gibson’s is a rare and special bookstore that shows a lot of excellent management. The book selection is very good. The travel section in particular is excellent. It is connected to a small bakery — so it’s not just a bookstore — it’s a destination. The help is professional and informed. Flaws? Magazines are few. They carry maybe twenty or so of these. If you are in Concord — you should stop in. It’s also next to the Red River Theaters — another great stop when you are in town. Cheers!

I have since returned and found the staff to be much more pleasant than my previous visit….

Great bookstore, great location, great staff and great prices. My only hesitation to give a fifth star is that I think I’ve had to have them order books for me every time I go there since their selection is somewhat lacking (at least in terms of non-​fiction).

Let me preface this by noting my bias, as I was an employee here for nearly five years until I moved out West. That said, the first great thing to note about Gibson’s is that they are absolutely fantastic to their employees, and that is worth supporting.
This is a fabulous independent bookstore right in downtown Concord. It is one of the oldest retail stores in the area, having been established in 1898. They have a great selection and you can find almost anything you would want. If you need to order a book you will also usually receive it within a couple days, much quicker than at the big boxes.
By far the best thing about Gibson’s is the staff (even without me working there anymore!). You would be hard-​pressed to find a more knowledgeable collection of book fanatics in any other one location in the entire state. Because they are reluctant to toot their own horns, I will: the owner, Michael, is a Harvard literature grad and despite being crazy busy (emphasis on crazy) running the store still seems to manage to read half a dozen books a week; and John, the handsome fellow often found sitting at the back desk, is a repository of information on all things literary-​minded and not (he is also a five-​time Jeopardy champion). Other employees from when I was there included a retired lawyer, an accomplished children’s book author, and a head librarian.
And for a cherry on top, literally, there is the wonderful bakery Bread & Chocolate accessible by the indoor ramp.