Big Blue Marble Bookstore

Even before I worked here, I loved the staff and selection at this Mt. Airy favorite.

This is a delightful local bookshop. They carry a broad selection of interesting & current publications.

Wonderful local, independent book store. They have a good selection of current and interesting books and a nice kids section. They also offer wonderful events and book clubs.

Long live the independent bookstore! Small yet well-​organized and packed with a wide selection of books in a multitude of genres. When I walked in I was greeted by a friendly employee who was quick to inform me of the section of the store where I could find my books of choice; however, I discovered upon my entry that there was a kids’ storytime/​song session going on, so I didn’t want to get in their way. Though since Mt. Airy is such a great neighborhood for families with young children, it’s great to have a local spot that features something for the whole family!

I was contacted by Big Blue Marble and they apologized for our experience. We have gone back since and had good experiences. I’ve taken my daughter for some of their children’s events and they were great.

Disregard Alison R review, the bookstore is amazing and much better than a barns noble sprawling mall. we live two blocks from it and visit it all the time with our seven year old. We order books there and once we run out of books to read it’s our first place to visit. Go big blue marble!

Very cute bookstore with a great atmosphere and a frequent buyer program (although they somehow managed to lose my card… oh well!) I think they offer coffee and tea, although I’ve yet to indulge. I just enjoy browsing their selection and reading the recommendations they post, and taking a look at the other fun stuff they sell (just bought a few very neat bookmarks the other day). Since it’s so small selection can be lacking, which is too bad if you absolutely need to read something right this minute, but of course they’ll order for you.

Yep, I still really love this place. As other reviews mention, you may be out of luck if you’re pining after a certain book as there is no way this little shop can hold it all, but you can place an order for no extra charge and have your goods within the week. Big Blue Marble goes for quality, not quantity in my opinion and offers sophisticated, yet good reads that cater to the interests of their community. On my most recent trip, they had lots for the backyard gardener and most of the popular new releases that the big box stores have on their shelves. The book I really wanted was sold out, but I placed an order on Wednesday and had the book in my hands on Saturday. I love that they carry a good selection of Nikki McClure’s cards and journals as well as items by Little Otsu. It’s not as close as Barnes and Noble for me, but I still prefer to give my patronage to this Mt. Airy gem.

Here’s a nice little treasure to be found in Northern Philadelphia, away from all the crazed locations and people-​centers. Stop in Big Blue Marble Bookstore and you’re in for a treat. Like Hilary P. said: you could spend a lot of time here. I don’t know about hours, as it is a pretty small space, but they definitely have a decent selection of books, for a smaller, independent shop.
I went in looking for, as usual, poetry books, and they had some rare finds. Hal Sirowitz is a local poet now, so naturally they were in-​stock on his material. There was an Eileen Miles book from Black Sparrow Press that I debated buying. Some more mainstream books of poetry, too.
I noticed a few neat things about this place. One, there are a ton of staff reviews, which is great! You rarely see this anymore, especially at the corporate bookstore I work at, but also at a lot of smaller bookstores. Two, there are a lot of discount sections. Sure, the store charges around full price for each book (naturally!), but just about each genre or section has its own 25% off shelf. Three, there’s a café upstairs, featuring a table or two for reading and studying purposes. I couldn’t figure out if it was on the house or if there was a charge, but nobody was manning the area, and I was all caffeinated up already, but it’s nice to know they have this setup going on. Four, there is indeed a «What Mt. Airy is Reading» section, which features pretty standard top-​sellers, but is great to get in the know.
After all was said and done, I didn’t buy anything because of my Amazonian tendencies, but I did enjoy stopping in, and if I ever get enough money, I’ll probably make some spontaneous purchases there when I return.

This is one of those bookstores that makes you want to spend hours in it, drinking coffee and flipping through everything. They have many different sections spread across a couple of floors, as well as a café. I was unfortunately on the hunt for a few novels in particular, and found their fiction section lacking. But I managed to choose something else appropriate upstairs (and eventually found that elusive Cormac McCarthy novel in the ‘what Mt. Airy is reading’ section). The service was pretty friendly and certainly more knowledgeable than your usual Barnes & Noble/​Borders employee.
If you’re going to buy a book in person (and thus pay full price) instead of on
, then I would recommend coming here or to another independent bookseller. That smell of used books and coffee cake makes your choice worth it.

Yes, sometimes Barnes and Noble can be a good thing. But when you have a choice, it feels so good to go indie.
Big Blue Marble is exactly what you want in a local bookstore. The space is cozy, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable and the coffee is tasty. When you’re in the mood for a good book but don’t have anything specific in mind, this is the perfect destination. That said, if there’s something you want that they don’t have in stock they’ll order it for you (and won’t charge you shipping, either!). They have interesting events, inspiring readings and a kickin’ kids section.