Bridge Street Books

Very nice bookstore but if you have allergies or asthma be careful. I had to walk out needing my inhaler. I still give it 5 stars because it’s such a great shop with a friendly book keep.

A cute city book store!
It’s not big but has many interesting books from old to new. I found many books which I wanna read next. Not crowded. One of the relaxing spots in a busy area.
I’ll go back there again soon;)

This is one of my favorite bookstores anywhere. Great selection of books. Cosy vibe to the place. Had a great talk with one of the salespeople who I later found out was the owner. Super nice. This bookstore is a real treaure.

Bridge Street is the best bookstore in Washington these days. It has no rivals when it comes to poetry offerings, and the fiction and philosophy sections are superb, too. Whenever I visit DC (my hometown) I go to Bridge Street. In the era of Ama$on, thank god bookstores like this still exist!

Bridge Street is one of my favorite bookstores — in D.C. and beyond. Their great selection of poetry, cultural theory, literary criticism, philosophy, music and art makes this truly a unique institution worth visiting regularly. On Fridays and Sundays, be sure to talk with the clerk, Joe. He’s very knowledgeable, extremely helpful and just a great presence in the store.

Nice little independent bookstore right nearby M street. The service was excellent– the gentleman at the register was really helpful and friendly, something that always keeps me coming back to indie places like these

Service as good as it gets, correction, very seldom these days does one consistently encounter informed, pleasant people. Small, but the density of good books is wonderfully high, one might even say too high, says my credit card bill.

I found myself in Georgetown this past Friday night after stuffing my face full of George’s Steak & Cheese and a Baked & Wired cupcake. Trying to walk it off through the streets, I found several copies of Jane Austen books on the store’s sale stand outside; instantly capturing my attention (even though I’ve read all of her works at least two times each). Feeling like Mr. Stay Puft from Ghostbusters I was pleasantly surprsied that I fit through the door of this cozy little shop. The space reminded me of my favorite independent bookstore back home in Milwaukee. Quite the enchanting spot.
The best part? The man working the register. I could kick myself for not asking his name but he had a great bow tie and an incredible wealth of knowledge on all kinds of books; both were impressive. I simply asked for a good novel. He didn’t just point me to the back and say «Look for there for this». He asked «What was the first good novel you read and the last good novel that you read?» (Pride & Prejudice, Pillars of The Earth). Using this information he took me upstairs through several different options giving me in depth descriptions of all of them. His description of «How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia» was one of the most passionate accounts of writting styles I’ve ever heard in my life. I could instantly see his passion for literature and boy, was it contagious.
Not only did I get two amazing novels (I’ve already consumed 60+ pages of each) he had AWESOME recommendations for jazz bars in the area and impeccable music taste in general. I will definitely be finding myself in that store more often.
Live long and read on!

Not coming back. I thought I was supporting an independent progressive bookshop, discovered it’s the ‘American hippie cliché’ joint. The owner is certainly unique. I’d had an unpleasant experience before but chalked it up to stress — but twice? Why does he interact with clients if he can’t stay pleasant. He actually addressed a female worker as ‘Miss! Miss!’, prompting his other female staff to say ‘Use her name! Use her name!’. Unless he has hit his head somewhere and has lost inhibition, he is just another misogynist, racist hippie, hiding behind some lefty literature. Enter at your own risk.

This is a great little independent bookstore in the heart of Georgetown.
It really is hard to find a good independent bookstore, what with all the hideous Barnes and Nobles killing off everything with the help of Amazon. So, as a Philosophy diehard, I am usually left underwhelmed by most bookstores. Not this one though. It had a truly well picked selection, which is augmented by the knowledgable help.
To boot, it smells like real books. Not e-​readers or Starbucks, but real books! I love it.

I visited this shop with two friends last weekend. I could have given this bookstore 4 or 5 stars for its location, ambience, sales staff, book selection… right up to the moment the owner walked in. As we browsed and were about to take our selections to the register, we heard parts of verbal exchanges from the front of the store that soon had us scurrying for the exit, sans books. We soon figured out this was the owner who had come in, ill-​tempered and snapping at everyone in his path. The worst encounter was with a female customer heading up the stairs with a book in her arms: «Give me that!» he snaps, and snatches the book from her. «You can’t just walk around reading the books! This isn’t a library, it’s a bookstore!» (Now we were really getting nervous, as we were actually flipping the pages of the books we were considering buying… eek!)
After several other exchanges (shooing away some men OUTSIDE the shop because they were smoking cigars, claiming to the poor cashier girl that sometimes he just has to «play the heavy»), we all looked at each other and decided to put our potential purchases down and get out of there before he discovered us browsing his shelves and probably doing something that would get us yelled at.
It’s really too bad that his presence spoiled our visit and lost him some sales. I was getting ready to purchase the Italo Calvino I was looking at (despite the fact that I could order it on Amazon-​dot-​com for cheaper) because I believe in supporting local shops, booksellers in particular. But after observing the owner’s attitude, I was not about to give him any business.
So long as this man is not in the store or at least not in this foul mood, you may have a great visit and find exactly what you’re looking for. It’s certainly not your typical mainstream collection and has plenty of titles that you would never find on the shelves of a book&coffee chain store. But if you hear a man raising his voice and barking orders, I suggest you put down the book you were looking at and run to the nearest exit.

Whenever I am in DC I make it a point to stop by Bridge Street. Definitely the best bookstore in the area especially if you are looking for academic titles. Wonderful selection of philosophy, history, cultural studies, poetry etc. I haven’t ever actually managed to browse the entire store because I get so sucked in by the philosophy section. Bridge Street has more great books on one shelf than some of their larger competitors have in their entire inventory. Helpful and knowledgable staff in my experience, although I’ve never asked about any special orders or anything so I can’t speak to that. All in all a class act, preserving real intellectual culture in the midst of the DC metro’s ever expanding, soulless, corporate wasteland. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

Having perused them all, this is the best bookstore in DC, the runner-​up being Capitol Hill Books (though I tend not to compare them, as they offer very different environments).
Bridge Street is the ultimate reason why people need to keep shopping at local bookstores: brilliant and helpful staff members, quiet and open atmosphere, and a collection and layout that encourages spontaneous and serendipitous new discoveries.

This bookstore is a little gem. It is small, but the ration of books I want to books they have is unreasonably high. Staff is friendly and were quite helpful in tracking down a book I was looking for. They were even more helpful when I left my wallet behind– they ran out after me. Getting into and around Georgetown can be a headache, depending on where you’re coming from, but this place is well worth the effort.

I was dismayed when I first walked in: the whole bookshelf immediately inside the front door was trash romance and James Patterson. These are wonderful, useful texts — especially when sold in an airport — but was this a serious bookstore or a pretender? I am pleased to say: DEFINITELY not the latter.
Books are stacked floor to ceiling throughout this narrow converted townhouse, on a dizzying array of subjects and genres. I picked up an autobiography about modern life on an Indian reservation, my friend grabbed a slim volume of poetry, and we giggled together over corny joke books at the register. You will not be disappointed by this place. It has its limitations due to space, so if you’re looking for something very specific or obscure, maybe call ahead. Otherwise, enjoy and get ready to get lost for at least an hour …

Great for browsers searching for classic titles under cheap prices. They have a great outdoor sale selection where you can find Kate Chopin, Austen, Bronte, Machiavelli, and other great works for four dollars or less. The folk music adds to the warm feel especially in the upstairs area where you can find biographies, great poetry anthologies, and others. It’s definitely my favorite bookstore in D.C.

My go-​to whenever I am in search of a good read or a gift for friends. I trust this place to have great picks.

This is a really nice bookstore, it’s tiny but actually has a lot of stock and they’re eager to order things for you when they don’t have what you’re looking for. The fiction they carry is well chosen. Sometimes I find cool things to read by just browsing this section. The poetry, religion and philosophy sections are impressive, almost as good as the much larger shop Kramerbooks. The staff can be awkward but are generally helpful, and they don’t seem to mind if I browse and don’t buy. I started shopping here after Barnes and Noble closed, and I’m glad to have this as my main bookstore.

The best philosophy and poetry shelves in the city? Check.
A selection that, while small, is home to the most well-​curated shelves in the city? Check.
The most hilarious/​studious/​helpful guy working the register? Check.
Discovered on a rainy day? Check.
Do you know what you find when you look up the word «perfect» in the dictionary? The definition of the word perfect — which accurately describes this place.

I’m sad this place doesn’t get more Unilocal love — after scoping out every bookstore I could get to on foot (or by car), I’m willing to say that Bridge Street is in my top 3 of DC area bookstores. It has a fantastic interdisciplinary selection of academic books, and a well-​chosen selection of literary fiction. It’s small enough not to feel overwhelming (think Barnes and Noble) and big enough to have a distinctive bookstore vibe.