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August 2023 by Sam Mitchell
Lovely shop with excellent, well-curated stock. A great place to discover new books you haven’t heard of, not just the usual bestsellers. Their selection of NYRB titles is especially nice.
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July 2023 by Elizabeth K.
Great little book store in the heart of a cute little town. The staff is very friendly and ready to help you find your next favorite. Highly recommend a stop through - has something for all ages - even the littles in your group.
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June 2023 by Art Crane
Friendly, well organized, inviting shop.
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June 2023 by P K
Inadvertently visited and spent almost an hour there
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April 2023 by Skye
Wonderfully curated selection of books in a serene setting although the service can be much better. No warm welcome, not even an acknowledgement until we arrived for checkout. Not even an effort to extend help. What was even more disappointing was the male manager at the register made absolutely no mention of the available credits on our account. After almost $200 from this purchase along with the previous $200+ some time ago, it would’ve been helpful to know of available credits. Bottom line - it simply came off as dishonest. While I’m all for supporting local businesses but this was just not a good look.
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January 2023 by James Rhodes
Best independent bookstore business in the area by far. Highly recommend coming here.
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September 2022 by Ronnie P.
I have a weekend home in Litchfield County and enjoy visiting all of the towns in the area and shopping small. As an avid reader I prefer to browse and purchase books from local booksellers instead of online and House of Books is always one of my stops whenever I'm in Kent. Unfortunately, my most recent visit the Sunday before Labor Day left such a bad taste in my mouth that I will reconsider going there in the future. I truly don't like leaving a critical review, but the salesperson, Mary, made me and my party feel so unwelcome that it made me question whether our business was even wanted. Admittedly, we did come into the store 15 minutes before closing, it was me, my husband, my son, and my mother, but from the moment we walked in we were not welcome. Mary did not look up from the register as she counted change. Knowing that the store was closing we tried to make quick selections, but it was not appreciated when a few minutes before closing we were told "you know, I've been here since 8:30am and we close at 5 and I have an appointment I need to get to so you need to hurry up." The whole experience was bizarre. I told her as I paid that she made us feel very unwelcome and that it appeared that she didn't want our business and I essentially got a "what do you expect when you come in before closing" and an "I don't care." The selection is great, but I think I'll take my business to Hickory Sticks in Washington where the service is always nothing but lovely.
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September 2022 by Carol Graham
House of Books is a real quaint bookstore, their selections are many. You can find famous title books, and books that's not too familiar. I really enjoyed visiting this establishment today, I would recommend this book store to anyone who love books. Not to mention the location in kent has many more establishments worth visiting.
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August 2022 by Frank L.
Writer friend and I wandered in during a day in Kent. There's nothing that draws us in faster than a good indie bookstore, and we weren't disappointed. Lots of books you can't find in any of the chain stores, or even in the book section of a good department store. The store is well organized and marked, and I browsed through most of the sections quickly. They tend to lean towards 'quirky' and recent fiction is their strength. Of course, I checked the Mysteries section (small, with a lot of the mass-market blockbuster authors missing), and the Science Fiction section (even smaller, with a couple of trending authors). However, a great section on History (found a book by a friend who's relatively obscure), and a fantastic "We Recommend" section by their staff. Even on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend, the store was busy. They also will special order books for you, as several people came in to pick up things they ordered. The staff was friendly, obviously used to bookies, since we were acknowledged, and invited to take our time to look around. No "can I help you find something?" right off the bat, although, it was apparent he would jump at the chance to assist if asked. Every town needs a bookstore like this!
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May 2022 by Carlene Tyrill
House of Books is a real quaint bookstore, their selections are many. You can find famous title books, and books that's not too familiar. I really enjoyed visiting this establishment today, I would recommend this book store to anyone who love books. Not to mention the location in kent has many more establishments worth visiting.
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March 2022 by Lisa H.
Every town deserves a bookstore like this. Excellent contemporary selections, a book club, and even niche stationary supplies such as washi tape. Love!
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March 2022 by Alan
Great bookshop in Kent.They have finally, finally, moved back to their old, newly renovated, location. It’s really nicely done.And, yes, they do have a really nice selection of books. The books were nicely laid out and it was very inviting. Many of the books had synopses written by the staff who were also very helpful in their recommendations.Finally,also a great place to pick up a jigsaw puzzle. They have a large variety of New Yorker puzzles from which to choose.Support your local bookshop and buy a book there!
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February 2022 by Jennifer SG
Really lovely bookshop, airy and open! A joy to visit.
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October 2021 by Luc LaFontan
House of Books has had a few iteration s, but still such a great resource
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October 2021 by Brad Crofford
Small bookstore with a good selection and helpful staff suggestions.