Book Stores in Chapel Hill, NC

“I love this community based independent vibed book store. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their vocation. I particularly enjoy book signings there and occasional educational entertainment.”

“The UNC Student Store is large and has 3 floors, a cafe, a pharmacy, print store, computer store, and medical bookstore all on one site. Lots of fan gear and easy communication with the specialty stores on site. Very busy on weekends so would go during the weekdays if possible. Centrally located on campus near the Bell Tower. Very robust online store as well.”

“This is my first time in chapel hill and I found this place. Plenty of vegan options for coffee, lattes, and pastries. The vibes are immaculate. They sell new and used books, and the atmosphere is very cozy.”

“This is the place to come for all things Carolina. If you're a Tar Heel fan or know someone who is, you should be able to find everything you need here. This place is called "UNC Student Stores" plural because there are multiple stores inside. They include a mini mart with food and drink ("The Pit Stop"), a pharmacy, and a post office. The stores are intended for students (e.g., books, laptops, school supplies), alumni and fans (e.g., UNC apparel, gifts), employees (e.g., hospital scrubs, lab equipment), anyone really. My wife and I stopped by to pick up some temporary UNC logo face tattoos for a game. I haven't been in many college bookstores. I remember Wake Forest's store being very small, but that was decades ago. The one I'm most familiar with is Georgia Tech's (my alma mater). The two bookstores are similar in size (both large, two stories), inventory, and amenities. For example, there's a cafe on the second floor here, where we saw several students studying. Tech's is similar with a Starbucks. Tech's bookstore is much newer, the current one built in the mid-2000s. From the outside, Carolina's bookstore looks many decades old (I'm guessing it was built in the 60s). North Carolina is one of the top-selling and best-known brands in college athletics, so it wasn't surprising for me to see the vast selection of apparel and merchandise here, from niche books to cool collectibles. They even stock UNC logo lululemon clothing. I can't imagine many universities offer logo'd lululemon apparel, but UNC does. It's certainly a cool store if you're a UNC supporter. UNC Student Stores is located on-campus, across the street from the landmark Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower. We parked for free in the adjacent N8 - Undergraduate Library surface lot on a Saturday. UNC employee permit parking (N8) is required to park in this lot during business hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-5:00pm. I believe it's free and open to the public otherwise, except for probably game days. The lot is small. It has about 40 parking spaces and the spots are narrow.”