Water Street Bookstore

Dan Villeneuve

2024-04

A Hidden Gem Along the River in a charming city.Nestled in the heart of Exeter, New Hampshire, Water Street Bookstore is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by book lovers and travelers alike.During a recent road trip, I stumbled upon this quaint bookstore, and I couldn't have been more delighted with my find.From the moment I stepped inside, I was greeted by the warm smiles of the staff, who were not only friendly but also incredibly knowledgeable and eager to assist, making my browsing experience all the more enjoyable.The book selection is perfect and curated with care, ensuring that every title is worthy of attention (leaving here and there some little cards with book reviews by the staff members).The real highlight lies at the back of the store, where a vast window overlooks the river flowing by. As I perused the shelves, I found myself drawn to this serene spot, where people go to read their book and sip a coffee or leave a message in notebooks left there for our convenience.I will sure come back!

William Cheng

2023-11

Great independent bookstore with a wide and eclectic selection of books, a generous kids' section, and a lovely view of the Squamscott river from a nice reading table in the back. Lots of helpful book recommendations are noted throughout the store. Not to be missed!

Ian Hall

2023-06

Awesomely lovely bookstore! They have a terrific selection that's incredibly well curated and the whole place is very inviting. There is also the terrific view of the river and a bit of wildlife at the back of the store!

Tami Mallett

2023-05

Wow! What a great selection of books for all interests and a great atmosphere to browse, buy and read in the back of the store with large windows overlooking the Squamscott River. A local gem in the heart of downtown Exeter. Friendly and helpful service too! Today I found a good selection of books for myself and gifts!

Tom Pringle

2024-02

An excellent local bookstore with a wide selection of books for all ages. I visited Water Street in search of new books to add to my students' library. I was impressed to find that half the store is dedicated to children and the selection was excellent. I will definitely come back as I am now a member 🙂

Alyson Penélope

2022-05

Awesome & impressive selection for a small bookstore- unique books as well as the new releases, they have books that the big chains don't readily have available, friendly helpful staff, located in a quaint center of Exeter, NH!

Guy Cheney

2024-02

A jewel. Amazing selection, and staff write ups about so many of their books. Don't sleep on the 20 dollar lifetime membership discount program.

Mimi

2023-10

lovely bookstore packed with tons of options and also gifts. the lady behind the counter was very nice and helpful. there is a huge children’s section as well. new books only as far as i could tell.

Donna P

2023-05

What an amazing local treasure! Their customer service is top notch. Erin so promptly answered my email question that I wanted to shop in store. The staff is super friendly, knowledgeable & courteous and did an excellent job assisting me with finding gift books for my 9 yr old granddaughter . Then to top off my pleasurable shopping experience they wrapped & shipped it to her in Ca for free! They've done a beautiful job decorating this wonderful old shop & displaying their vast array of books. This is the way shopping used to be..calm, personalized & attentive. Don't go to the big chain bookstore, support this local small business and find out how stress free your shopping can be!

Angie S.

2022-05

I found some secondhand books here and they were great! The service is very good and they have a wide selection of different topics. I loved it!

Donna Capern

2024-01

Such a fabulous, well- stocked, comfortable bookstore with great staff!

Emily Baker

2023-08

This place is so charming! Everyone inside was very kind and so very knowledgeable. It felt so good to talk to people who clearly care for books and love to read. Plus, shopping local feels amazing! I highly recommend a trip inside.

Abby Laier

2023-05

Very special location for a bookstore! They have a very good selection of books for how small a store it is and I love the staff written reviews of the books. Their newsletter is actually useful! My only qualm with this store is that I always feel when I’m shopping here that I’m interrupting the staff gossiping about each other or the regular customers. I can’t tell which, but it’s a sort of uncomfortable feeling being in there and listening to the gossip. Am I interrupting your gossip? I’m sorry? I just want to look for some cool books!

Alicia Robinson Geilen

2024-03

Great local bookstore. Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Brian Gallagher

2021-05

Absolutely wonderful independent bookstore that is a gem in our community. Always friendly and welcoming and the owner goes out of his way to convey his appreciation for your support. During lockdown and over the past year Water Street Bookstore had a great curbside pickup (and even delivered!) system which made our lives just a bit better. I go there whenever I need a good book or recommendation. They’re the best!

Michael Amitay

2023-11

Great book selection, friendly staff, building very well kept.

Kevin Craig

2023-05

Cute little bookstore with a wide variety to choose from. There's a large section for children of various ages and lots of recommended books highlighted for various interests. The surrounding area is very walkable with lots of other cute shops and views of the river. Definitely worth a visit!

twosteen

2023-08

Great independent book store. Remarkably well stocked for the size of the store. Great New England and gardening sections.

JeFF Stumpo

2022-05

My wife and I were going to be stopping in Exeter on a brief trip, and we looked ahead of time for lunch and shopping options. We checked out Water Street Bookstore's website and saw that they had at least one book we'd love, so I called ahead to see if it was on the shelves. It wasn't, so the employee who took my phone call special-ordered it, making sure it would arrive by time we drove through, and held it for us. We picked that and about seven other books up after browsing. Fantastic customer service, good selection of books. We'll be back.

Case Merrick

2022-05

Such a cute bookstore! It's always great to shop local and this is the perfect shop to check for anything! The store owner is also super kind and will happily order you any book you're looking for to pick up! So always make sure to check with this shop before going to any of the big stores!

Abby M

2022-05

I love the staff's summary/recommendation tabs on the bookshelves! They have a beautifully curated selection and have definitely made the most out of the space. For anything they don't have in store, they make ordering online quick and easy!

Abbey Vogel

2021-05

I ordered some personalized Joe Hill books from this store and they came quickly especially given how crazy everything is right now. Amazing customer service and they were able to add something to my order I had forgotten. Overall lovely people and an awesome book store. Hopefully I can visit it in person next time I'm in NH!

Emily Smith

2022-05

Staff was incredibly rude. Did not greet us when we came in the store nor did they ask if we needed help at all like a staff member at barnes and noble would. They talked to each other the entire time gossiping and laughing with each other. When we told them to have a great day, they didn’t say anything back. Also there was no young adult section. I love to support indie bookstores but was very disappointed :(

Ruth

2023-07

Wonderful shop with fun stuff beyond books. Staff helpful to find the right book for a gift...with gift wrap.

mommy cass

2018-05

a really good selection of books particularly harder to find indie books. So this makes this place more special...self published books too. Edgy and nice books! They host a lot of enriching community events too. They will order any book you might want. I like the book signings they sometimes do. Good customer service as well.

Sarah Rydgren

2021-05

Such a beautiful and well loved bookstore. So much more special than a big box store. My son LOVES coming here and always finds something he is excited about to read.

Nancy Rockwell

2015-05

Such a wonderful bookstore. Whatever I need, and I need some pretty esoteric academic books, they have it or will get it in 2 days. When I buy books for a group they give me a big discount. And I just called for a book by an African writer, thinking they would not have it, and they had it on the shelf. They are great folks, care about the town, and care about books.

Padraig J

2023-08

I love the Water Street Bookstore. It’s one of my favorite bookstores in this area!

Chris P

2023-08

A great (not so little) little place. There was much more selection than I had anticipated and was very well organized. The staff was friendly and cheerful. The literary selections are extremely well curated to appeal to just about anyone.

ScaleAutoWorks

2018-05

We love Water Street Books! Interesting and wide ranging titles for adults and kids. We also prefer to support this friendly downtown business and have a pleasant shopping trip instead of spending the extra time and gas going elsewhere to save just a few dollars.