Have you ever watched a movie or TV show that featured an amazing bookstore that you wished you could visit? I have. I would love to run my fingers along the spines of the books in Flourish and Blotts from Harry Potter or get lost in Monsieur Labisse’s bookshop in Hugo. Although neither of these two shops exist in real life, there are several fictional shops that do. Below is a list of 8 real bookstores that have inspired or have been featured in television and film.
The List
The Travel Bookshop
Where you’ve seen it: Notting Hill
The story: The bookshop that inspired the movie was located in Notting Hill, UK until it closed its doors in 2011.
Books of Wonder
Where you’ve seen it: You’ve Got Mail
The story: Perhaps one of the most famous fictional bookstores, this Manhattan store inspired the film’s children’s book store, The Shop Around the Corner.
Shakespeare & Co.
Where you’ve seen it: When Harry Met Sally
The story: The famous scene where the two main characters spot each other in a bookshop took place at this popular NYC bookstore. Unfortunately, the shop went out of business in 1996 after Barnes & Noble built a shop one block from the local store.
Shakespeare and Company
Where you’ve seen it: Before Sunset and Midnight in Paris
The story: Not to be confused with the NYC store with the same name, this Paris shop was a hotspot for writers such as Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and is still around today.
Rizzoli Bookstore
Where you’ve seen it: Falling in Love, Manhattan, and others
The story: This popular NYC bookstore has been home to several notable movies, including Falling in Love and Manhattan.
Bart’s Books – The Outdoor Bookstore
Where you’ve seen it: Easy A
The story: The nation’s largest outdoor bookstore is where Emma Stone buys her Bible. Located in Ojai, California, you can stop by and visit any time you want.
In Other Words
Where you’ve seen it: Portlandia
The story: The feminist bookstore, Women & Women First Bookstore, is actually set in this real-life feminist bookshop in Portland, OR.
Old Books on Front Street
Where you’ve seen it: In almost every movie or show filmed in Wilmington, NC that featured a bookstore.
The story: Chances are, if a movie or show was filmed in Wilmington, NC featured a book, then it was from Old Books. The store recently relocated after some structural issues with the historic building it was housed in. It was a favorite shop of mine when I lived there.