York is a city full of literature.
When you begin university and live alone for the first time, it can be difficult knowing how to fill your free time on the days when your friends are busy. My personal favourite solo passtime is hopping between bookshops, promising myself that I won’t spend anything, then reading with a coffee when I inevitably break that vow and find my bag significantly heavier, full of half of York’s reading material. In addition to being full of books, 65% of business in York are independently owned, making it full of unique and interesting stores you can’t find elsewhere. With this in mind, I have put together a guide for your next bookshop date. (I used ‘research’ as an excuse to visit all these shops and spend too much money…again).
Minster Gate Bookshop
Location: 8 Minster Gates
Minster Gate is an antique and second-hand bookseller tucked away right next to the Minster. It contains narrow stairs lined with piles of books, shelves of gorgeously designed hardbacks stretching from floor to ceiling, and a room dedicated to old maps and engravings. Minster Gate is historical, cosy and peaceful. With three floors, including a basement packed wall to wall with books, the shop is easily laid out and signposted, making every section comfortable to navigate. On top of that, it’s incredibly affordable! Lots of the fiction in the basement is far cheaper than anything you’d find on the high street, making it perfect for students.
Criminally Good Books
Location: 14 Colliergate
Criminally Good Books is a bookshop specialising in crime fiction. Beautifully decorated to fit the theme, this store has two floors, the bottom dedicated to fiction and the upper dedicated to true crime. Each shelf is broken down and helpfully labelled by sub-genre, with a row of shelves dedicated to translated fiction. The staff are lovely, the shop is gorgeously designed and they have a range of bookish gifts and accessories, including book sleeves and bookshop-scented candles. They also regularly host author events, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on their socials!
The Little Apple Bookshop
Location: 13 High Petergate
A gem of a bookshop just around the corner from the art gallery, Little Apple has a fantastic range of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. Cosy and warm, you’ll be greeted by friendly staff who are incredibly knowledgeable and eager to help. I could spend hours sitting at the back of the shop, browsing through the piles of classics stacking up on the floor. Again, there are lots of books here at a very affordable price, as well as an impressive range of signed books and gorgeous tote bags, pins, and gifts.
The Portal Bookshop
Location: 5 Patrick Pool
Located just off of the Shambles Market, Portal Bookshop is a small, queer bookshop, making it the third LGBTQ+ bookshop in the country (the other two being located in London and Glasgow). They offer a range of sci-fi, fantasy, romance and non-fiction books from a range of different queer identities, as well as badges, pride flags, and work from local LGBTQ+ artists. Over The Rainbow café, which sits just above the shop, is the perfect place to stop for coffee mid-way through your book-buying spree; where they serve hot and cold drinks as well as a range of sandwiches and cakes! Every first Thursday of the month, The Portal Bookshop also hosts the Sad Poets Doorstep Club, an LGBTQ+-run mental health themed open mic poetry night, featuring an incredibly friendly and talented group of writers. They always make newcomers feel welcomed, I encourage everyone to check them out sometime – whether you’re performing or just want to go along and listen!
These are a few of my personal favourite places to haunt on my bookshop tours, but there’s plenty of other places to explore. Janette Ray Booksellers on Bootham specialises in rare books on architecture, fine art, photography and the history of design, and right next door is the Blue House Bookshop: which features specifically children’s fiction. There’s also, of course, a range of charity bookshops throughout the city, including Oxfam and the Amnesty Bookshop. Even if it’s not your usual go-to, it’s always exciting to explore a new place, you’ll probably end up finding a title you’ve never even heard of before.
I hope you might find your new favourite spot after reading my suggestions, and remember – support local bookstores!
– Rose Williams
This blog post is in collaboration with the 2025 Beyond the Walls Anthology. The cohort behind the anthology are constantly producing high quality work in the run up to the final publication. You can find similar blog pieces in collaboration with the anthology here on the Where Ideas Grow blog. You can also listen to their podcast episodes on Spotify and find updates on the anthology on their social media platforms, all linked below.