Downtown Crossing holds a variety of miscellaneous and mainstream shopping and restaurant establishments. It is an appealing place for both locals and tourists because of its accessible location. Boston has many prominent mainstream bookstores such as the Harvard Bookstore and Brookline Booksmith and also many worthwhile independent bookstores as well. Brattle Bookstore and Commonwealth Books are both in Downtown Crossing and are definitely worth the visit.
Brattle Book Shop
Brattle Book Shop has been around for almost 200 years, making it one of Boston’s original bookstores. Owned by the Gloss family since 1949, they have succeeded in establishing Brattle as one of the most well-known antiquarian bookstores in the country. Located on West Street in Downtown Crossing, Brattle offers a wide range of books, maps, prints, cards and more.
A feature that particularly sets Brattle apart from other stores is the outdoor bookstore in the alley right next to the shop. Drastically discounted books line this space, making the shop especially unique out of other antiquarian bookstores. Honestly, this was the main attraction for me because it encourages you to pay closer attention to the book selection, since the display is authentic.
Brattle has a lot of books. There are over 250,000 selections of books, maps, decorative displays and more, and this unequivocally sets the store above its competitors. The inside store holds two floors, making it very easy to navigate to a section that piques your interest.The environment alone is the most unique aspect of Brattle. Even if you go just to look and not buy anything, you are guaranteed to have a positive experience. Since it is somewhat a tourist attraction, you also don’t need to worry about being a huge book expert in order to have a good time.
Commonwealth Books
To many, Commonwealth Books doesn’t exist. Located on Spring Street, it becomes easy to walk by and not even notice an entire bookstore is present. Commonwealth subsists as one of the few antiquarian bookstores in Boston, offering a huge selection of not only books but decorative art pieces as well. If you are a student and find yourself looking for a relatively inexpensive used book for class, you definitely want to come here. If you aren’t a student and just enjoy finding cheap literature, then I encourage you to make a trip here as well.
Commonwealth has a relatively low key and undisturbed vibe. What I mean by this is that you don’t need to worry about walking in and immediately feeling the pressure to find what you’re looking for and get out as quickly as possible. This definitely isn’t one of those places where you run into someone who only came in to abuse free Wi-Fi or the public restroom (because we’ve all encountered those types in bookstores before). I was one of four customers in the store, and I could tell that each of them was in no rush to leave anytime soon.
For a small space, there is a lot. After combing through each aisle, I was able to confirm that genres ranged from literature, poetry, history, medieval manuscripts, mystery and suspense, etc. Aside from owner Joe Phillip's cat, Dusty, who roams throughout the store, Commonwealth’s main attraction undoubtedly, is its authentic and original selection of literature and decorative art. You definitely forget you are essentially in the middle of the chaotic Downtown Crossing in this unique and preserved environment.
Since this is a used bookstore, things are reasonably priced. Items seemed to range from $2 to under $20, depending on what you’re purchasing. The art pieces and maps that are also sold at Commonwealth were slightly more expensive, but still rational.
Both bookstores have something to offer, and if you are someone who is interested in writing and literature, chances are you will have a successful experience if you take a trip to either store.
