Hickory Stick Book Shop

Everything a locsl book stop should be. Great general selection, including children's titles. Fine local history and local authors sections, and, of course Gilmore Girld related books.

Since moving to West Central Connecticut in 2021 I have been looking for a bookstore of the caliber of St. Marks Book Store in the East Village of New York, or, as I reminisce back to my youth, PaperBack Booksmith in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

I think the Hickory Stick Bookstore fits the bill - especially when I consider Philip Roth lived within 15 miles of the location, Saul Bellow taught at Bard College - a mere 40 miles away, and Bernard Malamud taught at Bennington again, close by, in Southern Vermont.

The staff tells me Hickory Stick Bookshop has operated for the last 70 years - perhaps it isn't a stretch to imagine these writers did walk the store way back when.

Back to Christmas time, 2023:

The book store is notable, for me, because the staff does me the favor of prominently displaying current fiction peeking my interest. Finding a store I can mind meld with is an important plus for me.

The staff writes their own reviews of many of the titles. I enjoy reading their take on titles I, myself, have read.

Hickory Stick Bookshop hosts live presentations by authors. I will admit I found a similar feature for a bookshop located in Huntington Village, on Long Island, but I can't say I ever mind melded with the Hunting Village shop as I have with this one.

Getting back to reminiscing ... The staff tells me the Gilmore Girls book & TV series were created within a few walking steps of The Hickory Stick Bookshop.

Nifty!

If you are driving through Washington & Washington Depot I recommend you pop into The Hickory Stick Bookshop.

Great small town book store. Lots of unique and unusual finds. Very friendly and helpful.

Love this bookstore. Awesome selection of books. Friendly staff. Good variety and inventory. I love browsing the shelves and buying new books to bring home. My only small complaint is that they don’t have a restroom for customers. There is a public restroom in town about a quarter mile away or a coffee shop a few doors down, but challenging if you have any mobility issues or small children.

Charming setting, wonderful selection of books and items for gifts.

The best book store! Friendly staff. Cozy environment. Great selection of books and gift ideas. We love this place!

Lovely book store! Their displays always have something worth checking out. The display this past mother's day was a lifesaver, as it had the PERFECT book for my mom in it. Love their children's book section, my kids love it as well (they love going and never want to leave). To be honest I could probably spend all day there as well. They have author signings regularly, and host storytimes and other events that they post online.

Amazing bookstore in a small town. Their selection was huge and the environment was friendly and inviting.

Wonderfully curated children’s section, very helpful staff as well!

This bookshop is local to where my boyfriend lives and I decided that during this time it would be a good idea to help small local businesses. I have always loved the hickory stick and will continue to support them. Along with the 2 books I purchased they also gave me a free ARC of another book that looks really good! Service was super quick and efficient and everyone I spoke to was very kind and helpful when trying to figure out what books on my list they had. Will of course continue to shop here!

Such an amazing book store,! Exactly what you want in a small town. Wonderful selection, great staff... And they did a story time that my son absolutely loved!!!

It's always a pleasure to visit an independent bookstore. This one is well organized, with a friendly staff and a good selection. I purchased a new, to me, title by an author I had previously enjoyed. If I ever pass this way again, I will surely visit once more.

Loved the bookstore! Spent a good amount of time reading through children's books with my kids. Will definitely go back!

Nice place! Clean, organized, a little small. Very friendly and helpful staff. Mostly modern books (retail price). Enormous kids section and lots of little Knick knacks. A great place for any book enthusiast!

Hickory Stick is a small Bookshop in the middle of Washington Depot Connecticut and it is recognized as one of the bookshops where writers come to talk and have book signing. It is extremely simple but sophisticated. Many people visit there when they come into town. I like it very much. It has interesting, novel, and unique gifts and books. I highly recommend it.

Wonderful corner book shop. Great selection and the staff was extremely knowledgeable.

Loved the local selection as well as the stationary options. We all need to write more beautiful letters to one another!

What a lovely bookstore! They have a huge selection; I was really impressed. Very kind people that work there gave my daughter stickers. 💗

My daughter and I visited this bookstore and loved everything about it. The attending staff are really cordial and friendly.

Walking through an independent bookstore is pure bliss to me. The Hickory Stick Book Shop typically has exactly what I am seeking. The staff is wonderfully sweet and helpful.

We love this bookshop. We come here every time we are in our country home. Always have great book recommendations for both fiction and non-fiction. Great gifts and kids section, too!