Island Book Store-Kitty Hawk

Great shop for local authors, buy a book read a free before posted title, and so many more merch finds! A nice retreat away from the bustle of the shops! Good prices and nice collection of books, magazines, and novelty book items!

Cute bookstore, great service and everything was reasonably priced just wish they offered more local handmade items like the Manteo location and had the blind date with a book option. Still found some great things that I'm super happy with!

First time checking this book store out and I will be back! Something about the feeling of entering a little book store is the best! I wish I had taken some pictures. They have lots of options! Including a little section of Reese Witherspoons book club books! Also top picks, employees picks, and childrens books! I will definitely be back! I also received two bookmarks with my purchase.

Bottom Line:  A charming and well organized local bookstore packed full of books, magazines and related goodies. I'm a big fan of Island Bookstore! The store in Kitty Hawk is relatively small but it is packed full of books and it is super organized. I always check out the local books up front before meandering to the kids section to relive my childhood. On my most recent visit I just explored on my own but on previous trips when I was on a mission I found the staff to be very helpful. Overall, visiting this store is a great experience.

It's so refreshing to see a small bookstore that isn't a Barnes and Noble or Amazon store. We were browsing things to do while in Outer Banks and everyone in my family wanted to come here. I think every one of us walked out with something. My daughter got birthday money from her grandpa and I let her pick out multiple books with it. She very methodically looked at all of it before selecting. I appreciated that they also had a few language books for kids that weren't just Spanish. There are also gifts by the register if you want OBX souvenirs. I purchased a fun magnet for our cat sitter watching the kitties while we were on vacation.My favorite thing about here was the bookcase full of ARCs at the entrance of the store. If you make a purchase, you can pick one. I probably browsed that shelf as extensively as the rest of the store :)

Been going here for years. Sometimes I find new authors that I enjoy. Browsing is fun and relaxing. We like to walk around Scarborough Faire then go to book store. Their store in Corolla is also full of the latest books. The Corolla store is near the lighthouse and an old ( but still used) school. This is where I found Henning Mankell and Gary Disher books.

My family had moved to KHD 6 months ago and this was our go to place for books. Today I went into the store to pick up a book that was set aside for us and also browse for something new to read. I then overheard the cashier telling a white mom and her white daughter if they want to sign up for a loyalty program, if you spend $150 you will get $10 back. I subsequently picked up a new book and went to get rung up, the cashier did not mention anything about a loyalty program. I thought again, and remembered vaguely that we might be in the system. I asked her about the program and she said oh, yes we have that and proceed to help get my points into my account. She wrote down the amount that I spent and upon locating my last name, she did nothing to verify if it was the right account and told me that she will get it into the system. I'm a minority living in OBX, and everyone had been respectful but this by far was the most discriminating experience I have had in OBX. We all might have a 'moment', a lapse in judgement and try to explain and excuse away any unconscious bias but this is really unacceptable. This is why people gets pushed to online shopping because online shopping doesn't make you feel like crap. I will be sending my white husband to return my purchases tomorrow.

I've recently had a chance to visit all of the Island Book Stores (there are two other locations in Corolla and Duck), this is by far my favorite location. While this store is smaller, the aisles are wide - easy to navigate, the location feels fresh and modern, and the collection has great depth, you'll be challenged to NOT find a book for every member of your family. The store does not have a coffee shop or comfy chairs but you'll find lots to love in this bookstore if you love books. They have the newest of the newest books published, bestsellers, and carefully curated titles for every category you can thing of: from military history, southern fiction to cookbooks, spirituality and everything in between. If you have children, they have an extensive collection of picture books, middle grade and YA. Your young reader will have much to choose from.There is of course, a nice selection of stories sets in the Outer Banks and the south generally.While all of the Island Book Stores have a great collection, if you can only visit one location on the island, I suggest you make this your stop. You won't be disappointed.

I visited this shop after stopping in Beach Bread Co. I'm surprised at how many books they could cram in here! They had books lined up in little nooks everywhere, even the space between the floor and bookshelves. I was also surprised at some of the weird things they carry. My brother asked for this obscure graphic novel and they said they had just sold the last copy.This place has a lot of stuff, but it's not really organized. I feel like they haven't visited other bookstores and they organize things in a way that makes sense to them. There were cooking books in the non-fiction, but some non-fiction books in the cooking section, etc. There's also a "new" section, but since they only have about 1 copy of each thing, that's just a catch all. After looking all over for a memoir, I sighted it behind another book on this "new" turnstile. I didn't end up buying it because I felt bad getting the last copy. Some of the people that work here are nice, but some of them are not nice at all.

This is the second summer I've gone to this bookstore after discovering it last summer. They have a fabulous selection - everything from the latest bestsellers to an array of biographies and nonfiction to robust genre sections for the size of the store. I can never resist the bookish magnets, tote bags, and accessories they keep up front. There's truly something for everyone!