Katie and I love books (and coffee); and it seems Polk County does as well.
This list is one of the most requested since we started our Best Of Polk category (to rank local businesses that are outside of our Best Food In Polk category).
We've covered the best museums in Polk, the best trails and parks, and even the best dog parks — but you guys made it clear that you want to know where to go for a good book and some vibes.
A historic building converted into mazes of used books.
A shop in Winter Haven that went viral on TikTok.
A shop above a working coffeehouse in downtown Bartow.
A used bookstore built into the same building as a public library.
And Lakeland runs an actual annual bookstore crawl.
We dug through hundreds of local reviews across every corner of the county to rank the shops locals actually keep going back to.
Not just the ones with the biggest storefront.
Quick Note: Katie and I have been to every single one of these bookstores, and I'll add in our specific thoughts here and there as we make our way through this list BUT .. this is based on local recommendations and reviews.
Best Overall: Inklings Book Shoppe
The Best Bookstores In Polk County, Florida
Inklings Book Shoppe — 737 S Missouri Ave, Lakeland
Combining both Google Reviews and local recommendations, Inklings took this one by a landslide.
Inklings is the most reviewed bookstore in the county by a wide margin, 430 reviews landing at a 4.7-star average, and it's not close for a reason.
This is also mine and Katie's favorite — and happens to be right across from Hillcrest Coffee (which matches the vibes pretty perfectly) and almost make it another contender for books + coffee on this list.
Inklings has multiple rooms of used books stacked floor to ceiling inside a converted historic building.
Finley and his wife Carmen are amazing, as well as everyone we've had help us when visiting — and they're also the coordinators behind many of the things that help The Lakeland Book Crawl happen every year.
Quick Information:
- Location: 737 S Missouri Ave, Lakeland
- Cost: Free to browse, used books priced individually
- Hours: Mon 12–4pm; Tue–Sat 10am–6pm; Sun 12–4pm
- Phone: (863) 665-3004
- Amenities: Trade-in credit, multiple themed rooms
Best For A Full Afternoon: The Book Shelter
The Best Bookstores In Polk County, Florida
The Book Shelter — 5999 Dundee Rd #550, Winter Haven
The Book Shelter is a shop that had a moment on TikTok, and the reviews back it up.
200 reviews, 4.9 stars.
Reviews call out how clean and organized the space is, not always a given at a used bookstore this size, plus genuinely affordable pricing across the board.
Kids' books run $0.50–$2, adult books $3–$4, and they take trade-ins for store credit the same way Inklings does.
The Book Shelter first opened in 2019 in Lake Wales, Florida, but is now located in Winter Haven.
It is also a sister-shop of the next bookstore on our list, located in Lakeland.
Quick Information:
- Location: Cypress Creek Plaza, 5999 Dundee Rd., Winter Haven
- Cost: Kids' books $0.50–$2, adult books $3–$4
- Hours: Mon closed; Tue–Sat 10am–7pm; Sun 10am–5pm
- Phone: (863) 326-9009
- Amenities: Trade-in credit, kids' reading table, well-organized by genre
Best For Sheer Volume: BookaReaderville
BookaReaderville — 5999 Dundee Rd #550, Winter Haven
This one's basically Book Shelter's bigger sibling, in scale, not always in variety.
4.9 stars across 147 reviews.
It looks unassuming from the parking lot and opens up into a genuinely huge space, mid-height shelving throughout so you can see clear across the store, plus dedicated kids' rooms broken out by age.
One small note is the collection leans heavily paperback and mass market.
I did grab a couple books from the smaller hardcover section, and was really happy with some finds, but if you're hunting something specific or want a lot of variety in format, this isn't necessarily your first stop.
BUT .. if you just want to disappear into shelves for an hour and come out with an armful, few places in the county do volume better.
Quick Information:
- Location: 2120 S Combee Rd, Lakeland
- Cost: Budget-friendly, mostly paperback pricing
- Hours: Mon closed; Tue–Sat 10am–7pm; Sun 10am–5pm
- Phone: (863) 333-0046
- Amenities: Kids' rooms by age group, mid-height shelving for easy browsing
Best For A Treasure Hunt: Bookends Used Books
The Best Bookstores In Polk County, Florida
Bookends Used Books — 5100 US Hwy 98 N #4, Lakeland
More than one reviewer used the exact same word for this place: a maze.
I didn't know whether to label this as a hidden gem or a treasure hunt, but if you don't know about it, it's both.
This is genuinely one of my favorites on the list because it's completely unknown whether or not I'll find something good — but I almost always leave extremely surprised and happy.
4.6 stars across 171 reviews.
It's genuinely a lot to dig through, rows and rows (with a system, but definitely not perfect), and a few reviewers admit it's a little intimidating walking in.
But that's kind of the point.
Staff know the shelves inside and out and will help you hunt down anything specific.
Quick Information:
- Location: 5100 US Hwy 98 N #4, Lakeland
- Cost: Used books, budget-friendly, trade-in credit accepted
- Hours: Mon 11am–5pm; Tue–Sat 10:30am–5:30pm; Sun closed
- Phone: (863) 815-4476
- Amenities: Wide genre range including YA and children's books, trade-in credit, staff who know the inventory by heart
Best Coffee + Books Combo: Friends of the Library + Richard's
The Best Bookstores In Polk County, Florida
Friends of the Winter Haven Public Library — 325 Avenue A NW, Winter Haven
This one's inside the actual library, and it shares the building with Richard's Coffee Shop, so the combo isn't a stretch, it's built in.
4.2 stars, the lowest average on this list, but the sample is small (14 reviews) and the reviews read like a love letter to a nonprofit that's just quietly doing its job.
And with that in mind, this one might technically be our hidden gem.
Most books run absurdly low, close to like $1–$2, and they have half price sales (on top of the already low price) every third Saturday of the month.
If you're looking for the largest with the best variety, this probably isn't it.
BUT, if you're looking for the best spot to leave with a BOX full of books (yes, a box, Katie and I have done this); this is your spot.
If you're looking for the largest with the best variety, this probably isn't it.
Quick Information:
- Location: 325 Avenue A NW, Winter Haven
- Cost: Many $1–$2
- Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–4pm; Sun closed
- Phone: (863) 292-0540
- Amenities: Library and Richard's Coffee Shop in the same building, half-off sale every 3rd Saturday, proceeds support the library
Best Vibes (Coffee + Books 2.0): The Second Story + Unfiltered
The Best Bookstores In Polk County, Florida
The Second Story — 160 S Broadway Ave, Bartow
Literally the second story, this shop sits above Unfiltered, a working coffee shop in downtown Bartow.
4.9 stars across 27 reviews, with a mix of new and used titles.
One signature touch worth knowing about: wrapped "mystery" book bundles, themed and sealed so you don't know exactly what you're getting until you open it.
Grab a coffee downstairs, then take the stairs up to browse.
It's less about efficiency and more about the whole vibe of the visit, one reviewer said it makes you wish for a rainy day just to have an excuse to stay all afternoon.
Quick Information:
- Location: 160 S Broadway Ave, Bartow
- Cost: Varies by book
- Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–3pm; Sun closed
- Phone: (863) 225-3565
- Amenities: Coffee shop downstairs, mystery book bundles, new and used titles
The Honorable Mentions
Six featured "winners" never tell the whole story in a county this big.
Here's the rest of the list...
Pressed Books & Coffee (Lakeland): 4.7 stars, 217 reviews, the biggest review count of any honorable mention on this list. Downtown Lakeland, coffee shop first with a curated book section, cozy enough that reviewers keep calling it a "third space." A regular stop on the Lakeland Book Crawl every year it's run.
Book Lovers Store (Lake Wales): A perfect 5.0 stars, 13 reviews, small sample. Tucked inside the Sunshine Flea Market on US-27. A mother-daughter team, Tina and Marie, started it after Tina handed her daughter 240 boxes of books she wanted gone. Kids get a free book on the way out. Open Friday through Sunday only.
The Unbound Bookery (Lakeland): 4.9 stars, 46 reviews. Tucked inside a boutique rather than a standalone storefront. Focused on vintage and rare finds, prices start around $10. Reviews call out the owner, Sandi, by name for tracking down hard-to-find titles.
The Bookish Flower Bookstore & S&E Vintage (Lakeland): A perfect 5.0 stars, 25 reviews. Themed reading rooms mixed with antiques, two minutes from the Frank Lloyd Wright campus. Limited days: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
The bookshelf (Winter Haven): 5.0 stars, 21 reviews. Brand new, sitting right in downtown Winter Haven. Mix of new releases, signed copies, and a used section, with small gifts and knick-knacks alongside.
Bartow Christian Books & Gifts (Bartow): 4.9 stars, 202 reviews. Same owners, Sue and Bo, for 50 years. Bibles, Christian titles, and gifts. Closed Sundays.
Kathryn's Christian Books (Lake Wales): 4.9 stars, 240 reviews. Part bookstore, part coffee shop, part ice cream counter, all inside a historic downtown building. A genuinely unusual combination that keeps people coming back.
Gospel Inn Bookstore (Lakeland): 4.8 stars, 159 reviews. Run by an elderly couple, described in one review as "honorary grandparents." Deep selection of Bibles, hymnals, and church supplies.
Crash Bookshop (Lakeland): A pop-up, not a fixed storefront, so hours only exist through Instagram. Born out of the Lakeland Book Crawl, with reviews pointing to personal book recommendations from the owner.
Watch Your Days
Bookstores keep some of the strangest hours on any Best Of list we've done, so plan ahead.
Weekend-only: Book Lovers Store is Friday through Sunday exclusively, closed the rest of the week.
Two or three days a week: The Bookish Flower is only open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. Crash Bookshop only exists when its Instagram says it does.
Closed Sundays: Most of this list, Inklings being the one real exception with limited Sunday hours.
Cash only: Friends of the Winter Haven Public Library doesn't take cards. Bring cash or a check.
Best plan: if you're building a bookstore crawl of your own, Lakeland's cluster (Inklings, BookaReaderville, Bookends) is close enough to hit in one afternoon, with some fun extras to throw in like Pressed in downtown that'll give you a nice coffee break as well. Check each one's specific open days first.
THANKS!
We put real time into this list.
But you all know this county better than any algorithm does.
If there's a bookstore we missed, one that's gotten better (or worse) recently, or a hidden gem we should know about, reply and tell us.
We'll update this list and give credit where it's due.
Polk County's bookstore scene punches way above its weight for a county this size. A shop born from 240 boxes of unwanted books. A bookstore that went viral without trying. A store that's stayed in the same family's hands for 50 years.
Now you know where the locals go.
Get out there.
- Mike Romaine
Never Miss An Event Or Story
There’s a brand new bookstore that just opened up last week in Lakeland: The Mustard Seed Books & Gifts is a Christian and family friendly used bookstore located directly across the street from BookaReaderville. The address is 2151 S. Combee Rd, Lakeland, FL. Website is mustardseedlkld.com.
Girl Book Shelter and BAR charge $5 for hardcovers!