Check out these 5 independent Santa Fe bookstores

Santa Fe’s literary history runs deep. Lew Wallace penned Ben-Hur at the Palace of the Governors in 1880. Willa Cather’s visits to The City Different inspired the setting of her classic 1927 novel, Death Comes for the Archbishop. And the late Pulitzer Prize–winning author Cormac McCarthy was a longtime trustee at the Santa Fe Institute. The tradition continues today, with many Santa Feans declaring they’re either an author or a poet.

So it’s no surprise that independent bookstores thrive in Santa Fe—at last count there were 18 such shops sprinkled around town. To nurture this vibrant community of readers and writers, and to boost profits, a handful of city booksellers also incorporate coffeehouses or coffee bars.

Check out these 5 bookshops where you can leaf through the latest Stephen King novel while sipping a gourmet cup of java, tea, or even a craft beer.

Cheers to the written word!

That vintage vinyl Jefferson Airplane album you’ve been hunting for? A copy of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl? They’re here at this downtown new and used record and bookshop with a counterculture edge. Knowledgeable owner Ken Kordich oversees a small but thoughtfully chosen inventory of books, including literary fiction, music, history, and philosophy. On the vinyl side, flip through record bins loaded with everything from rock and country to avant-garde jazz and hip-hop.

The “good stuff” brewed here is Italian-import Danesi Caffè coffee, cortados, lattes, cappuccinos, and a righteously intense espresso. Most drinks are available iced.

Downtown’s best-known bookstore opened in 1978 on West San Francisco Street. It moved to its present, larger, Galisteo Street locale in 2010, in part to add coffeehouse space and a small stage for author events. Longtime owner Dorothy Massey credits her well-read staff and skilled baristas with fostering a genial literary hub buzzing with locals, guidebook-seeking tourists, and visiting authors.

Santa Fe’s beloved Iconik Coffee Roasters supplies the beans that keep the coffeehouse humming with its house blend, lattes, espressos, cappuccinos, and mochas. Tea drinkers can enjoy black, Earl Grey, green, lemon ginger, and hibiscus varieties. In the spring and summer, cool off with fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Collected Works has serious sweet-treat game (muffins, brownies, cookies) thanks to its supplier, Santa Fe’s fantastic Chocolate Maven Bakery. The warm, gooey chocolate-pecan tart is not to be missed.

Hefty hardbacks wrapped in shiny dust jackets bearing dragons, fairies, and demons line the shelves of this fantasy and sci-fi haven owned by Game of Thrones creator and Santa Fe resident George R.R. Martin. Chances are slim that you’ll find Martin himself manning the cash register, though the author does autograph his own books for sale in the shop.

In addition to new titles, Beastly offers a selection of vintage first-edition books as well as a busy slate of author appearances, open mics, and writing workshops.

Beastly fuels bookworms with outstanding hand-roasted java from Las Cruces–based Picacho Coffee Roasters. A mix of locals, tourists, and kids from the high school across the street come in for espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, chai teas, and mind-blowing mochas made with vegan chocolate. A nice perk for attending one of Beastly’s free in-store events: half-price coffee.

Dunk a vegan biscotti in your java, or go big with  a fat chocolate chip cookie.

You won’t feel overwhelmed by a blizzard of books at this tidy eastside shop. Owner Jean Devine annually sifts through thousands of new titles and curates what she calls “a selection driven by the local community and what they want to read.” Think carefully chosen bestsellers, new fiction, poetry, art, history, children’s books, local travel, gardening, and cookbooks.

Garcia’s next-door newsstand and café, Downtown Subscription, is the spot to grab a copy of The New Yorker and a coffee or tea from a lengthy list of choices. In warm weather, the expansive back patio with native plants and umbrella-shaded tables is perfect for losing yourself in a good book.

While you’re next door at Downtown Subscription, feast on a sausage-and-egg breakfast burrito or a deli sandwich, supplied by Santa Fe’s Tesuque Village Market.

Travel guidebooks and paper maps may be an antiquated notion to some, but not to the old-school visitors and topographic map geeks browsing this specialty shop’s vast stock of titles that cover the globe. The selection of New Mexico hiking guides is particularly impressive. Travelers with high-end taste in luggage will find suitcases and bags by the likes of Thule and Briggs & Riley.

Pull up a chair in the comfy café and taproom to leaf through your new purchase while sipping a cup of joe from Albuquerque’s Red Rock Coffee Roasters. During the pandemic, owner Greg Ohlsen began brewing his own beer on-site. “I’m a self-taught YouTube brewer,” he says. While his backroom brew operation is a humble affair, Ohlsen manages to turn out a worthy Wanderlust IPA and respectable Rough Draft Ale. 

Soak up those suds with a house-made turkey, ham, or veggie panini or a warm egg, green chile, and cheese breakfast sandwich.

On the last Saturday in April, indie bookstores in Santa Fe and across the country celebrate the written word with special author events, exclusive books, and deals.

For the third year, bookworms and globally renowned writers will converge at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center for a weekend packed with author lectures, book signings, poetry slams, and music. Among the big-name scribes slated to appear are Hampton Sides, Anthony Doerr, Julia Alvarez, David Grann, and Anne Lamott. Admission starts at $27.50.

Eli Ellison is a Santa Fe–based writer and bookstore hound.