191 Bank Street, Burlington, VT

Phoenix Books is located one block from Burlington’s Church Street, a bustling downtown commercial center with the feel of an outdoor mall except filled with a mix of indie shops and major retailers. Among the many lively, unique shops is Phoenix, a spectacular bookstore filled with bestsellers, bargain books, art supplies, and something creative and literary for any browser.

The shop itself has a brick exterior and a clean, organized interior, with bright overhead lights, squared carpeting, and loads of bright displays featuring new books, themed collections, and topics ranging from writers of color, next indie lists, and a hefty dose of local poetry, which I found not far from the main entrance to the right. The front of the shop also had a discounted book rack out front, general fiction, mystery, sci-fi, books related to upcoming events (and they had plenty in the works), comics and graphic novels, and a whole bunch of notebooks, cards, and gifts.

Up a short set of stirs in a lofted area I found art books and art supplies, as well as books on travel, language, foreign cultures, educational materials, sexual and racial issues, and much more. Moving into the back end of the store is a wider area chock full of YA, middle reader, indies for kids, and the full spectrum of children’s books, from picture books to chapter readers, with puzzles, games, toys, anything you might need for younger readers, even the tiniest ones. The murals on the wall above the shelves were a nice touch, and the big windows give the area of the shop an inviting and pleasant feel.

Over in this area is a larger staircase leading into the basement, which is filled with bargain books, with many discounted down to the $4 to $8 range, even recent bestsellers. This is what every bargain hunter dreams of, not just a rack or a shelf but a whole room of books that make you wonder if you should grab a tote on your way down to fill up and bring them all home. I sure wanted to, but I left with a modest 2-3 books to keep me tied over until my next visit.

Atmosphere — A large, vibrant shop with a wide array of bestsellers, classics, comics, gifts, games, art supplies, and discounted titles on multiple floors. Well staffed and bustling, this shop has a lot of life to it and feels like part bookshop, part community arts resource.

Quality — The books are all new.

Quantity — They have a load of books packed into a couple of floors and a lofted area. There’s enough to keep you browsing for quite a while.

Diversity — This shop hits all the main categories, with plenty of local poetry, socially-conscious selections, children’s books, art, language, and discounted fiction.

Affordability — New books at new book prices, but they have plenty of new discounted books out front and downstairs.

Amenities — They have quite a bit more than just books, with a lot of space for events, educational materials, gifts, games, puzzles, cards, etc.

Location — One block away from the tourist-heavy Church Street, which is flush with cafes, restaurants, store, and parking lots for easy access (although my lot didn’t give me a ticket on the way in so getting out was a bit of a hassle – oops!)

Customer Service — The staff seemed busy and helpful though we didn’t interact too much aside from checkout.

Overall — All in all, this is the type of bookstore any town or city would be lucky to have, with plenty of deals, author events, a wide array of bright new offerings, and just enough extras like art supplies, gifts, and works from locals that push Phoenix from being just a good shop to a great one. Highly recommended.