There are few pleasures quite like walking into a proper independent bookshop without knowing what you are going to leave with. Kent has an excellent collection of them, ranging from carefully curated contemporary bookshops to sprawling second-hand treasure troves where an intended five-minute browse can easily turn into an afternoon.
They are also increasingly about more than simply buying a book. Across the county, independent booksellers are hosting author talks, book clubs, children’s storytimes and literary events, recommending titles that might never appear on an algorithm-driven bestseller list and helping to keep Kent’s high streets interesting.
Whether you are looking for a new novel, children’s books, rare editions, literary gifts or simply somewhere worth making a detour for, these are some of the best independent bookshops in Kent to explore.
Best Independent Bookshops in Kent
Sevenoaks Bookshop, Sevenoaks
Independent bookselling has been part of Sevenoaks High Street since 1948, making Sevenoaks Bookshop one of the county’s established literary institutions. It combines an extensive selection of new books with the sort of personal recommendations that remain one of the biggest reasons to shop independently.
The shop caters for adults and younger readers across a broad range of genres, while its programme of author talks, book clubs and literary events gives it a role well beyond retail. It was named Independent Bookshop of the Year for the UK and Ireland at the 2021 British Book Awards and continues to work closely with Sevenoaks Literary Festival.
There is also an in-shop café and a busy programme of visiting writers, making this somewhere you can easily spend considerably longer than it takes to choose your next book.
Station Books, Tunbridge Wells
One of the newer additions to Kent’s independent bookselling scene, Station Books describes itself as Tunbridge Wells’ ‘little orange bookshop’ and places particular emphasis on carefully selected books rather than trying to stock absolutely everything.
Science fiction and fantasy are specialities, including signed editions and harder-to-find releases, but the selection extends well beyond those genres. The shop also works with Spy Readers to provide clearly signposted books for children with dyslexia and reluctant readers.
Its events calendar is particularly active, with regular children’s storytimes, contemporary fiction groups, fantasy and science-fiction book clubs, visiting authors and occasional late-night shopping. For readers who enjoy discovering a community around books as much as buying them, it is one of the most interesting independents in West Kent.
The Folkestone Bookshop, Folkestone
Situated on Tontine Street, The Folkestone Bookshop has developed a distinctive identity as a radical, independent and LGBTQ+ bookshop with a strong focus on inclusivity and community.
Alongside general fiction, crime, gardening, nature and food writing, its shelves deliberately make space for diverse and less conventional voices. There is a dedicated children’s section too, together with both new and second-hand books.
Regular storytimes, writing groups, crafting sessions, book clubs, workshops and author events make the shop part of Folkestone’s wider creative scene. It is particularly worth visiting if your idea of a good independent bookshop is somewhere that encourages you to discover books you would be unlikely to encounter during an ordinary high-street browse.
The Margate Bookshop, Margate
In Margate’s Market Place, The Margate Bookshop combines a beautifully curated selection with a strong connection to its local community.
The shop stocks new fiction, non-fiction and books for children and young adults, with staff selections and changing featured titles encouraging browsing rather than simply heading straight for the latest bestseller.
Its community involvement is also notable. Through customer support, the bookshop has raised more than £5,000 towards buying books for local primary schools, giving purchases made here a wider impact beyond the shop itself.
Its central Old Town location makes it an easy addition to a day exploring Margate’s galleries, independent shops and cafés.
Harbour Books, Whitstable
Whitstable already rewards aimless wandering, and Harbour Books on Harbour Street fits neatly into the town’s independent character.
This is primarily a contemporary independent bookshop, with shelves spanning new fiction and non-fiction, poetry and other current releases. If a particular title is not available in store, the shop also offers a book-request service rather than limiting customers to what happens to be on the shelves that day.
Its location makes it especially easy to combine a visit with the rest of Whitstable: browse for a new book, wander towards the harbour and then find somewhere along the coast to start reading it.
The Best of Times, Broadstairs
Broadstairs has one of Kent’s strongest literary connections thanks to Charles Dickens, and The Best of Times brings that tradition into the present day.
The independent bookshop and café opened with the idea of creating somewhere not merely to shop, but to browse, read, write and spend time. Its carefully selected new books are spread across two floors, while the café means there is no need to rush once you have found something interesting.
There is also a programme of book clubs, writers’ groups, author events and live evenings, while a dedicated children’s offering makes it suitable for younger readers as well.
The name itself is a nod to the opening of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, making it a particularly fitting stop in a town so closely associated with the author.
Tales on Market Street, Faversham
Faversham is already one of Kent’s best towns for independent shopping, and Tales on Market Street adds an appropriately unusual bookshop to the mix.
The independent shop offers a curated collection spanning fiction, travel, art, history and children’s books alongside stationery and gifts. It also retains its connection with Top Hat & Tales, giving the business the unusual distinction of combining bookselling with hats, clothing and accessories.
Books that are not already stocked can usually be ordered, while author events and reading groups give regular visitors another reason to return. Its position around Faversham’s historic Market Place makes it easy to include as part of a wider afternoon exploring the town’s independent shops and market.
Baggins Book Bazaar, Rochester
If your perfect bookshop involves orderly displays and minimalist shelving, Baggins Book Bazaar may require a change of mindset. If it involves getting pleasantly lost amongst thousands upon thousands of second-hand books, it may be exactly what you are looking for.
Established in Rochester in 1986, Baggins describes itself as the largest second-hand bookshop in England. Its labyrinthine shelves cover almost every imaginable subject, from fiction and history to art, natural history, travel, transport, music, theology and children’s books.
The pleasure here is as much in the search as the purchase. It is the sort of bookshop where you might arrive looking for one particular title and leave carrying something you did not know existed.
Its position on Rochester High Street, close to the castle, cathedral and Guildhall Museum, also makes it particularly easy to build into a literary day out in one of Kent’s most historic towns.
The Chaucer Bookshop, Canterbury
Canterbury’s literary associations go back centuries, and The Chaucer Bookshop feels suitably at home within the city’s historic centre.
Established in 1956 and housed in an 18th-century building within the city walls, it specialises in second-hand and antiquarian books across two floors. Around 20,000 books are available in the shop, ranging from fine bindings and collectable editions to much more accessible paperbacks.
Original prints, maps and other paper collectables broaden the appeal for anyone interested in history or unusual finds. Only part of its stock appears online, so browsing the shelves in person remains very much the point.
It is also only a short walk from Canterbury Cathedral, making it an easy stop when exploring the city on foot.
Where to Find Second-Hand and Rare Books in Kent
Readers who enjoy the unpredictability of second-hand bookshops should start with Rochester and Canterbury.
Baggins Book Bazaar is difficult to beat for sheer scale. Its extensive general stock means you can browse numerous subjects without needing to be an antiquarian collector, while the maze-like layout is part of the experience.
The Chaucer Bookshop offers a different style of browsing, with second-hand and antiquarian books sitting alongside original prints and maps in its historic Canterbury premises.
Station Books in Tunbridge Wells also lists selected rare and antiquarian titles, with particular interest in science-fiction and fantasy first editions, making it worth checking for collectors interested in those genres.
Kent Bookshops That Are Worth Visiting for the Events
Independent bookshops increasingly act as small cultural venues, and several Kent shops have particularly busy programmes.
Sevenoaks Bookshop regularly attracts established writers for talks and signings and works alongside Sevenoaks Literary Festival. Station Books runs an unusually broad calendar of book clubs, storytimes and author events, while The Folkestone Bookshop hosts everything from writing groups and workshops to signings and children’s activities.
The Best of Times in Broadstairs has been created with events and literary gatherings as a central part of the space rather than an occasional extra, and Tales on Market Street in Faversham also hosts author events and reading groups.
If a particular event is the reason for your journey, check directly with the bookshop before travelling as schedules and ticket availability change throughout the year.
Best Independent Bookshops in Kent for Children’s Books
Several of Kent’s independents put real effort into younger readers rather than treating children’s books as a small corner of an adult shop.
The Folkestone Bookshop has its own children’s bookshop alongside regular storytimes and inclusive reading choices. Station Books holds Saturday storytime sessions and has worked on a range aimed at dyslexic and reluctant readers, while Sevenoaks Bookshop has a longstanding reputation for books for readers of all ages.
The Margate Bookshop’s children’s and young-adult selection is backed by its work raising money for books for local primary schools, while The Best of Times also has space dedicated to younger readers.
For parents, that combination of well-chosen books and actual human recommendations can be particularly valuable when trying to find something beyond the titles children already know.
Turn a Bookshop Visit Into a Kent Day Out
One of the advantages of Kent’s independent bookshops is that many sit in towns that are already rewarding places to spend a day.
Rochester combines Baggins with the cathedral, castle and historic High Street. Canterbury offers The Chaucer Bookshop alongside its medieval centre and cathedral, while Whitstable lets you pair Harbour Books with a walk towards the harbour and coast.
On the Isle of Thanet, Margate and Broadstairs provide two very different bookshop experiences within a relatively short distance of one another. Folkestone combines its independent bookshop with the Creative Quarter and seafront, while Faversham’s markets and independent shopping make Tales on Market Street an easy part of a wider visit.
Bookshops work particularly well as destinations because there is no need to hurry. Give yourself enough time to browse rather than approaching them like another shop on a list to tick off.
Why Kent’s Independent Bookshops Are Worth Supporting
The obvious difference between an independent bookshop and ordering a title online is the ability to pick up a book you were never intending to buy.
Good booksellers curate rather than simply stock. They put unfamiliar writers beside established names, recommend books based on a conversation and create shelves around subjects that matter to their particular community.
That role extends outside the shop too. Author events, children’s storytimes, reading groups, school initiatives and literary festivals all create opportunities for readers and writers to meet in ways that a warehouse and delivery van cannot reproduce.
Kent is fortunate to have independents ranging from beautifully curated new-book shops to vast second-hand collections, specialist booksellers and spaces where coffee, events and reading deliberately overlap.
So the next time you need a new book, it may be worth resisting the one-click order. Head into one of Kent’s independent bookshops, ask what the booksellers have been enjoying and leave a little room in the bag for something you did not know you were looking for.