Whitlocks Book Barn

this place is AWESOME.
set back amongst farms & horses on a windy back road, it is a quiet little paradise to spend hours looking through books & old postcards. there are two barns to scour, & i always find something interesting.
i usually bike there, as a manner of limiting myself on how many books i can fit into my bag home. it’s a significant uphill on the way from new haven, but it makes for a sweet downhill home!

Great way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon. All kinds of cool old books. And little treasures in the under $ 5 barn :)

This is such a cool place to visit. It reminds me of a similar bookstore near my parents’ house in upstate NY, so I felt right at home.
Whitlocks Book Barn is an adventure. You never know what you might find and the real treat is that you HAVE to keep coming back. I would look around corners the first time I went and find a whole new stack of books to peruse. I’m sure new stuff is put out regularly.
There’s a great selection of extremely reasonably priced art books. In fact, all of their prices are very reasonable.
If you’re a bookworm that needs an escape from New Haven, this place is, as one other reviewer put it, «a hidden gem.»

Whitlock’s is a used book store out in a couple of barns in a completely random location in Bethany. I mean, I’m surprised they got the zoning to open a store here.
Anyway, it’s not the largest selection of books, but there’s two things I like: first, they have a decent sized collection of what I’d call «moderately valuable» books, meaning books 50 – 100 years old. And it seemed to me that many of them cost less than $ 10.
Secondly, the whole collection is reasonably well-​organized, so if you’re interested in a particular topic, you can be in and out pretty quick. That’s not always the case in used book stores.
I would contrast Whitlock’s with The Book Barn Niantic (what is it about books and barns?), out on the shoreline. That place is far better known and larger than here, but I actually like Whitlock’s better. There are more interesting finds here, whereas Niantic seems to just be a dumping ground for bestsellers and trade paperbacks. Niantic also has moved much of their store to a soulless and malodorous space in a downtown strip mall, thereby negating the charm the barn setting offers.
Anyway, if you like visiting used bookstores or are ever looking for a way to kill an hour or two a short drive outside New Haven, I highly recommend visiting Whitlock’s. One heads up, I believe the store is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and I believe it closes at 5 on the other days.

This is definitely not your average used bookstore. Whitlock carries all sorts of books… you will not find one new bestseller nor will you find that many paperbacks. What you will find is a bunch of first additions, all those old kids books you remember reading twenty years ago, and a few more unexpected gems. Everything seemed to be moderately to cheap.
For fans of Roadfood, Splendid Table, Gourmet magazine… there is also a Jan and Michael Stern collection. Kind of funny and odd.
This trip to Whitlock’s my husband and I bought a book about Elvis and his interest in UFOS!!!, the 1976 Gourmet magazine collection, some paperback about Samurai’s and baseball, and a few more weird books. Shop here with an open mind!

This place is pretty damn sweet. There are a lot of books, and I think they’re all pretty fairly priced. There are always good finds to be had here! Also, if you’re like me and aren’t looking for rare items but just for a little reading, there are shelves of battered paperbacks in relatively good condition selling for a dollar or less (I’m thinking particularly of the classics section here). If you’re like me and like a quiet, crowd-​less book buying experience, the two barns are never filled with squabbling children and are the epitome of peace and calm. If you’re like me and like the charm of old books and inefficient organization, by topic rather than alphabetically, then, well, you’re definitely in luck!
Another thing I love about Whitlock’s — the classical music is usually good. I once heard the most amazing viola quartet (a small group, anyway) in the smaller of the two barns, but unfortunately I didn’t think fast enough to ask for the name and conductor.
One more reason why Whitlock’s rocks, and then I’ll stop — it used to be owned by the brother of my typewriter repairman, who is truly excellent as well.

So, you want some books, but you miss the old school bookstore. You know, the one you used to go in as a kid, where it was clumsily organized, half lit, and you never knew exactly what you were going to find. Some call that annoying, the rest of us find that kind of character charming.
Besides, what I find bothersome is going to a bookstore and having to sort through all the stupid games, coffee shops, and annoying people.
Thankfully, the «book barn» is still in existence in good ol’ Bethany. This is the type of place where you walk in and go «ooooh…» Even if you’re not a reader. I mean, this place rocks. The peace and tranquility offered here is fantastic.
There’s something special about a creeky barn, with crooked bookcases and uneven floors, playing classical music on an afternoon day. I never go here expecting to find anything in particular, I just go to look around until something catches my eye.
What you won’t find here is the latest new release with a huge sticker on the front of the book which screams «40% off!!» But you will find that special joy you forgot a book was capable of bringing you when you discover an old gem, and then realize that it’s 95 cents.
Seriously, come here and look at some books. Take a ride on the tire swing. I don’t care. Just go here and be happy. I promise you will be.