Brilliant Books

Traverse City, United States

4.4

Closed now

12 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 231-946-2665
Website:
www.brilliant-books.net
Address:
118 E Front St, Traverse City, MI, 49684
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.1 miBuilding 50
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes

Today

Today 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Traverse City) 6:45 AM Monday, June 30, 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Quality fact and literary fiction, for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Full service general bookstore, with large eclectic selection of fiction and literature; generous children’s section — designed for kids; huge selection of cards; stationery; important magazines; curated local author section; curated poetry section; extensive selection of classics.

We don’t charge for shipping, because we want to be your long-​distance local bookstore.

History

Established in 2011.

From humble beginnings in Suttons Bay, where Brilliant Books opened their first store in 2007, this ‘welcome throwback to what once was’ has wowed book-​lovers everywhere with their selection, service and ambiance.

Meet the Business Owner

Peter M.

Business Owner

An English immigrant, and now naturalized American citizen, Peter established Brilliant Books as a true «readers’ store». Only excellent, complete selections across all genres, presented in a compelling inviting way.

Publishers cannot dictate what goes in the window or our newsletters. Our recommendations are our own.

Vicinity

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12 reviews of Brilliant Books

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Highland Park, MI
Brilliant Books proves that good things come in small packages! I mostly read fiction and I read a lot when I have the time, but I always have a mental list of books I’d like to read. Despite its small size, Brilliant Books had every book I looked for on its shelves, and a nice collection of children’s books and stationery besides. Honestly, one of the best, most complete small bookstores I’ve visited.
Place rating: 5
Wyoming, MI
A classic old fashioned bookstore run by people who love books. A shame these places aren’t more common these days. I wish they had a selection of paranormal/​new age books but they do a great job with current fiction and nonfiction. Great kids selection and a nice table with a train on it to entertain the wee ones while the parents shop. A great atmosphere and an A+ staff. We love going here whenever we are in Traverse City.
Place rating: 5
Ypsilanti, MI
Great local bookstore in the heart of Traverse City. It’s not the biggest book store in town, but it’s the nicest one we found. Very knowledgable owner willing to help with anything. Great variety for all ages.
Place rating: 5
Bethesda, MD
A tremendously fine little brother to Traverse City’s other bookstore shows you don’t need to be large to be a great book store. The selection is very well chosen, and there are a good selection of gifts such as literary themed shirts and coffee mugs, etc. to make worth visiting for inexpensive gifts as well. It’s wonderful that a little town like Traverse City can support two high quality book stores.
Place rating: 4
Boyne City, MI
Oh my yes. Bright, well read staff with a zany sense of humor. Incredible book selection with various literary themed items means you’ll never walk out under $ 50. Parking will challenge you but once you’re in, you won’t want to leave. Great section of local authors and books about the area.
Place rating: 5
Traverse City, MI
I love this place! I love the way it smells and the lighting and the quietness here. They have fun gifts, t-​shirts, cards, and bags and a cute little children’s section – plus parking in the back which is handy during the summertime. So far, the staff has been very friendly but not all-​up-​in-​your-​stuff which I really appreciate.
Also, unlike the big-​box bookstores, you don’t get harassed at the checkout for a bunch of personal info and «savings.»
Place rating: 5
Miami, OH
Wow — what a great bookstore. Lots of fun, eclectic reads, crazy magazine selection, and sweet Penguin Books mugs. Ended up buying a bunch of stuff I didn’t need…
Place rating: 3
Westerly, RI
Good variety of books and cards, well labeled.
The girl working seemed completely disinterested in being there and did not greet or say goodbye to anyone. Not a good vibe
Place rating: 3
Bloomfield Hills, MI
What’s not to love about a bookstore. Great location, nice selection + they had the book in stock that my daughter was hoping to tackle during our week in TC.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
This is a cute little book store. Staff was super friendly and chatty and I love supporting local. We actually bought a book because the gal at the counter was so nice to us.
HUGE bonus, if you do the e-​books, you can buy through their website and still support a local business!
Place rating: 5
Traverse City, MI
Stopped in at Brilliant after coming up empty on beer books at Horizon for a Christmas gift. Sadly, Brilliant was also sold out (apparently beer is popular this year!), but I was very favorably impressed with the store and the staff. The space is small, but the selections were varied and well thought out. They had many titles I would happily have purchased for myself if I wasn’t in gift giving mode. A staff person very kindly helped me find some alternatives to the beer books I’d had my heart set on, and steered me toward some new titles I know my family will enjoy. The personal touch really made a difference. I’ll be giving them my business frequently. (I also saw a «Year of Books» program in the window. Your loved one receives one book per month for a year selected for them by the store based on their reading preferences. Best present ever… HINT HINT.)
Place rating: 4
Traverse City, MI
In this day and age, where Amazon rules the world of online bookselling, and when large box stores such as Borders go out of business, it is so GREAT to see a new independently-​owned local bookstore open its doors!
This bookstore isn’t new to the Traverse City area, since they already have a location in Suttons Bay, but they just opened on Front Street in downtown Traverse City.
Good luck! I hope that lots of shoppers walk through your doors!