Columbus Booklovers Trail
Expiration: 365 days after purchase
Every great city has a story, and in Columbus, those stories live on the shelves of our independent bookstores, comic shops, and libraries. The Columbus Booklovers Trail invites you to wander into cozy corners where imagination thrives, and each turn of the page opens a new adventure.
This trail is your guide to discovering places that are independently owned and authentically Columbus — shelves stacked with possibility, and booksellers who know just the title to spark your curiosity. Check in to each location and earn a cozy sweatshirt perfect for curling up with a great read.
Included Venues
See locations on an interactive map.
The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum houses the world’s largest collection of materials related to cartoons and comics, including original art, books, magazines, journals, comic books, archival materials, and newspaper comic strip pages and clippings.
Birdie Books is located in charming, historic Uptown Westerville. They feature highly curated collections of books, unique gifts, fine writing utensils, and niche art supplies. While you're there, be sure to show off your book haul with pictures in front of their Love Is Love mural, and opening in late 2025, enjoy a beverage at their unplugged coffee & spirits bar!
Blue Couch Bookshop is a woman-owned, independent bookstore located near Grandview Heights, Ohio and serving the greater Columbus community of booklovers. Its collection of new books includes a variety of genres including children’s books, and offers gifts and other literary merchandise.
Bound by Books is a new bookstore located in the heart of Grove City, offering a hand-curated selection of books across a variety of genres.
Clintonville Books is an independent bookstore in Columbus, OH. We sell new, used, vintage, and rare books for all ages. We are a community-driven project dedicated to sharing good books with good people at good prices.
The Main Library of the Columbus Metropolitan Library system is located in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. The public library is the largest in the library system and holds approximately 300,000 volumes. You also are encouraged to check out the neighborhood branches of the CML system!
Krazzy Comics is your friendly neighborhood comic shop. We have a love of all nerd culture. We are your home for Comics and more.
Little Gay Bookstore is a queer, women-owned nonprofit in Columbus, Ohio, dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ stories and voices. With a curated collection of inclusive literature and cafe Queer Beans, it serves as a sober, welcoming space for community connection within Stonewall Columbus. More than a bookstore, it’s a home for representation, conversation, and belonging.
Packrat Comics has been one of Central Ohio's hometown comic shops since 1993, dedicated to sharing the joy of reading with fans of all ages. Our shelves are filled with comics, graphic novels, and stores that inspire, alongside games and collectibles to spark imagination. More than a shop, we're a community space where readers can discover new worlds and celebrate the stories they love.
Prologue Bookshop features a thoughtfully chosen selection of literature, featuring works in translation, creative non-fiction, literary fiction, and booksellers' favorites. Our centrally-located shop also hosts weekly book clubs and events.
Storyline Bookshop is an independent, woman-owned, neighborhood bookshop located in the Tremont Center in Upper Arlington, Ohio. We offer new books and gifts for all ages, curated book collections, cozy vibes, six monthly
The Book Loft of German Village is located at 631 South Third Street in Columbus, Ohio, just a few blocks South of the state capitol building. The pre-Civil War era buildings that once were general stores, a saloon, and a nickelodeon cinema, now are home to 32 rooms of Bargain Books.
Thurber House is a literary center for readers and writers located in Columbus, Ohio, in the historic former home of author, humorist, and New Yorker cartoonist James Thurber