Spread out in 4 locations along Rt. 156 through Niantic is a refuge for 500,000 books encompassing all subjects. A reader’s paradise, this bookstore is a Connecticut mecca to buy, sell, and read books.

Beginning in 1988 with three bookshelves and a tag sale couch, the Main Barn at 41 West Main Street has grown to an enormous scale, comprising of five buildings, gardens, a playground, “graveyards,” table games, and even goats.  

At the entrance of the compound is located “Ellis Island,” a shed where can be found new arrivals on their way through the organization process. Next you will find “Hades,” a makeshift structure, home of romance and thrillers, but not organized much more than that. At the back of the property can be found “The Haunted,” a two-story building filled with thrillers and mystery novels, flanked by two “graveyards” composed of Halloween decorations that had to be removed to make way for more books.  

Passing through the gardens and alongside a full-scale playground can be found “The Annex,” a converted garage that has become the home for poetry, essays, paperbacks, and fiction. The last outbuilding at the site is the “Last Page,” where you’ll find nonfiction books.  Then there’s the Main Barn, which itself is a labyrinth of books and more nonfiction subjects.

Be sure to grab a cup of coffee here, fill one of the available wagons with books, and find a quaint place to sit back, relax, and sample some of the cornucopia that is the Book Barn. There are at least five cats that live here both inside and outside. They can be found curled up on hidden couches, rubbing against your leg while you browse, or sitting on the counter to greet you as you come in.