If you haven’t bought a book in Las Vegas lately, you’d be forgiven for assuming that Southern Nevada doesn’t have many independent bookstores. That might have been true five years ago, but recently the number of bookstores in the valley has doubled to more than a dozen new, used, and rare bookshops. This is part of a larger trend, which has seen an increase in physical bookstores across the U.S. Barnes & Noble alone opened 58 stores in 2024 (a high not seen since 2009), including a location in Town Square.
Jen Castagno, a native Las Vegan and owner of The Book Shelf, attributes the reading community’s resurgence in part to the influence of online book communities, specifically #BookTok and #Bookstagram. “I hear from people who’ve said, ‘I hadn’t read in 10 years, and now I read all the time.’”
To witness this trend firsthand, I visited four of the valley’s newest bookstores, all of which have opened in the last two years.
The Book Shelf
Opened: June 2024
No fixed location. Follow @thebookshelf.vegas on Instagram for appearance details.
“Cute!” is the first word that comes to mind when I spot The Book Shelf at the Makers Hive Market at The District at Green Valley — and I’m not alone. As I chat with Castagno, several women ranging from middle schoolers to grandmothers stop to squeal at the sight of The Book Shelf or tell her, “What a clever idea!”
The Book Shelf occupies an enclosed, renovated trailer. It’s a 7-by-14-foot bookworm’s dream version of #VanLife: cozy, artfully decorated, and packed floor-to-ceiling with roughly 900 carefully curated volumes of fiction.
A former English teacher who regularly reads more than 75 books per year, Castagno tries to read all the books before adding them to her inventory. Any she hasn’t read, she vets with trusted friends. “The book selection is very much ‘me,’” she says.
Mad Red Books
Opened: July
9480 S Eastern Ave #105
When I stopped by Mad Red Books, the owner and his team were busy stocking shelves in preparation for their grand opening, which happened on July 4 — a nod to the owner’s passion for Revolutionary War books.
Mad Red Books will carry both new and used books in a variety of genres — from children’s and manga to romance and horror — as well as a sizable rare books collection.
“Whether you’re looking for a $10,000 rare book or a $3 romance, there’s something for everyone,” the owner, Joshua Dana, says. He also plans to host author signings, game nights, and silent reading events to reach people with a range of interests.
“We’re definitely a community-based business,” he says.
XOXO, Book Boutique
Opened: February
8868 S Eastern Ave Ste 107
Inside XOXO, Book Boutique hangs a neon pink sign that reads: “Good Girls Read Dirty Books.” But it’s not just women who shop at Nevada’s only romance bookstore; the shop sees its share of men, too. “I see growth in couples coming in to read a romance,” co-owner Monica Marie says.
The owners — two sisters who’ve lived in Southern Nevada for 25 years — credit the surge in popularity of romance books to hit shows and movies such as Bridgerton and The Summer I Turned Pretty, which have helped renew a hunger for the books that inspired them.
The owners want to expand on their loyal customer base with a cafe that sells coffee and wine. Co-owner Gina Harris says, “We wouldn’t have survived the first months without the reading community helping spread the world.”
Multicultural Bookstore Las Vegas
Opened: November 2023
2027 Revere St
When I stopped by the Multicultural Bookstore one Saturday afternoon, a teenage artist was showing the store’s owner a painting she’d done for the shop, while a local children’s book author stood nearby, chatting with the manager.
“We consider this the literary hub for this community,” says Carol Santiago, the shop’s owner. Santiago founded the bookstore with the vision to not only bring books to the Historic Westside, but also to be a gathering space. It operates as a community event space, hosting book signings, kids’ storytime, and a weekly gathering called Coffee & Conversations.
Though the Multicultural Bookstore sells new and used books from many genres, as its name suggests, it has a particular specialization.
The shop’s manager, Charles Holbert says, “Our hope is that someone who may feel a little underserved may see a reflection of themselves on our shelves.”
Keep reading: Feed your bookworm at the Las Vegas Book Festival, Oct. 18, 2025, at the Historic Fifth Street School (lasvegasbookfestival.com). Panel topics include Las Vegas fiction; politics and religion; romance; and nature writing.
