In honour of the 20th anniversary of Independent Bookshop Week, we’ve compiled a list of 20 brilliant indie bookshops across Scotland. Despite the tough economic climate, independent bookshops are thriving more than ever. And with so many wonderful, unique businesses, it was very difficult to choose just 20.
From Shetland to the Scottish Borders, Glasgow’s southside to Broughty Ferry, these book havens are the perfect spots for selecting your summer reads. You might even be able to grab a coffee, stock up on your charcuterie, or buy some lovely, curated gifts.
Scotland also has amazing second-hand bookshops. We’ve chosen to focus on general trading this time round, but look out for our second-hand bookshop list soon!
1. The Shetland Bookshop, Lerwick
The UK’s most northerly bookshop also has a special history linked to the Shetland Times newspaper. The Wishart family took over the newspaper in the late nineteenth century, and it was produced in the bookshop's current location. In 1949, when the newspaper’s production moved, the bookshop opened in its place, initially selling stationery and a selection of local books to the island’s residents. The business has expanded over the years, and even though the newspaper changed hands in 2025, the shop is still owned by the Wisharts, and they continue to support local culture.
71-79 Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland, ZE1 0AJ
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2. Lighthouse Bookshop, Edinburgh
Dubbed Edinburgh’s radical bookshop, this bookshop near Edinburgh University is an intersectional queer, feminist space that prioritises books from marginalised voices. There is a curated selection of feminist and LGBTQ + works, fiction & non-fiction, and regular events are held on the bookshop floor. There’s a warm, inclusive atmosphere that allows for thoughtful, provoking discussion.
43–45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
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3. Carmina Gadelica Bookshop, Isle of Skye
This Portree bookshop has one of the most diverse ranges on offer. Alongside its range of books, including Gaelic and Hebridean literature, you can pick up fishing equipment, and arrange boat hire and permits The inclusion of practical items such as electronic accessories reflects just how popular the shop is with visitors to the island. If you are wondering where the name comes from? Carmina Gadelica is a collection of Gaelic folklore, poems and prayers, first published in 1900.
Armadale House, Bank Street, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9DA
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4. Yeadon’s of Elgin, Elgin
There are so many wonderful new independent bookshops popping up, but Yeadon’s of Elgin is one of the oldest. It was founded in 1887 by James Dawson Yeadon, the shop underwent a major refit in 2007 after being saved from potential closure. Yeadon’s has an old-fashioned charm that attracts visitors from afar, and with their emphasis on traditional bookselling, it also sells items that celebrate the art of writing, such as good quality pens, notebooks, inks and blotters.
32 Commerce Street, Elgin, Moray, IV30 1BS
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5. Little Shop of Heroes, Dunfermline
With its tagline, ‘Leave Reality at the Door’, stepping into this comic bookstore in Maygate is like entering into a fun, welcoming space that fully embraces fantasy and sci-fi. It stocks an eclectic range of comics and graphic novels, appealing to both expert collectors and those just dipping in. This family-run business was named a finalist in the prestigious Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, placing them among the top six comic shops worldwide, and in 2024 won the title of Best Retailer at the ComicScene awards.
8 Maygate, Dunfermline KY12 7NH
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6. The Wee Bookshop, Dollar
When two vets bought a disused chip shop in Dollar during the Covid lockdown, they hoped to transform it into a bookshop. It took two years, but what they created was a beautiful and inspiring space for reading, relaxing and socialising, and with plenty of support for local authors, including a weekly writers’ circle. Within its stone walls are a fine selection of books, including a large outdoors section, a cosy children’s corner, and a community cafe with an outdoor seating area within its walled garden.
56 Bridge Street, Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland FK14 7DG
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7. Mount Florida Books, Glasgow
Established in 2021, thanks to a community-backed crowdfunding campaign, this Glasgow southside bookshop has become a vital part of the indie bookshop scene. Owner Katia Wengraf balances the eclectic collection with specialised presses, socially conscious works, literary fiction, cookery and children’s books. A major focus is on reinvesting in literacy projects in the community. This could include championing school libraries, working with prison charities and supporting adult learners.
1069 Cathcart Road, Mount Florida, Glasgow, G42 9AF
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8. Daydreams Bookshop, Milngavie
This Milngavie bookshop has been going from strength to strength since its opening in 2024. Four months into trading, owner Elaine Sinclair was named 2025 Newcomer of the Year by National Book Tokens. Daydreams was also shortlisted for Independent Bookshop of the Year 2026, and was named a Bookshop Champion for Independent Bookshop Week 2026.
It’s clearly a special space, and the team supports authors with a regular programme of events, there are trade-in initiatives to support sustainability, and the popular monthly Bonnie Wee Book Club. And it’s at the start (or end) of the West Highland Way, making it an energising stop for walkers.
Unit 2, 38 Stewart St, Milngavie, Glasgow, G62 6BY
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9. Category Is Books, Glasgow
As Glasgow’s first LGBTQ+ bookshop, Category Is Books has an important place in the Govanhill community. Frustrated at a lack of places to buy queer books, owners Bug and Fin decided to establish their own bookshop in 2018. Every shelf is stacked with books that have a queer narrative, character, or an author from the LGBTQ+ community.
But it’s so much more than books. There are writing workshops, book groups, a queer horror club and a popular trans history night, all of which helps to create an inclusive, and comfortable, queer space.
34 Allison St, Glasgow G42 8NN
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10. Atkinson-Pryce Books, Biggar
Atkinson-Pryce Books has been a welcoming presence in this South Lanarkshire market town since 1993. It was sold to a new owner in 1999, and since then it has expanded in size to become a cosy space in winter and light-filled over the summer months. The shop is very much part of the cultural fabric of the community, supporting the Biggar Little Festival, hosting author events, and a regular book group. The fact that it has thrived for over thirty years, despite the many challenges facing indie bookshops, is a testament to the dedication of the team and their love of books.
27 High St, Biggar ML12 6DA
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11. Far From the Madding Crowd, Linlithgow
This family-run business has been a vibrant presence in a Georgian building on Linlithgow’s high street for over a decade. Owners Sally Pattle and her mum have transformed the Tardis-like space into a bookshop that reflects its Thomas Hardy-inspired name as an escape from the busyness of life. There’s a dedicated ‘Little Owls' section for children, with regular storytelling sessions. They also host the Further From Festival, which supports local authors and attracts bigger names.
20 High St, Linlithgow EH49 7AE
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12. The Mainstreet Trading Company, Newton St Boswells
If you like the idea of buying charcuterie along with a book, then the Mainstreet Trading Company is the ideal place to visit. With its on-site deli and cafe, it makes for a relaxing afternoon in this pretty Scottish Borders village close to Melrose. It was founded in an old auction house in 2008 by Rosamund de la Hey, a former Bloomsbury marketing director, and her husband Bill, a trained chef. Thanks to Rosamund’s expertise, their children’s collection is particularly extensive.
23 Main St, St Boswells, Melrose TD6 0AT
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13. Night Owl Books, East Linton
This little bookshop in the East Lothian village of East Linton is set in a picture-perfect location – an eighteenth-century stone building next to the railway bridge. Owner and book lover Rebecca Roberts opened the doors in April 2022, and it’s a small but mighty space. Community is at its heart, and as well as hosting a regular book club, there are midnight openings for special book launches. The shop also sells a curated selection of locally produced gifts, often inspired by the East Lothian landscape.
1 Bridge Street, East Linton, East Lothian, EH40 3AG
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14. Aberfeldy Watermill Bookshop (cafe and gallery), Aberfeldy
A nineteenth-century water-powered oatmeal mill has to be one of the most picturesque settings for a bookshop. This romantic space in rural Perthshire was transformed in 2005 into this bookshop, cafe and art gallery set over three floors. There are plenty of cosy nooks for discovering new books, and the cafe has a terrace for enjoying the outdoors on milder days. The bookshop has earned international attention, with the New Yorker in 2016 listing it in their 75 Greatest Bookstores in the World, and National Geographic including it in their 2022 list of seven of the UK’s best bookshop cafes.
Mill St, Aberfeldy PH15 2BG
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15. The Bookhouse Broughty Ferry, Dundee
This family-owned bookshop opened in Broughty Ferry in 2020 as a space for the community to embrace their love of reading.The team are on hand to offer advice, and they work with local schools and nurseries to provide books for World Book Day, as well as bringing popular children's authors into schools to encourage reading for pleasure. There’s a ‘blind Date with a Book’ initiative, they stock many independent bookshop exclusive editions, and host eight monthly book club. The Bookhouse’s vital role in the seaside town has been recognised by their shortlisting as a finalist for Independent Bookshop of the Year for the 2025 British Book Awards.
41 Gray St, Broughty Ferry, Dundee DD5 1DJ
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16. Book Lovers Bookshop, Newington, Edinburgh
Behind its cherry blossom pink facade is a romantic paradise. This bookshop in Newington, near the Meadows, was founded in 2024 as the UK’s first bricks-and-mortar bookshop dedicated to romance. It’s made such an impact in less than two years since opening that it was named Independent Bookshop of the Year at the British Book Awards 2026. Owner Caden Armstrong has created a fun and diverse space for passionate members of the romance community.
6 Melville Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 1ND
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17. Nairn Books, Nairn
Nairn Books has been a presence in the seaside town for many decades, where its original owners also established the Nairn Book and Arts Festival. Mavis Macdonald bought the bookshop in 2009, and when she retired in 2023, it was taken on by clinical somatics practitioner and erstwhile lecturer and lawyer Samantha Holland in 2023. Composer Stephen Chase became a partner in 2025. If you love small presses and modern fiction, nature writing and philosophy, Scottish and Scandi crime fiction, global politics and local history, then this eclectic bookshop is perfect for wiling away the hours.
94 High St, Nairn IV12 4DE
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18. Rare Birds Books, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
As the name suggests, this Edinburgh bookshop is the rare thing – a space exclusively for women writers. Walking through the doors of Rare Birds Books, you’ll not only discover shelves filled with books by female authors, but the shop on Stockbridge’s main drag also gives serious interior design inspiration. Egg-yolk yellow shelves, and pink and green walls offers a vibrant backdrop for an eclectic collection of books, handpicked by the friendly staff. They also host a regular calendar of affordable, or free, author events, and fun initiative such as a ‘lucky dip generator’ to choose a mystery book.
13a Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, EH4 1HU
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19. Argonaut Books, Leith, Edinburgh
Argonaut Books is one of the Foot O’ the Walk’s most vibrant businesses, and a firm fixture in the community since opening in 2021. The shop has been designed with flexibility in mind, with modular bookshelves creating an airy space for events, and for customers to enjoy a coffee by the window. Each book on display has been carefully selected, with particular expertise in translated fiction, horror, children's books and poetry. Look out for regular spoken word evenings, workshops, coworking evenings and six-monthly book clubs.
15-17 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 8LN
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20. Print Point, Isle of Bute
Rothesay’s Print Point is a bookshop with a dual role. As well as a traditional bookshop it also serves as a print shop. It was founded in 1997 by three employees of Bute Print, after that business closed, and expanded to bookselling. It has now become known for its strong crime fiction offerings, and partners with Bute Noir, the island’s annual crime writing festival. It makes for a relaxing stop for book and board game-browsing, grabbing a takeaway coffee, and sorting those passport photos.
24-26 W Princes St, Rothesay, Isle of Bute PA20 9AF