American Indie Book Store Tour: The Midwest - North Dakota
We’re starting our indie books store tour out in North Dakota. I went to college in Wahpeton, ND for a semester and I lived less than an hour from the North Dakota border for most of my life. I’m not totally unfamiliar with North Dakota but I know the most about the Fargo/Moorhead area from 2010 and prior. I’ve compiled a list of indie book stores throughout the state worth popping into in case you’re driving through or staying a few nights. There are so many gems in here and some with some very interesting business models. I’ve posted photos if I was able to find them and these are generally taken from social media pages or the stores’ websites. The store names are clickable links that will take you to their websites or social media page if I was unable to find a website for them. I’m going very in depth with North Dakota’s indie book stores because honestly, there aren’t many. Fourteen, to be exact. Let’s support them! You won’t see this much detail for most of the states going forward because most states have so many more stores. North Dakota, bless your heart and your books.
1200 1st Ave N, Ste B, Fargo, ND
This beloved Fargo store specializes in used books and it’s crammed to the brim with floor to ceiling books. The owner, Brad Stephenson, is said to be incredibly friendly and helpful. He’s always willing to help you find the book you’re looking for. This store has been open since 1995 and houses approx 200K books. It originally started as a used book store in Wahpeton, ND.
214 Roberts Alley, Fargo, ND, United States, 58102
Ferguson is the largest discount book store in North Dakota. sell new and used books with a focus on new books. At Ferguson's Books & More, you can sell your pre-owned books, audiobooks, DVDs, Blu-rays, and CDs for store credit, which they call “membership”. They have a cool deal where if you purchase a new book, you get a used one for free. There’s a loyalty program and tons of events. They offer children’s storytime, a book club, author events, book signings, boozy book fairs and you may just see them in your town at one of their midwest pop up events. It looks like they frequently have promotions and sales which is a lovely change from your local Barnes & Noble which basically never has sales.
Village West Shopping Center
4101 13th Ave S.
Fargo, ND 58103
Locally owned & independently operated business that has been there for over ten years. Books are organized by category (Mystery, Self-Help, Memoirs, Action/Adventure, Contemporary Romance, World War II History, etc..) then alphabetized by author's last name and when the author has multiple titles they will be organized by title as well. Specific titles can be located quickly and it is easy to browse your favorite type of books. The books are generally priced at one-fifth of the publisher's price (hence the name Books at a FIFTH) which is 80% off the original cover price! If a book's original price is $29.95 the price $6. If the book sells for $9.95, the price is $2. Some books are discounted to $.50 per book. Books are accepted based off of donations or trade-ins, the selection seems to be a lot of romance and christian books based off of reviews that I’ve read.
Silver Dawn Books - Grand Forks
1726 South Washington, Grand Cities Mall Grand Forks, ND 58201
This store sells new and used books and essentially functions the exact same as Ferguson Books in Fargo. Ferguson used to have a Grand Forks location and the owners of Silver Dawn used to run that location. Silver Dawn is their own store and it’s a new storefront. They have local author signings and they also specialize in signed book plates.
Abigail’s Book & Gift Shop - Grand Forks
Midtown Marketplace
1900 South Washington Street
Suite E
Grand Forks, ND 58201
Abigail's Book & Gift is a mobile/pop-up bookshop with a semi permanent space within Midtown Marketplace in Grand Forks, ND and Royal & RUST in Fertile, MN. Abigail's stocks the latest best sellers, customer recommendations, and fun bookish gifts perfect for readers. Founded online in 2022, Abigail’s is a primarily new bookstore that strives to stock current best sellers alongside unique bookish gifts. Since opening up for in person shopping in May of 2023, Abigail’s has begun hosting book-centered events and getting involved with vendor shows. Abigail’s is proud to be a woman owned company and is owned and operated by Abby Berg. Abigail’s Book & Gift is also proud to be part of the Greater Grand Forks community and is always looking for ways to support local readers and fellow book lovers. Don’t you think her displays are amazing??
218 North 4th Street Bismarck ND
The Novel Exchange, located in Downtown Bismarck, offers new and used books — but also takes book donations. The store features both books and book-related items. Ordering and pre-ordering are offered, but the primary focus of the store is used books. They have hosted author events as well.
218 N 4th Street, Downtown Bismarck, ND
A used book store. They buy, sell and trade used books. They have a deal that if you bring in two books you can buy one for $.50 which is pretty cool.
8 Main St. South Minot, ND 58701
Established in 2006, locally and woman owned independent bookstore that specializes in new books, educational toys, and fun and quirky sidelines. There’s a rentable event space and all sorts of book related findings for the book lover. Used books are also sold and you can trade your used books for store credit. There are author events/book signings, live music events, book fairs and storytimes for children. As of June 2025 the book store is for sale and there is a kickstarter here for the current manager. It looks like she’s interested in purchasing the store and adding a cafe/consignment space for local food producers.
12 1/2 W. Broadway, Williston, ND
A little hidden gem in Williston, ND is the Dakota Soda and Coffee Company or better known as Books on Broadway. Their coffee/soda shop offers coffees, teas, and gourmet sodas, coffee cakes, chocolates, and muffins. They carry a wide variety of new books with a smaller selection of rare and out of print books. They’re also known to have several books from local authors and many regional books. If missing a book you are looking for, they do have special ordering. Other products include: books, toys, journals, gifts, games, cards, socks, coffee, tea, home decor, music instrument accessories, shirts, North Dakota Souvenirs and other treasures. It looks like they’ve also got a space for author signings, which it looks like they’ve had quite a few of based off of their blog.
509 Main Ave
Oakes, ND 58474
Sweets 'N Stories is an espresso bar, eatery and bookstore that offers ice cream, homemade fudge, old fashioned candy & so much more. What can’t they do? They offer ice cream, homemade fudge, sandwiches, soups, salads, scones and guest author events. They’ve been open for over 25 years in the downtown of little Oakes, ND. This place looks so adorable and it’s about 40 miles from the town that I lived in from 0-13 years old. I really hope that I make up there sometime!
Friends of the Library - Twice Sold Tales Used Book Store - Dickinson
139 3rd St. W. Dickinson ND 58601
Friends of the Library is a non-profit organization that links the community with our local library existing to increase and improve Library services. The Friends book store is owned and operated by The Friends of the Library Board of Directors and Volunteers. They offering quality used books at reasonable prices. All proceeds go to improve the resources and services of the Dickinson Area Public Library. It looks like they offer a large selection of books as well as some DVD’s/Blu-Rays/audiobooks and they have frequent sales.
Second Chapter AAUW Bookstore - Jamestown
810 18th St. SW Jamestown ND 58401
AAUW-Advocate for women and girls. This is a used book store located in the former O'Reilly's store. Book donations are accepted any time during store hours. Proceeds support Safe Shelter, The Arts Center, Uni of Jamestown, TechSavvy/STEMtastic, Great Plains Food Bank, James River Valley Library System, Project Ignite Light and more. They have frequent sales which they post on their Facebook site.
Eagle’s Nest Bookstore - Valley City
248 North Central Avenue
Valley City, ND
The Eagle’s Nest Bookstore is a unique shop located in downtown Valley City. It offers new and used books as well as Pride of Dakota products and other gift items. The bookstore was est years ago with a grant from the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Its purpose is to provide vocational services for the residents of HI Soaring Eagle Ranch. Customers can either buy, trade or donate used books. Also available are North Dakota made jams, jellies, syrups, soups, dips, lotions, cornhusk dolls and pottery for all your gift giving needs. There are soy candles, candy kettles and polish pottery for sale, too. Valley City is a beautiful area with a ton of that “small town” charm. Total Stars Hollow vibes…but like, colder. There’s some true crime history here for you arm chair sleuths as well.
Amble Inn & Western Edge Books, Artwork, Music - Medora
425 4th St.
Medora, ND 58645
Medora is in Western ND and this store is dedicated to everything western. The whole town has a bit of a wild west vibe. The store has a huge Western Americana selection. From the history books and biographies, western fiction to cookbooks, kid’s titles and visual art, western life is captured. If you make it to this store, you’ll be smack dab in the Badlands so grab yourself a book and go for a walk to catch some scenery.
