City Lights Bookstore

EDIT: What a great bookstore! I always try to find one in each county I visit. (I'm visiting each of NC's 100 counties). As a NC poet, it was so nice to see they had a good poetry section and an Appalachian room! They carry new and used selections and there is also a cafe. If you park downtown, the walk is uphill, but there is parking closer. Thank you for asking about my writing! MORPH is probably the best of my collections to pick up ❤️

I stumbled upon this book store by accident. My plan for today was to have lunch at the adjacent cafe. I love bookstores and throughly enjoyed looking around this one. Everything is nicely laid out. They offer sitting nooks throughout the store. The rooms of books seem to go on and on. My favorite part of the store was the used book section. Now that I have discovered this hidden gem, I’m definitely going back!

I mean, this place is everything you want an independent bookstore to be. The selection is eclectic but well curated with both new and used options and it is very proudly inclusive and progressively minded. The section of the store for local Appalachian and native literature is a particular treasure that they should be very proud of. Chris was a delight to talk to and also knocked the price on a fairly expensive book down for me without my even asking due to it seeming like a professional expense (which it was!). You’re just never going to find customer service and community ambience like this at a major bookseller; this place is an absolute gem.

Cute, cozy mom 'n pop used & new bookstore in a beautiful small town in Western NC. Books are arranged neatly and by category. Nice little "rare books" section. Very reasonable pricing. Helpful, pleasant staff. Large, free parking lot a half-block away.

I absolutely love this bookstore. Such a wide selection of books and other goods with a quaint and cozy feel inside. I love all the decorations too.

Super cute bookstore! Big selection on reading genres and all things reading and writing. They even have cute socks. It's worth a visit if you are in the area. Also, if you stop in, you might as well grab some lunch and a coffee downstairs. Service was great all around.

Great bookstore. Nice variety of new and used books as well as gift items. Friendly, helpful staff, including 14 year old Cedric, the store cat.

Bookstore + Cats = Heaven. Even better when the cat hitches a ride in a fellow shopper's baby stroller. Cats are the best. Books are also great, and this store had a really wide selection.

Huge variety of books. Always pleasant service. Used and new books. Atmosphere is welcoming .

Great staff. Wonderful selection. Interesting events. A "must hang" location in Sylva!

I went to City Lights Bookstore almost two months ago. It is certainly an excellent bookstore. I found several books relevant for my current research product. However, the staff will helpful or not depending on your race. It was a Saturday morning, and from the moment I arrived there until the moment I went to the cashier a red-haired men in a blue suit followed me all the time. He was constantly checking if I was not stealing anything. There were several other people in the store, but he was looking only at me. I think it is very important to support local business, but I do not recommend this place for black people. White person will be just fine.

Nice staff, well-stocked store. There is a variety of merchandise including current popular novels and copies of current literature by North Carolina authors. A separate area of children's literature is equally well-stocked. They often host local authors and the smaller, more intimate venue is a plus for author talks and signings.

This is the perfect bookstore! Having worked at a bookstore I know a thing or two about them. Also, I visit any bookstore I can find wherever I travel. I love so many thing about this place. It's located on a corner with adorable signage. The layout is cozy with lots of seating & it's well organized with placement of the categories. There's a great choice of books including local authors, used books, regional topics, magazines, children's books & more. Additionally, there's several cats throughout & lots of beautiful well cared for plants. The staff is friendly & the hours are great. The best part is that it's connected to City Lights Cafe which has coffee, pastries, wine, beer, a great menu serving breakfast, lunch & dinner & a large dining area. Like I said, the perfect bookstore!!

City Lights Bookstore is really cool and inviting. They have a good selection of new books and an easy to browse room full of used books. The most striking feature was the layout and ease of finding genres or titles. It's as easy to browse and walk through as it is to find a favorite author. It's also remarkably clean and charming.

I get lost in this store at least once a week, usually on Wednesday when I trade in my used books! Friendly staff and a cat!! What more could you ask for?

I always come here first. Even though i own a Nook (christmas gift) i would rather have a book. The staff here are always friendly. If they dont have it they will get it. The cafe downstairs has some good food & friendly staff. Buy a book, stay for dinner, read & drink coffee. What a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Cutest bookstore ever! We came through Sylva mostly to check out this bookstore and It was worth the stop. It has a cafe/coffee shop attached to it. Great cold brew and bonus points for having an area of kids to play in. We also loved the kids section of the bookstore which is its own room!

An update: City Lights Bookstore. Still great, but now with cats. Nothing makes a bookstore more wonderful than a pair of dedicated bookstore cats.

What a find. A terrific local bookstore. Great local selections of authors. They know their stuff. Attached to a cafe I want to try next. Got a novel by local hero Ron Rash...in used copy. You'd have thought I had won the lottery they way they told me I was lucky to find it used.

One of my favorite bookstores on the planet. City lights has a wonderfully curated collection of new and used books. I always find something wonderful to enjoy. I love the cafe downstairs as well. There are few better places to while away the hours with a delicious cup of coffee and a good book. Definitely worth a stop!

I can't open a newspaper (remember those?) without reading about the death of independent bookstores. The Kindle, the ipad, Barnes and Noble, and wanton ignorance were supposed to have killed the local bookstore. Somehow the folks who own this excellent treasure of a bookstore didn't get the message. City Lights has been selling a great selection of books for quite a while now and we're all the better for it. They've got all of the latest best-sellers, but you can also find a thoughtful selection of fiction, non-fiction, and regional books (yes, I know regional books are either fiction or non-fiction, but you get the point). In addition to selling books, they frequently do signings and readings and serve an integral role in the life of this small community.

I love this place! They have a large used book section, the cat is adorable, he is chunky and just hangs out. The atmosphere is calming.

Whenever we visit the mountains, I always have to drive into Sylva. It's one of my favorite towns and I love my time there. Among a few choice restaurants, this bookstore is a staple for me. There are cats that wander and a nice used book section. It has a great energy.

Along with being one of my favorite bookstores in the entire state, City Lights has now become a magnet for its outstanding cappuccino and a great menu in its cafe. Stopped there for lunch on a recent motorcycle trip in the Smokies, and can't wait to return!

Sylva's independent bookstore provides everything a person could want for both a small, rural, mountain town, and a university community. Their "Regional Room" provides a comfortable, cozy atmosphere for browsing and reading as well as a great place to listen to authors read and discuss publications. They have a very large used book area as well as a great selection of recent and classic books. The fireplace and comfortable seating invite you to stay and read and the staff are always eager to assist. Don't miss this gem of the community!

A bright light in Sylva. Nothing is better than an independent bookstore dedicated to providing awesome service while at the same time giving locals and visitors a comfortable place to gather and visit. Entrepeneurs like Chris Wilcox and other self-employed people are the true backbone of our country.

Awesome place! They even had a cat wandering around this clean, quiet and helpful bookstore. Down below we were treated to a free crepe that was simply delicious. Nicely decorated and great food and drink! Way to go for the small town bookstore. Will definitely visit again!

I like the selection of books offered here. They also have lots of guest authors and poets. It's hard for me to shop here, however, because there is a cat that lives in the store, and they also allow dogs in off the street. I want to support an Indie company, however, it is not worth getting an asthma attack over. I think that pets should stay in the pet shops or at the house. (Furthermore, there's a restaurant downstairs. Cat hair pasta anyone? Gross.)

The absolute best bookstore I have ever been to. They have a great selection of new and used books, and if they don't have the book you want, they'll be happy to order it for you free of charge. If you need a novel for class at WCU, order it from City Lights and give them your business! The staff are all extremely friendly, the cats are adorable and laid-back (perfectly alright with being cuddled as you walk around the store), and if you're feeling peckish you can take your book right down the stairs to the City Lights Cafe and eat something delicious while you read.

This is one of the best bookstores I've ever been in. They have quite a variety of books and even have a huge used book section that anyone can donate books to. One thing I love about City Lights is that you can turn in books that you don't want anymore and they will in return give you used book credit. I'm a fairly frequent customer so I am always bringing in books that I read and don't care to keep in my personal library. The staff is amazing, always friendly, and if you go there enough they know you by name. There are a few cats they keep as pets that are sweet, they generally are found somewhere curled up and sleeping. Also if they don't have a book that you want on their shelves they will order it for you at no extra cost and don't charge you shipping and handling like other places I have used. I've never had a bad experience with them after all my years of going there (19 to be exact).