Kingfisher Bookstore

I can’t say enough good things about Kingfisher Bookstore. This is exactly the kind of independent bookstore you hope to find but rarely do. The staff is genuinely friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming—never pushy, always happy to help you find something new or track down a specific title. You can tell they actually care about books and the people who come through the door. The location is fantastic and makes browsing feel like an experience rather than an errand. It’s the kind of place where you want to slow down, explore shelves, and leave with more than you planned (in the best way). Most importantly, this bookstore is absolutely worth choosing over online options. Between the atmosphere, the curated selection, and the human connection, it offers something Amazon never will. If you value local businesses, community, and a great book-buying experience, Kingfisher is the place to go. Highly recommended.

Kingfisher Bookstore is a gem and exactly why independent bookstores still matter. From the moment you walk in, the staff makes you feel welcome. They’re friendly, approachable, and clearly passionate about what they do. Whether you’re browsing casually or looking for a specific recommendation, they’re happy to help without hovering. The location is excellent and makes it an easy, enjoyable stop rather than a chore. It’s a great place to wander, discover new authors, and actually enjoy the process of buying a book. This is one of those places that reminds you why shopping local beats clicking “buy now.” The atmosphere, personal service, and thoughtful selection make it well worth choosing over online retailers every time. If you want a bookstore that feels like part of the community, Kingfisher is it.

I've always loved this bookstore. They have wonderful kid's books, awesome hiking and nature books, and beautiful puzzles. It's such a great place to spend 45 minutes or an hour. The only drawback, it's so small and their aisles are so narrow. Great stop though!

A lovely shop with lovely associates. My two sisters, my adult children and three under 6 nephews blew into the shop and were greeted warmly. The folks working were extremely helpful and wonderful to chat with. We even learned some history about the shop itself. The saying if walls could talk, well here the floors speak volumes. We made purchases and were on our way. Truly a lovely store. Will be supporting by purchasing from them online.

My coziness need is local, small, delightful bookstores. This is one of those places. Current book options, but downstairs there are natural history, plant books, cookbooks and in the summer the window is open and the water beckons. The staff is amazing and it just feels like home.

What a romantic little bookstore on the ocean. It has a bunch of cute little nooks to read and lots of quirky details. Downstairs through the back window there is a little spot on the deck to relax and read over the ocean. You aren't allowed to walk around with your drinks in there and will be asked to leave your container up front.

I had the best time here, the owner was really nice and let us have lots of free books. I recommend staying above the store. The shop is so warm and cozy!

Cute and very unique bookstore on Front St that's right on the water. Worth stopping in as you stroll down Front St to check out their inventory of books. Support locals and "buy a book to go".

Great selection and staff. It's a warm and inviting store and staff were pleasant and helpful. I like supporting small business so I bought a book. The shop dog found my group suspicious so we didn't get any dog interaction.

My wife and I stumbled into Kingfisher Bookstore and left wondering if we could just move in. The shelves are packed with a fun, eclectic mix of books, something for every mood, and everything is so well-organized it's a joy to browse. The staff? Friendly, sharp, and clearly love what they do. All this set in a beautiful spot that makes you want to linger. We'll be back next time we're in town.

I like to take my granny out for day trips. She has a blood sugar trouble and must have a soda on her at all times. This is prescribed (no, seriously, it's a medical thing.) this store has the weirdest vibez. Weird books, weird staff. Granny was yelled at her for her soda despite my gentle explanation of the situation. We were also not greeted. Our only interaction was the soda scolding. This is why amazon is winning

I haven't really visited Coupeville in a couple decades and I was pleased to see the current state of it, at least a long Front Street. Happy to see all the rainbow flags, especially. It filled my heart when I walked into the bookstore to find a whole wall of LGBTQIA+ books and books with POC authors and topics. Maybe it's that my area of Washington is sorely lacking in all of that, but it was truly nice to see. The folks helping in the store were also great. I'll be sure to stop by again the next time I'm in the area!

Is it crazy to want to move to a different town for the bookstore? Is it crazy to want to move *into* a bookstore? Ok, call me crazy. I'm an avid reader, and I've read lots of novels in which the main characters work in bookstores (writers are generally readers, and tend to write about writers and readers, go figure) and they always feature quaint bookstores in scenic neighborhoods, where the staff is friendly, and they can recommend just the right thing for anyone. Perhaps a romance will bloom or the main character will stumble upon a mystery? Either way, I always read about those bookstores and rolled my eyes, "oh, ok, sure... as if that bookstore exists..." Well, it does, and I finally found it. This tiny store (two narrow floors) has everything. It's almost hard to look around and take it all in. Historic books, local books, maps, art, little gifts, cards, used books, calendars, craft projects... I feel my wish list growing as I write this! Next time, I'm bringing my sleeping bag and hoping they don't notice me setting up in a corner. Maybe I can stay up all night, reading by candlelight to the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the seawall outside. Who knows, maybe I'll even solve a local mystery.

Love the Kingfisher Bookstore. As soon as you've walked in you'll know you've landed in a special spot. It's jammed packed (in a tasteful way) with a well curated collection of books to delight everyone in your group. The local author section has some fun reads -- the Wierdbey Island series by Eldritch Black is a fun read for kids and adults. Bonus tip: Don't miss the view from the downstairs section.

I had absolutely no intention of buying books on our day trip - and yet somehow I walked out with multiple. Amazing selection for such a small store, and their displays lured me into a few purchases that weren't even on my radar. This is exactly the kind of bookstore you want to get lost in on a vacation - very worth a visit.

What a view downstairs! Check out the cookbooks downstairs and enjoy the open air view of the water too. This bookstore is a nice reprieve from online purchasing and e-books.

This is, by far, my favorite book store on the island. Every time I go in, I find so many things I want. The store is really tidy and organized, the guy behind the counter (on 7/11/24) was super friendly and helpful, and their prices are great. I love the selection of books about the island, the Puget sound, and witch related stuff!

This is one of those bookstores that every other bookstore wants to become. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful, enthusiastic, and supportive of local authors like me. I have worked directly with Meg and Felix, and I look forward to any and all future events where we get to work together. I love every chance I get to visit this bookstore!

Kingfisher Bookstore is a magical place to stop by in Coupeville! It's the kind of book shop I dreamed of finding when I was a kid (and still search for as an adult!). They carry a huge range of fiction, non-fiction, notebooks, postcards and all manner of enticing items... You could lose hours browsing in this shop! The staff are friendly, knowledgable, always welcoming and they support local authors in a big way! So if you'd like to read about Whidbey Island there's tons of fascinating books to discover. I can't recommend Kingfisher Bookstore highly enough!

We were super excited to stumble onto this bookstore during a day trip to Whidbey and at first it was great -- nice, well curated selection of books including older and newer titles. Unfortunately things took a turn when two different people (I assume the owners) first admonished my daughter for having some kids books (all of which we'd planned to buy) on the floor, and then admonished my son for roughly treating a book (he was not). At that point we decided we weren't welcome and left. On our way out the door, the man came after my husband to tell him "that's how bookstores go out of business". To which our response has to be: bookstores don't stay in business by treating families that way. It's a shame, as we'd planned to buy somewhere north of $100 worth of books. We firmly believe in supporting local bookstores and spend money and time at them everywhere we go. We won't be back to this one. Maybe it would just be easier for everyone if they put a "no kids" sign on the door.

SO GLAD what was once an always closed bookstore was bought and renovated to be Kingfisher! Really nice stock, and fantastic job bringing the building back to life. It was so lonely and drab for so many years. Lots of local and regional authors, great garden and cook books, children's books and used books. OH and some nice cards and maps too! Very good! Always stop in when we're in Coupeville. Especially love the map of the Puget Sound we purchased a couple of visits ago.

I popped in this little book store while on vacation on Whidbey Island. It was early September and most things were closed for the season, but I am so happy this book store was open. The front room is open and bright and has tons of new books in a wide variety of topics. The kids section was so adorable and even more so when a cute family came in and the kids looked and played. The back room has a lovely door for fresh air and loads of older editions and presumably used books in goof condition. I loved the music playing from a local radio station. It was a gloomy day, but the breeze was nice and I wandered the store for about an hour. I left with 3 books (two new, one old) and then some stickers by the register that were done by local artists.

Really cute bookstore overlooking the water. Lots of books about local topics and history. Fun to browse in the basement. Our daughter wasn't sure what to buy and the gentleman working there suggested various titles for her. The woman working there was also very helpful. We will return.

What can you say about books? I believe there's not a lot of ways to screw up a book store, unless maybe you had rude, unhelpful staff. We did not encounter that here. I was going to try avoiding a book shop, because, well I "own too many book" (that's not really a thing). However I saw a book on mushrooms in the shop window so I went inside and asked about it. Cute cover, but not what I was looking for, however the shop girl helped me find what I was looking for. I should have grabbed it and made a B line for the register, but I lingered, and then my husband asked about local authors and she pointed him to and entire table, where we picked up 2 or 3 books. Then he asked about books for 5 year old for his best friends son, so we got that book, and so on, until I think we left with 7 books. The end.

Outstanding local bookshop and super friendly staff. Loved how there was a trove of books relating to the puget sound/local history of the PNW. Highly recommend swinging by if you're in the area :) P.s., Kingfisher is dog friendly!! According to our pup Loki,,,, the dog biscuits were outstanding ;)

This small, well-curated bookstore is very pleasant and a joy to look through. The selection of books is comprehensive with a great and thoughtful assortment of subjects. The shop owner was also very nice and welcoming. Just a great little book shop. Thumbs up.

A piece of heaven on the water...Everything thoughtfully arranged. Lighting great, titles beckon, warm vibe...what more could you ask for?

It was great! My parents took me there over this last week. It was EASY to find books to buy. I found three reference books I couldn't live without. I put the rest back!

A classic of the iconic "local" bookstore. This what bookstores are supposed to be, used to be, before the invasion of the chains and the mallification of America. I could spend days here and barely scratch the surface of the consciousness of the proprietor -- who is there at the counter and can make the most unexpected, intriguing, and reliable recommendations! If you love books, you will love this bookstore. If you love the Pacific Northwest, you will love this bookstore. There is a distinct point of view here, and vast knowledge and expertise in the offerings. Yes, in its ambitions and intentions, Kingfisher Books is truly as good as it gets. What a treasure!