Who doesn’t love a good bookstore? Rows and rows of textured leather covers, endless unique treasures to be discovered. The smell of old books filling the pleasantly stuffy air. Creaking floorboards and rustic wooden chairs. A rainy day and the scene is set. That was just what we were looking for when we headed to one of our favorite places – Baldwin Book Barn.
Visiting Baldwin Book Barn

Any bookworm or lover of old books will be in paradise in Baldwin Book Barn in West Chester, Pennsylvania – the most beautiful bookstore I’ve yet to visit. This bookstore contains 5 floors of thousands and thousands of used, vintage, and antique books. They have over 300,000 books just waiting to be discovered!




Built in 1822, what is now a lovely bookstore, was originally built to be a barn. Perfect way to revamp it no? Wandering through the maze of perfectly organized books you can find anything from vintage comics, antique collectors editions, old maps and blueprints to modern used books.


And the best part of all is that the place is filled with adorable little nooks. Thinking of spending the whole day perusing and reading before making your choice on which one to take home? No worries because the place is filled with countless rustic chairs to help you enjoy.





I always have a hard time deciding what book to buy when I go to a bookstore, especially when there are soooo many books to choose from. It can be a bit overwhelming! But at least here there is the opportunity to take your time, far away from everyone else and decide.



The place is so large, with such small, windy hallways and low ceilings that it’s almost easy to get lost! But who wouldn’t want to get lost in a maze of books?
Things to Do in the Area
Chester County, Pennsylvania (of which West Chester is a part) is filled with amazing and fun places to go and things to do. Whether you’re looking for quaint cafes, excursions to the nature, or interesting things to do, Chester County has it all! Here are some of my favorite things to do that are super close to Baldwin Book Barn!

West Chester “Downtown”
Baldwin Book Barn is located under 10 minutes away from “downtown” West Chester. West Chester is a super cute and quaint place with an unmatched small town feel. Coffee shops, local stores, and one of a kind places abound. Just walking through the brick and cobblestone-like pathways give you the perfect small and old town feel. Check out Malena’s Boutique for pristine and fun vintage pieces or Roots Café for a local, organic bite to eat.






Apple Picking
Although this is very dependent on the season, Pennsylvania has endless opportunities to go fruit and apple picking! Highland Orchards in West Chester has fruits to pick all year round, berries, apples, pumpkins, and more. And don’t forget to try their famous apple cider donuts in the fall!






View the full post here: FALL FUN: HIGHLAND ORCHARDS – APPLE PICKING, PUMPKINS, AND DONUTS | WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
Looking for more amazing things to do in Pennsylvania? Check out our USA-Pennsylvania page for lots of unique and fun things to do.
Lots of Love, Safe Travels, and Happy Reading,
Danielle and Brooke, Colorful Sisters
Hidden Gems of Philadelphia - Day Trip to the City of Brotherly Love
November 13, 2020 at 11:35 pm[…] View the full post here: BOOKWORM’S PARADISE – BALDWIN’S BOOK BARN | WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA […]
hitravelstories
November 13, 2020 at 11:55 pmreally nice colors! 😍
Colorful Sisters
November 13, 2020 at 11:58 pmYou can almost smell the old books right? 😍
hitravelstories
November 14, 2020 at 1:23 amyesss haha 😆
robertcday
November 23, 2020 at 7:02 amI agree – really nice colours. And I love the coordination between the background tints and tones, the colours of your clothing and the hue of your skin. Masterful photography.
Colorful Sisters
November 23, 2020 at 8:29 amThank you so much!! Although we often plan outfits when we go to do a photoshoot, this time was completely unplanned and we love the way it turned out!
robertcday
November 24, 2020 at 4:20 pmMe too. 🙂 How’d you get started in this … endeavour (rubbish word but better than ‘thing’)?
Colorful Sisters
November 25, 2020 at 1:20 pmOur mom was a fashion designer and photographer so we grew up doing lots of photoshoots with her and I guess the fashion and the photography stuck with us too! A great way for us to use our artistic side!
robertcday
November 26, 2020 at 4:41 pmVery true. Well, like I say, you have a great blog and you write beautifully so I wish you much success in all your endeavours. 🙂
*backs out gracefully before y’all get the impression that I’m some kind of a sycophant*
Colorful Sisters
November 26, 2020 at 8:13 pmHahahahah thank you so much! Truly appreciate it. We wish you all the best in your endeavours as well!
robertcday
November 27, 2020 at 7:10 pmTa muchly. 😉
jbcowgill
November 14, 2020 at 1:32 amI have been to West Chester a few times to ride the train. Nice little town.
Colorful Sisters
November 14, 2020 at 2:23 amYess it’s quite cute! I’ve never ridden the train though 😊
jbcowgill
November 14, 2020 at 2:46 amIt is a nice train ride. You do not realize that you are surrounded by development. It was once a commuter train to Philadelphia.
Colorful Sisters
November 14, 2020 at 5:30 amSounds cool!! I’ll keep it in mind for my next visit 😍
Timothy Price
November 14, 2020 at 3:19 pmLooks like a great book shop.
The Oceanside Animals
November 14, 2020 at 8:55 pmCharlee: “This looks like a place our Dada would love to visit!”
Chaplin: “Doesn’t Dada do all his reading on that e-paper gadget of his these days?”
Charlee: “What has that got to do with visiting a five-story store full of old books?”
Colorful Sisters
November 15, 2020 at 9:26 pmHahahah amazing!!
anbaworldwide
November 14, 2020 at 11:05 pmLove Love old book stores. Such a neat find.
Colorful Sisters
November 15, 2020 at 9:26 pmIsn’t it? I’m so happy we found it when we were young and were able to visit so many times 🙂
MrsWayfarer
November 15, 2020 at 1:53 amIt looks really lovely!
Colorful Sisters
November 15, 2020 at 9:25 pmIt truly is!!
Deepak Sharma
November 15, 2020 at 12:41 pmThis was an amazing bookstore, the fact that it is almost 200 years old add to its charm. The books you were holding looked a treasure trove of delight. And you clicked some stunning pictures….stupendous blog and a great post!!
Colorful Sisters
November 15, 2020 at 9:25 pmThank you so much! The age certainly does add to the charm of the place. Could spend so much time just walking around and relaxing there 🙂
Deepak Sharma
November 16, 2020 at 5:26 amAbsolutely, perfect place to spend an entire weekend engrossed in books and its rustic charm!
PhDinClothes
November 16, 2020 at 2:40 amThis bookstore looks amaaaazing! I’ve been to West Chester once and it was so cute!
Colorful Sisters
November 16, 2020 at 6:24 pmYess it really is! 🙂
lifestyleadventurebeauty
November 16, 2020 at 12:11 pmAll pictures and locations look wonderful, but that book store? Wow that is stunning
Colorful Sisters
November 16, 2020 at 6:24 pmIt really is a little dreamland of a bookstore 🙂
Tanja
November 16, 2020 at 2:21 pmwhat an amazing bookshop
Colorful Sisters
November 16, 2020 at 6:23 pmAmong the best!!
bigskybuckeye
November 16, 2020 at 4:46 pmWest Chester and the Baldwin Book Barn look like my kind of places to visit and hang out for a spell. Greetings from central Ohio.
Colorful Sisters
November 16, 2020 at 6:26 pmI hope you manage to pop over to Pennsylvania for a visit someday!
thetravelingchevaliers
November 16, 2020 at 7:24 pmOh my goodness! We love bookstores and can’t get enough of them! We have added this one to our list! We could hear the floor creaking as we were reading. Nice work.
Pazlo
November 18, 2020 at 3:44 pmYou had me at “Bookworm”.
What a lovely blog!
Slainte,
Paz
Colorful Sisters
November 20, 2020 at 9:53 pmHahahah I’m happy you enjoyed!!
Anne Sandler
November 19, 2020 at 10:37 pmThanks for visiting and following my blog. I love the way you design and find colors to match the theme of where you’re going. Amazing talent!
Colorful Sisters
November 20, 2020 at 9:52 pmThank you so much!! I’m happy that you appreciate 🙂
maryannniemczura
November 20, 2020 at 1:29 pmWhat a lovely post about West Chester, PA. I especially love the outdoor cafe in the downtown area. It has a European vibe. Thanks for dropping by my blog. Who doesn’t love fashion and travel? Wanderlust is within me too. Be well. Nice meeting you both.
Colorful Sisters
November 20, 2020 at 9:52 pmThank you so much as well for stopping by and happy that you enjoyed! I love the outdoor cafes too! It really is just like in Europe 🙂
maryannniemczura
November 20, 2020 at 10:20 pmBe well and stop on by to read the new post today. https://drniemczura.wordpress.com
Vrinda Nair
November 20, 2020 at 6:23 pmSimply love those books (I could spend hours) and the photos are just amazing. Loved the blog.
Colorful Sisters
November 20, 2020 at 9:51 pmThank you so much!! And it really would be so easy to spend hours there 🙂
kelley
November 21, 2020 at 5:47 amWhat a beautiful place! I would have taken advantage of the amazing photo opps, too 🙂
Colorful Sisters
November 21, 2020 at 3:47 pmIt really was the perfect spot for a photo op!!
Talent Discovery
November 21, 2020 at 10:01 pmIt must have been such a wonderful feeling being around all of those amazing books, have you discovered any more talents of yours over there that day:) ?
amrutvarshaayurved3545
November 22, 2020 at 3:36 pmGreat very nice I love to explore the world. Thanks for such passionate words and clicks. You make me feel just I was there experience just while seating at home
Colorful Sisters
November 23, 2020 at 8:39 amI’m so happy you appreciate!!! And happy that you were able to experience a little bit of these awesome place from home!
Benjamin Grossman
November 23, 2020 at 10:57 amSuper cool. Live not too far from this area and didn’t know about this bookstore. Definitely looks like a place everyone should check out that enjoys books. Thanks for sharing!
Colorful Sisters
November 23, 2020 at 2:11 pmOh wow you should definitely check it out! I’m sure you’d love it 🙂
Benjamin Grossman
November 24, 2020 at 11:08 pmI’ll have, too. Thanks again. Have a great week!
thewriteedge
November 25, 2020 at 9:40 pmDefinitely looks like a place all bookworms need to visit!
Thanks so much for following The Write Edge. I hope you find the posts interesting and informative. Have a great Thanksgiving, and all the best to both of you on your blogging and traveling journey!
Colorful Sisters
November 25, 2020 at 11:07 pmThank you so much! The same to you 🙂
Dee ❤ Sixth Seal Ministries
November 26, 2020 at 2:17 pmSounds like my kind of place!
Colorful Sisters
November 26, 2020 at 8:13 pmTruly unique!
rescuedogdexter
November 26, 2020 at 5:11 pmMy humans idea of heaven. They would spend way too much time in there, reading as many as they could. To hold an old book and feel the work that has gone into producing it, is a wonderful thing.
Colorful Sisters
November 27, 2020 at 4:37 pmIt is really an incredibly amazing place!!
theyearwithoutwimbledon
November 26, 2020 at 6:28 pmThat looks amazing!
Colorful Sisters
November 26, 2020 at 8:15 pmIt really is!!
Malik Merchant, Editor
November 29, 2020 at 1:51 amFantastic post, and look forward to visiting the bookstore during my next (post covid-19) trip to Pennsylvania.
Colorful Sisters
November 29, 2020 at 3:55 pmYayyy I hope you get to!!
Varis
November 29, 2020 at 9:29 pmThat looks wonderful, I could easily spend a whole day there.
Colorful Sisters
November 30, 2020 at 9:40 amYessss for sure!!! Truly a special place 🙂
zuludelta45
December 7, 2020 at 3:09 pmHello,
I love your website…….it is so colorful! Great Blog about the bookstore! Thanks for stopping by my website and blog. If you love bookstores, you will find this link interesting. I hope to see more of your adventures!
Zulu Delta
https://zuludelta45.net/2017/04/25/underdogs-of-the-book-world/
Colorful Sisters
December 8, 2020 at 4:01 pmOoooo how exciting! I will take a look 🙂 And thank you so much!
Shawn
January 15, 2021 at 8:07 pmPennsylvanian here! Thanks for highlighting one of our “hidden gems”!
Colorful Sisters
January 17, 2021 at 3:47 pmOoo yayy! So happy that you also enjoy..Assuming you’ve visited?