Willow Books

Great local book store with nice selection. I understand it’s hard to stay in business as a small independent book store, but they’re doing everything they can. I try to buy from them rather than amazon whenever I can… three suggestions to keep me as a customer:
1) better customer service. Your folks are friendly, but they spend all their time behind the counter. Mingle with the customers, don’t make me hunt you down for help.
2) Provide better resources if I don’t know what I’m looking for. Suggested books, maybe a few computers scattered around store with database lookups — «if you like this book/​author, you might like xx».
3) frequent customer program — right now, I pick you over Amazon out of a sense of obligation, even though Amazon is usually cheaper. It would be nice to get some kind of reward for that loyalty. Everyone does it — even Starbucks gives you a free coffee for every 12 you buy.

The CAFE IS GONE (more later). This past weekend I decided to pay a first time visit after looking at all the online reviews. First the good points. First, the book store is large, bright and has many well presented books and gift displays. Second, the store sells new both new and used books. Three, some news books are also sold at substantial savings. Four, the ease of parking.
Now the bad points. I experienced no customer service. Upon entering nor while browsing was I even acknowledge. Two clerks were standing behind the cashier counter. Neither one appeared busy. Second, the café is gone. For some shoppers the closure may not matter but some Unilocal reviewers had enjoyed the café which was of part of their shopping experience. I had planned to linger over a beverage Either way a shoppers amenity has been discontinued.
In closing, Willow Books is a nice store with a large selections of books at various price points. They offer easy ample parking too. Unfortunately, the service and lack of a café was disappointing. Online search engines still refer to the store as «Willow Books and Café». Possibly the owner could update Willows website or post on face book the café closure which would be helpful to shoppers.

when i moved to westford 6 years ago i didn’t know the area at all so i went out for a drive. i was DELIGHTED to find willow books, an independent book seller, less than 10 minutes from my house. they offer everything from best sellers to used books and now they’re even selling vinyl records. the staff is great, friendly but not overbearing, they’re quick with a recommendation (there’s even shelves marked with their favorites, past and present!) my favorite part of willow though, is the book-​by-​back program. you can bring in books and gain store credits in exchange. it’s awesome! keep in mind, it’s not a B&N, there space is small BUT they can & will order books for you (in store or on line) if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

Great bookstore. The staff displays are constantly changing and highlighting lesser known but interesting reads so it’s easy to get immersed. The café is cute, too. Prices are good. Thank God or Earth Mother or whoever is pulling the strings for bookstores like this one.

They have a great selection and can order what you are looking for. Fun to have a snack in the middle of a long rainy afternoon shopping for books.

My first time in Willow Books was for a Bobby Orr book signing. It will probably be my last.
I brought my daughter so she could get a book signed for her grandfather, arrived just after the advertised start time (6pm), bought our book (at full cover price) and were placed roughly 900^th in line. Sat there for two hours while guys ahead of me in line got huge stacks of books signed. Finally had to take my daughter home and put her to bed, but before I left I asked management if there was a way to just get a signed copy set aside for me that I could come back and pick up. He said, «no.»
After putting my daughter to bed, I tried to call the store to see if they were still open. The phones had been turned off. I went back anyway, around 9pm, they were still open, and on #700. I sat down and waited some more.
They ended up closing the line at #760 and send everyone else home with a «pre-​signed» copy. I have no idea where these «presigned» copies magically came from (Were they stamped? Signed by Orr’s secretary? Signed by Willow staff?) or why they weren’t available an hour and a half before when I had requested one. I was just handed a booked and told to «get out» by a tired and cranky staff.
I was told Willow sold 1500 books, so looks like about 740 others were also conned into paying full price. What a waste of 3 hours and $ 30. I feel bad for my daughter and all the other kids who were there and missed out. Next time I’ll save myself the trouble and buy the book on Amazon (for 50% of what I had to pay to Willow).
However, anyone else who missed out can probably find a signed copy of his book on eBay, which is where half the books he signed ended up, I’m sure. And you can skip the 3 hour wait.

A great little bookstore with a café inside. So much better feel to it than B & N (i.e. the Wal-​Mart of bookstores). Please shop here & give them the extra $ 1 – 2 it will cost you as opposed to B & N… you’ll save that in gas & aggravation and you’ll support local business.

Stopped in a pinch to get my 6 year old a book for her friend’s birthday book swap and a present. We were already running late for the party but were in and out in a snap. Great selection of children’s books and I absolutely love the greeting card selection– different, unique and a great variety. They even gift wrapped the swap book and b-​day present while we poked around. Great store– will be back soon when we have more time to browse and enjoy.

This is what a bookstore should be. Staffed by knowledgable people who care about books, Willow offers a wide range of best sellers and a good selection of everything else — travel, reference, etc. It’s bright, airy, uncrowded and a great place to browse. The café isn’t the coziest place, but this isn’t Starbucks. Willow works hard for your business, and they appreciate it as well. Prices on best sellers are usually discounted 40% — but even if not, it’s worth paying an extra buck or two to keep this place in business.

Willow is great to have nearby. Considering their size they have an excellent variety of books, not to mention magazines and cards. They also have a small café if you need to stop for a snack. One drawback is that because of their size there aren’t a lot of chairs to just sit and mull over what to buy. The staff is helpful, though, and knowledgeable.

This place is just so freaking cute. I just want to toss the whole place in my man purse and RUN.
Sitting out there in the middle of Nagog Woods in Acton, this is the least likely place you’d expect to find at the intersection of Rt. 2A and Rt. 27. It’s just woods and more woods out there. But then you come across Willow Books. At first inspection, it doesn’t amount to much. Just a common exterior (akin to most strip malls) and a green sign stating its name in capitals: WILLOW BOOKS. From far away, you’d think this was some cutesy, suburban Hallmark bag-​o-​crap bookstore full of kitty cat greeting cards and Wegman monographs.
But, no.
In the window: Patti Smith’s biography. In the magazine racks, Wallpaper magazine and a full range of lit-​snob rags: Harper’s, Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, etc. A poster advertising the new Ian Frazier. A small café serving four roasts of coffee and sandwiches/​soup. A respectable fiction section. An even better selection of non-​fiction.
Best of all, its out-​of-​way location means a steady but not overwhelming amount of foot traffic. So, the store maintains a hushed and cozy feeling without seeming monastic. A good place to browse or to grab a table and read or click-​click on your laptop.
Definitely go. Before I stuff the whole darn place in my tote.

Love Willow Books! Have been coming here for years. This is a prime example of a local business that SHOULD be supported. Very welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable staff. Pretty big selection with a very nice, comforting atmosphere.

Nestled in the carriage town of Acton, willow books is certainly unexpected.
However, it’s a fantastical place should you discover it. First — and this is a smell which is getting harder to find as bookstores go the way of
— you will be embraced by the smell of so many books underneath the brewing coffee. To me, this is the smell of home, and you damn well better appreciate it.
They don’t have every book. There are millions of books. Even Ron Burgundy does not have every book. But they have lots of books, and the people who work there care about them. These are true booksellers, and it would behoove you to find yourself there, and to buy a book or two, before your only option is books via the matrix.

This is a great bookstore and it’s the largest independent bookstore west of I-​95. That’s what they advertise at least. They have a little of everything including a little café. The café is not anything special and you can get better coffee at Café Ziba down the road. I go there occasionally to get a book if I don’t have time to make it to one of the larger stores. They have a bit of everything but naturally they can’t have the same selection as the larger stores because of their size. Look for smaller sci-​fi, fantasy, romance and mystery sections but a well endowed children and young adult area. They also have a fairly decent sized wrapping paper and card area.
Personally I think that the café area would be better put to use in expanding their selection instead of being used as a café.

I recently switched from buying my books at BN to these guys. Their selection is pretty good and the layout is nice and airy. So its easy to spend a little bit checking out the book without feeling crowded by other shoppers or even worse employees.
It reminds me a lot of Porter Square books in that it has a lot events to try to draw people in. Of the last 4 times I’ve been there events were happening 3 times. Two different readings (one by the author) and another time was a choir singing Christmas carols.
The prices are a little bit higher than Amazon, but at least I don’t have to wait a week for the book to show up. I have not tried out the café yet so I can’t speak to how it is. Maybe next time I’m there I will.

Wow, this is what a real book store should be. It’s right off Route 2A from Route 27. I made the mistake of going straight on Route 27 instead of turning. Fortunately, I found the Acton Public Library which was really nice with some history in their local historical society museum tucked in the back upstairs. Oh yeah, Willow Books is a nice bookstore with its charms of café right inside the store. I found some discounted books at a reasonable price. Plus, there were some cool gadgets and gizmos to play with as well. You go here to meet the local folks and enjoy the ambiance instead of the café lattes and big posters from B&N’s or Borders. Soak in the music and feel of the old styled bookstores.

As the only real Bookstore really near me, I can’t complain about Willow.
They discount pretty much all their books, and they do have a half decent magazine rack. Big plus!
They also have a small café, which also is a big plus.
Something about the lighting and décor doesn’t scream «bookstore» to me. It isn’t cozy in there… Too bright and white, I guess.
If they gave it more of a «Harvard Bookstore» vibe, and less of a «Buck a Book» feel, I’d up them to 5 stars.