The best bookstore. Was happy to finally visit the Raven. If you like a great bookstore this is a must. Friendly staff, and a great curated selection of books! Ill be back anytime I come through Lawrence.

Great indie bookstore, they have a great selection and also a great cat!

Amazing customer service! They are very friendly and easy to communicate with. I have only placed one order with them so far, but I will definitely continue to buy from them in the future! I

Get Your Mystery OnYesterday, during my discovery day in Lawrence, I found the nicest little book store full of mystery, fiction, history, childrens books and more. The Raven, with its two resident cats, is a cozy spot to hangout in.The space consists of two large rooms that are well organized so that you don’t feel crowded. The moment I stepped through the doors, the staff welcomed me with big smiles and asked if they could help me with anything. It would have been so easy to snuggle up in a chair with a cozy read and call it a day.The Raven offers other items like T shirts, journals, totes, items for children and fun things like the ever-popular enamel pins that have been popping up around town. I added to my purchase, the very bright yellow logo mug that caught my eye when I walked in.The other thing that was a step away from the usual were the Poems machine for fifty cents. Instead of candy, you pop open the white and purple plastic case to find a few thoughtful words typed on a slip of paper. All proceeds are donated to a different charity every month. For March, The Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center is featured.Overall: In this busy college town, make The Raven one of your stops for all things mystery and more.This is an edited version of the first review.Overall I still feel the same about the book store overall but found disappointment with the manager when I tried to share some information with him regarding the feedback I received because of my review of his store. He made me feel as though I was bothering him with such trivial news. Im glad the rest of his staff were more welcoming and excited than he was otherwise the above review would be very different.

Small but well-curated bookstore. For example, I was concerned that there was just one bookcase of poetry, but I found $200-worth of contemporary poetry books and would have bought more if I had had the money. Dont miss the poetry gumball machine and the sweet cat.

Looking for particular books and they were helpful.

Avoid Amazon. Spend a little extra $ to keep your money in town. Support locally owned businesses. Be kind to your community, and it will be kind to you.

Great selection of books, and everyone there is more than willing to help you find what youre looking for. Their online presence is unique and worth a follow.

I live 812 miles away and will likely never get to visit them in person, but this will remain one of my favorite bookstores to buy from. Their web ordering process is organised and easy and they even manage to maintain a personal touch. I ordered from them the first time because my one of my favourite authors is local to them and I could get a signed book. Hannah was so friendly and that first experience was so lovely that I decided to start ordering from them regularly. I am even going to be a giant nerd and order some Raven swag with my next purchase. Thanks Ravenites! (A group of ravens is called an unkindness or conspiracy, but neither of those work in this case.)

Great local book store good variety given their shelf space

I haven’t been to Raven Bookstore in person yet, but I can’t wait to make a trip out to Kansas just to visit them! They’ve been very helpful, responsive, and super easy to work with! Any book I have searched for I have found on their website, even if they don’t have a copy in store they order it, and then ship it out. Will continue to shop from here!

Best book shop in lawrence. After hard weeks in class me and a friend would go there and sit on their couch reading childrens books and petting their cats. Boone ever seemed to mind us loitering and we where always sure to buy something to help support their amazing atmosphere.

Cute book store. Cats are playful.

Thanks for fighting the good fight--fascinating New Yorker article!

What a delightful, independent book store! I wish I needed something when we stumbled into the shop over the weekend, but I can’t wait to make it back. The poem machine is rather amazing!

Best local bookstore!

Beyond helpful! What a gem, this place. Made specific, spot on recommendations. They are always great to work with. Keep up the good work!

Their Covid era procedures are absolutely top notch. Called ahead, they had the book I was looking for in stock, paid over the phone, and picked it up, all within 10 minutes. A true gem, thanks to The Raven for all that they do. Can’t wait to browse in person again when it’s safe to do so!

To the person who chased me away from parking in front of the store.... We are passing through town and my girl wanted to pick up something from a shop up the street. As you saw I have a small trailer and there is no place for me to park on the main road so I went around the block and parked there and did not leave my truck. You told me to move as this was reserved for pick up. These spots have parking meters, making them public parking. You do not own them. Please in the future just be kind, I was simply trying to park safely for a short time.

Friendly staff and a nice selection.

I always find what Im looking for here and the service is excellent.

Always our go to book store.

This is a great bookstore. Great selection for adults and children. If they havent had a book in stock I was able to find it on their website. And I just discovered the wishlist option on the raven bookstore website, which I love! Staff are friendly and helpful.

Has a beautiful cat & tons of books plus they have a mystery bag of books that I love!!!

Come on are you serious this place is great. Its got atmosphere, good staff and kitties! Do the right thing. Go to their website and order your books there, pick them up in the store, say hi to the kitties (and the people I guess). They get stuff in for you pretty quickly and they care about what they do. Screw Amazon. Amazon doesnt care about books. Raven Bookstore does.

Great store. Very cozy and has good selection. And they have cats!

They do amazing work!

Local bookstore vibes with a large modern publisher selection. you can find most hits and quite a few hidden gems inside the store and like most places in Lawrence the staff is friendly and helpful. be aware that the have a store kitty, which is a bonus for me personally.

This is a business that Lawrence should be honored to have. Their commitment to the community as well as their amazing and eclectic selections are a service to Lawrence, and they must be protected at all costs.

I support this local business 100%! They go out of their way to assist and are VERY knowledgeable!

Very conceited owner, do not shop here.

Top notch independent bookstore. Obviously, the buyer makes careful selections. Pleasant atmosphere. The day I shopped there, an excellent classical guitarist was playing. Beautiful experience at the Raven!

Great employees. Large selection of new releases and classics. Even better cat selection. Love the rewards program. I dont think they have sales, so this makes up for it. Also cool collection of print/non literary materials.

I love this store, and I always carve out time to visit whenever I hit Lawrence. Its selection is broad and diverse, its layout makes it easy to find the titles you want, and you can tell the staff are eager readers themselves, because they stock smart, unusual, and occasionally weird titles. I especially love their poetry, history, and philosophy sections, which are among the best Ive ever seen in a brick-and-mortar store. They have been a staple of downtown Lawrence for over thirty years, and when you go inside, its easy to see why.

The staff is really helpful and I love that the owners back up their politics with action. also, if you dont like amazon this is THE STORE for you

Major Best Friend Energy in this place. 💕

As an incurable book addict, Ive visited bookstores all over the world. The Raven is one of my very favorite stores. Its small and focused on mystery novels, but somehow manages to have a fantastic selection in diverse genres. Their nonfiction section always has something I didnt know existed, but which I really need to read. The staff really know their stuff and are all (felines included) friendly and interesting. If you love books and are anywhere near Lawrence, you simply cant miss a visit to The Raven.

This is the best bookstore in town and possibly the region. Danny, the owner, has taken the reigns and run with it. The author events he brings to town are great. Hes not bringing John Grisham or Stephen King, but hes bringing authors who have something to say and are super relevant. Dont miss out on these events. Oh yeah, and theres the books. Everything is in the perfect place, nothing extraneous, little else desired. A poets sense of design for a wonderful place to spend an hour every week.

Local! Buy local! Great folks and very friendly and helpful. Great recommendations if you need a new series to sink into.

Small local store with friendly and helpful staff and two cute cats that will sleep on you if you sit down for too long. For such a small store they have a very good selection. Easily the best and most unique book store in town.

Wonderful local shop! Curated selections, knowledgeable staff + unique gifts.

Cute bookstore that is worth checking out. Its not large so the selection isnt expansive, but its a great selection. All the books in there are the kind of books Id wanna get so its even better than a large bookstore because you can drop in and grab something quickly. They have a loyalty card - so grab one!

Warm atmosphere, friendly staff. Love the cute childrens section. Charming bookstore tucked behind main street Lawrence

Iconic local bookstore. Great selection, easy to browse. You will always find something youll want to buy. Owner and staff are impeccable.

Excellent staff, fairly extensive selection, comfy places to read. They have two cats in-store, so if you are allergic, maybe call ahead so you can be in and out. Will order books for, and if a book you want is damaged, and its their only copy, they are willing to discount it somewhat. A great local bookstore!

I absolutely love the staff. They always assist you with finding what you need. Always courteous.

Great bookstore! Nice selection of books. Helpful staff. And a friendly kitty walking around.

The Raven is the best- smart selection of books, GREAT kids book section (and toys for them to play with), able to order books really quickly, and friendly staff who have recommended gifts that have been very popular with the recipients. Oh, and the two shop cats are the icing on the cake.

I went to pick up the book I had ordered, and everybody was busy talking to customers. So until they finish, I was checking the books on the shelf like everybody else. Somebody came and asked me what I was doing, but did not ask the others who were doing the same as I was. I did not feel comfortable with it. This is extremely rude, irresponsible and poor customer handling. She knows why she did this.

Wonderful cozy bookstore! They have a fantastic selection of books-fiction & non-fiction, adults & children. Perfect little gifts and one of the very best selections of beautiful greeting cards in town.

This is our favorite bookstore. Even though we live in KC we visit when we can and we order online from them.

Wonderful selection. At Christmas I called and they were able to order a trilogy i wanted. I was fast and easy.

What a wonderful old school bookstore with friendly staff.

Despite it being small, I found it to have a wonderful array of books to choose from. Not only were there books but, there was also towels, candels, cat toys, and more. It had places to sit as well and feels very comfortable. The staff were kind as well and despite a little tike knocking over a basket of pins, they cleaned it up and carried on, I applaud them. The only downside is that if you cant walk, its going to be a struggle to get up the stairs. Its worth the struggle though!ヽ(°◇° )ノ

Great bookstore, friendly staff and a warm, welcoming black cat. Yes, there are 2 cats, but this one and I bonded. The other was eating.

A small but well-stocked store, with friendly and helpful staff and two adorable cats! Well be back next time we are in the area.

Thoroughly enjoyed the selection, very helpful and friendly staff! Also, kitties.

High quality locally owned bookstore. Rare find.

Shop local! Fun bookstore with a wide variety.

I really love the selection of books! There are a little pricy but worth it if they have what you’re looking for!

Best bookstore around hands down.

A great bookstore with great staff and two wonderful cats. Its just a bit too expensive to shop there all the time for books. They have a small used shelf but still its probably better to stick to the Dusty for the used books and Raven for new books.

Stopped in with friends after a lunch date, cant wait to go back and browse more! Quaint little store, but lovely selection and friendly staff!

They knew exactly where to find a book I only knew by subject. Twice! Exceptional service!

The house cats are lovely, the book selections are thoughtful and well curated, and the atmosphere is just lovely ❤

This is a fantastic, local book store. Amazing collection of mystery fiction, but also good general fiction and non-fiction. The woman who helped us was definitely a mystery reader, and gave us several recommendations that were spot-on.

My favorite go to place to get my new book fix. I also enjoy the fact that I am supporting local by shopping there. Follow them on facebook to keep up to date about reading and presentations in the store.

They have a good variety of options especially for Afro. American authors and readers. Im always looking for Black authors and stories, so, this bookstore gives me the options to buy and order books, graphic novels, etc from them.

Lovely local bookstore. Friendly and helpful staff. Nice variety and selection.

Awesome independent bookstore

Small but carefully chosen books. All good works

Good selection of books, love the theme of The Raven by Poe, and most of all, the shop cats!

Great choice and variety of books. Nice staff and a cute cat

Very friendly and helpful staff. Always ready to assist in finding the book one wants or identifying a book to fulfill a particular interest or craving for literary entertainment.

Excellent selection with a pretty cat! A great place to chill and read at while walking down mass street

Cmon, Raven is the best! Such independent bookstores are an endangered species, so if you cant appreciate Ravens curated selection and informed service then I dont know what to say.

Shop your local bookshop!

Rare local bookstore that continues to deserve support from the community. Delightful place to browse.

My first time to an authors book reading. Being an interesting subject anyway regarding Kansas history, the author was entertaining and the hospitality was really nice.

AMAZING!! Great bookstore ! I have found SO many great series here! Used to go to KU bookstore now I go 2 this ! Next to cool stores, great coffee ! Luv the cats too ! Great store! LUV IT !!❤

Amazon bad, bookstore good

Bought some rare books from The Raven. Very helpful staff. Really go out of their way to help you. Thanks.

A small yet thorough bookstore with helpful staff and two cats that arent particularly helpful, but arent unhelpful either. Theyre cats. I respect that.

People were nice and quick to help find a book for you

A cozy little bookstore, friendly staff, and in-store cats ready to help with all your needs.

They have the best books and the best people.

This is a really cute local bookstore. They have great events with local authors.

Nice local book store! Friendly staff

They are friendly and helpful. It has a good vibe

Loved the store, good collection of books, did some early Christmas shopping for the nephews and nieces, 2 store cats, plus we love Ravens!

Historic and cozy bookstore. The Raven attracts authors for booksigning events. Their staff has a great rapport with the Lawrence Plublic Library and assists with public outreach programs.

The only store around this area that has the book my sister was after. We visited at least 3 others before this. This store and one next to it have cats you can let in them so it gets the ok from me lol.

They were helpful, fun to talk to and they had exactly what I was looking for.

Love the Raven. Can always find something, and the staff is awesome!

Super nice people, whimsical whole-in-the-wall kind of place. Bought as expensive as Barnes and Noble but so worth it 😊

Raven & Dusty Bookshelf are the finest book stores in Lawrence, Kansas.

My favorite book store it has a home type atomosphere. I dont mind the drive from Topeka and they are always so helpful.

Cats, books, great staff...who could ask for more?!

Went in searching for a book, they didnt have it but were able to order it in and I had it within 2 days. Great staff, super helpful and friendly!

Good staff fun store.