6 Plympton St
Boston, MA 02118
617-547-4648
This Harvard Square institution, opened in 1927, is the oldest poetry book store in America. For over 80 years, Grolier has been a legendary meeting place for world-renown poets like Adrienne Rich, e.e. cummings, Robert Lowell and Allen Ginsberg. Entering this tiny 400-suare-foot shop on quiet Plympton Street is like stepping back into time. You?ll love the old-fashioned sign, poems hanging in the window, free candy dish on the counter, and the towering bookshelves that reach up to the 25-foot-high ceilings. Adorning the walls are black & white photos of famous friends and customers like T.S. Eliot and Marianne Moore. Grolier has over 15,000 poetry books and tapes ranging from Japanese haiku to Spanish poems, and they carry out-of-print editions and hard-to-find foreign authors. They also have readings and book signings. If you love poetry and want to experience the art form?s rich Cambridge history, Grolier is the place for you.
1This Harvard Square institution, opened in 1927, is the oldest poetry book store in America. For over 80 years, Grolier has been a legendary meeting place for world-renown poets like Adrienne Rich, e.e. cummings, Robert Lowell and Allen Ginsberg. Entering this tiny 400-suare-foot shop on quiet Plympton Street is like stepping back into time. You?ll love the old-fashioned sign, poems hanging in the window, free candy dish on the counter, and the towering bookshelves that reach up to the 25-foot-high ceilings. Adorning the walls are black & white photos of famous friends and customers like T.S. Eliot and Marianne Moore. Grolier has over 15,000 poetry books and tapes ranging from Japanese haiku to Spanish poems, and they carry out-of-print editions and hard-to-find foreign authors. They also have readings and book signings. If you love poetry and want to experience the art form?s rich Cambridge history, Grolier is the place for you.
I came into Grolier's one afternoon, and I was
genuinely shocked at the treatment I received. I just
just moved to the Boston area, and I had never been in
the store before. After browsing for about ten minutes, the woman who
was running the store pointed at me and a friend of mine claimed she "recognized me" and told me to
leave the store. I have no idea why this woman chose to act in such an abrasive and disrespectful manner. I
find this entire incident shocking and the worst example of customer
service I have ever received. My friends and I had books in hand that
we were planning on purchasing. Of course after this I never have any
intention of giving money to an establishment that treats people in
such a tactless and humiliating manner.
I came into Grolier's one afternoon, and I was
genuinely shocked at the treatment I received. I just
just moved to the Boston area, and I had never been in
the store before. After browsing for about ten minutes, the woman who
was running the store pointed at me and a friend of mine claimed she "recognized me" and told me to
leave the store. I have no idea why this woman chose to act in such an abrasive and disrespectful manner. I
find this entire incident shocking and the worst example of customer
service I have ever received. My friends and I had books in hand that
we were planning on purchasing. Of course after this I never have any
intention of giving money to an establishment that treats people in
such a tactless and humiliating manner.
This small book store is nestled in Harvard Square behind the Harvard Book Store and is said to be the oldest continuous poetry book store in the United States. It stocks thousands of volumes of poetry of every kind!
The store has a great ambience with photographs of famous poets covering the walls and volumes of poetry stacked up to the ceiling. It also often has poetry reading events which are open to the public.
There's a reason people come from all over the world to visit Grolier's!
PROS: good selection of poetry, nice decor
CONS: none
This small book store is nestled in Harvard Square behind the Harvard Book Store and is said to be the oldest continuous poetry book store in the United States. It stocks thousands of volumes of poetry of every kind!
The store has a great ambience with photographs of famous poets covering the walls and volumes of poetry stacked up to the ceiling. It also often has poetry reading events which are open to the public.
There's a reason people come from all over the world to visit Grolier's!
PROS: good selection of poetry, nice decor
CONS: none