There is a moment, maybe ten minutes after you walk through the front door of Bookmarks on Trade Street, when you realize you are not going to leave anytime soon. The light is warm, the shelves are full, and somewhere between the new fiction table and the cocktail menu, you simply lose track of time. That is not an accident. Bookmarks was designed to do exactly that.
Opened in the heart of downtown Winston-Salem, Bookmarks is a independently owned bookstore and bar that manages to feel like both things simultaneously — and neither one feels like an afterthought. The bookselling side is curated with genuine care: staff picks are annotated in handwriting, local authors get their own dedicated section, and the children’s area in the back corner is the kind of cozy, colorful space that makes kids want to sit down and read before they have even chosen a book. The selection leans literary and local without being precious about it. You will find bestsellers alongside debut novels, regional nonfiction beside poetry collections you have never heard of but will absolutely buy.
Then there is the bar. And it earns its place here. The cocktail program is thoughtful in the way that good bookstore programming is thoughtful — there is intention behind it. Drinks arrive named after authors or literary references, the wine list is approachable, and the beer selection keeps things local without being exclusionary. Pair any of it with a charcuterie board or a light bite from the small food menu and you have the makings of an entirely satisfying evening that costs far less than a night out at a full restaurant.
The programming is what elevates Bookmarks from charming into genuinely essential. Author readings, launch parties, book clubs, and special events cycle through on a regular basis, drawing a crowd that is intellectually curious and genuinely engaged. These are not perfunctory signings where someone reads three pages and takes questions — Bookmarks events feel like real conversations, the kind you walk away from still thinking about. Check the calendar on their website before you visit, because whatever is happening that week is probably worth planning your trip around.
The neighborhood context matters too. Trade Street has become one of the more interesting blocks in downtown Winston-Salem, with galleries, coffee shops, and small businesses creating the kind of street-level energy that makes a city feel alive. Bookmarks fits into that ecosystem naturally — it is a gathering place as much as a retail experience, a third space that takes seriously the idea that community and culture belong together.
Whether you show up on a Tuesday afternoon with nothing particular in mind or you are in town for a weekend and looking for something that actually reflects the character of this city, Bookmarks delivers. Buy a book. Order a drink. Let the evening stretch out in exactly the direction it wants to go.
