If you are looking for a charming and friendly bookstore that feels more like you just walked into someone’s house, Full Circle Books is the place to be. From the cozy fireplace, to the well organized rooms with traditional style rolling ladders, you are invited to pick up some books and stay a while. 

This landmark has been around for over 30 years in Oklahoma City, and is the largest independent bookstore in Oklahoma. They are located in 50 Penn Place right across from Penn Square Mall.  

This store has more than 60,000 new titles in stock and their employees will gladly give you a recommendation. They specialize in providing excellent customer service, as you will quickly realize when you interact with their friendly staff, especially managers Dana and Julia.

Full Circle has several book signings per month, including an event called New Ink, which is exclusively for new writers. They are also known to be a great source for books by Oklahomans and about Oklahoma. For families there is a room especially designed for the younger readers.

If you are hungry, the Garden Cafe inside the bookstore has a wonderful breakfast menu and a delicious selection of soups, salads, sandwiches, and sweets for lunch. The Cafe has a coffee bar as well as wine and local beers.

If that’s not enough, they also offer a variety of live local music on Friday and Saturday nights.

I was able to chat with one of the managers, Julia Green, about her thoughts on what makes Full Circle unique. She says the word that comes to mind first is “tradition”. She loves the fact that generations of families have frequented the store since it’s inception. Also, the children that she has seen grow up from infants to school age, enjoying the story book readings by the lovely Julie every Saturday at 10:15.

As we are speaking, a young girl named Genevieve emerges to embrace Julia’s leg. This is the 10 yr old daughter of the manager of the Cafe who has worked there for as many years. 

Genevieve is more than willing to pose for a couple of photos in the children’s area, even giving suggestions as to how she would like to be photographed.