The Book Shop of Needham Celebrates Grand Opening
February 9, 2026
• Needham’s first bookstore in 19 years opened at 283 Chestnut St. on Saturday.
Bookish residents, local bibliophiles and eager young readers filed through the front doors of The Book Shop of Needham Saturday morning to browse through new rows of novels, picture books, merchandise and more.
Children found cushioned seats to open up new literary discoveries. Friends gathered under one genre, sharing favorites and books on their to-be-read lists. One woman pushing a stroller enthusiastically remarked, “I can’t believe this is a book store.”
The Chestnut Street business, operated by husband-and-wife duo Hayley and Daniel Stokes, is the first of two bookstores coming to Needham this year. The journey to start up the operation was a product of “years of dreaming, months of planning, weeks of organizing, and many days of blood (yes, blood), sweat and tears (happy tears!),” their Instagram page states.
The Book Shop of Needham replaces Vintage Finds, which closed last fall.
Chapters on Chestnut, located at 7 Chestnut St., plans to open this fall.
The Stokes hosted a weekend raffle celebrating the opening, where entrants could win a gift card and bookshop-branded hats, tumblers and tote bags. Within the first half hour of opening, more than a dozen people visited the business and congratulated the owners.
Laura Cullen, a Needham resident who worked in early education, perused the children’s section. She was looking for a book for her granddaughter, or possibly herself, when she stopped in on Saturday. She said she feels the town will “very much benefit” from the new store.
“It’s in the center of town. People can walk here,” Cullen said.
The bookstore carries fiction of various genres, including romance, sci-fi and fantasy, manga, classics, young adult and more. There are also non-fiction books, staff picks, signed copies of books and a robust children’s section at the back of the store, organized by skill level.
Lindsay Sullivan and Meghan Small pointed out titles and flipped through selections in the fiction section. The Needham residents are part of an 11-year book club, and Sullivan picked up their newest read: “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans.
Both women expressed their excitement for the bookstore and anticipate bringing along their children, too.
“It’s a very calming space here,” Sullivan said. “I just want the word to get out.”
Needham’s last bookstore, Waldenbooks at 1024 Great Plain Ave., closed in early 2007. Needham was also home to the Crest, a store that carried magazines and periodicals located where Needham Center Fine Wines now sits.
During their grand opening, Hayley Stokes said her days have been slammed with preparation. Both she and her husband, who are Boston College graduates, helped customers around the store over the weekend. The store plans to host several author talks within the next few months.
They shared enthusiasm on social media prior to their first day of business.
“Stories bring people together, and we can’t wait to build our connection with the Needham Community!” they wrote on Instagram.
The Book Shop of Needham is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
