Dartmouth’s Favorite Used Bookstore Lives On at Raynham Location

If you are a 40-ish lifelong resident of the SouthCoast with a love for reading, there is a chance your love started at Annie’s Book Stop.

Back in the early ’80s, Shirley and Dave Peterson franchised out the popular new and used bookstore Annie’s and opened a location in the JB Byrider plaza off Route 6 in Dartmouth. There were shelves upon shelves of new and used books and many of my peers frequented the store to buy the cult-classic Babysitters Club books and Super Specials. Back then, reading the newest book was the cool thing to do; a mark of being hip and with it. Paperback books were 25 cents and you got a free Annie’s bookmark to go with it.

It's foggy what happened over the next few years. I stopped going to the abutting dance school and had less reason to be near the store; the series I was so addicted to stopped putting out new books and eventually I moved onto other things. I moved away and came back, as many of us do, and suddenly Annie’s Book Stop was gone.

But as the greatest of internet searches would reveal, Shirley and Dave Peterson, now in their 80s, still own and operate their other Annie’s Book Stop location in Raynham. While logistically running both stores proved to be difficult, the couple never closed or sold their Raynham location. This year marks their 37th year in businesses at 575 South Street. Moms who visited the store in the '80s are still bringing their grandkids to the store today, introducing them to the world of books the same way they did with their own children.

If this past year has overwhelmed you and you’ve hit your screen limit, considering taking the drive back in time to Annie’s Book Stop, grab yourself a good ol’ fashion paperback and pretend it's1989 again.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app