From the Circle to U Street
Dupont Circle is where DC's book people go. Long-running bookstores, designer consignment, tea shops and small galleries share rowhouse storefronts on Connecticut Avenue, P Street and R Street, and many of them are up a flight of stairs. From there it is a walk east to 14th Street NW, where home stores and consignment sit between restaurants, and on to U Street for records and vintage.
Most Dupont shops open between 10am and noon and close at 6pm or 7pm. Several small shops close on Mondays, so pick another day.
Dupont's Bookstores
Start at Kramers (1517 Connecticut Ave NW), which opened in 1976 as DC's first bookstore-cafe and now has a full restaurant and bar serving breakfast through dinner, plus readings and book clubs. A few doors down, JF Books (1509 Connecticut Ave NW) is DC's only Chinese-language bookstore. It sells English and Chinese books, including titles from Hong Kong and Taiwan and books banned in China, and hosts regular talks.
Walk west to the corner of 20th and P for Second Story Books (2000 P St NW), a large used and rare bookstore with sidewalk sales, open daily from 10am to 10pm. If you have books to sell, its buyers are in every day from 10am to 4pm. A few doors down and up a flight, Fantom Comics (2010 P St NW, 2nd Floor) has stocked comics and graphic novels since 2005 and is open daily from 11am to 6pm.
For art books and prints, The Phillips Collection Museum Shop (1600 21st St NW) sells books, prints, cards, jewelry and home goods. The museum is closed Mondays.
Second-Floor Consignment and Craft
Connecticut Avenue north of the circle is the consignment stretch, and you have to look up. Secondi (1702 Connecticut Ave NW, 2nd Floor) has sold women's designer consignment since 1986, with clothing, handbags, shoes and jewelry from labels such as Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Prada. Its entrance is up a flight of stairs above a Starbucks, and it opens at noon (1pm on Sundays). Street Commerce (1633 Connecticut Ave NW, 2nd Floor) sells high-end fashion on consignment at prices between luxury and affordable.
Knitters should climb to Looped Yarn Works (1732 Connecticut Ave NW, 2nd Floor) for Cascade, Malabrigo, Isager and Sandnes Garn yarns, needles and classes. It is closed Mondays and open until 9pm on Thursdays. At 1627 Connecticut, Tea Mansion stocks more than 200 teas, and Tanem, in the same building, sells handcrafted Turkish jewelry, clothing and housewares.
Galleries West of the Circle
R Street has a short gallery row. Studio Gallery (2108 R St NW) shows rotating contemporary exhibitions Wednesday to Saturday. Behind the Phillips, IA&A at Hillyer (9 Hillyer Ct NW) is a free nonprofit gallery that opens new shows each First Friday, when the Dupont Circle ArtWalk runs from 6pm to 8pm across about a dozen galleries and embassies.
Tip: On Sundays, the FRESHFARM Dupont Circle Market (1600 20th St NW) runs year-round from 8:30am to 1:30pm, with more than 80 farmers and producers at peak season. Second Story Books, at 20th and P, makes an easy pairing.
14th Street: Home Shops and Consignment
Head east to 14th Street NW at P Street. Whole Foods Market P Street (1440 P St NW) is a useful landmark; its opening in 2000 is credited with starting the corridor's redevelopment. A block south, Current Boutique 14th Street (1318 14th St NW) is the local designer consignment chain's DC store, open until 8pm six days a week.
Walking north, go downstairs to Rice Market (1608 14th St NW, Lower Level) for Japanese, Thai and Korean pantry staples, more than 100 sakes, ceramics, tea ware and cookbooks. Salt & Sundry (1625 14th St NW) is the best gift stop on the strip, with kitchen and bar tools, ceramics and paper goods from independent makers. West Elm Logan Circle (1728 14th St NW) covers furniture, rugs and lighting, and Logan Hardware (1734 14th St NW) spreads over two and a half floors, with a garden center on an outdoor balcony. It opens at 8am.
Farther up, Madewell Men's 14th Street (1821 14th St NW) and Madewell 14th Street (1919 14th St NW, Ste C) split the brand's menswear and womenswear into two stores. At 14th and V, Busboys and Poets 14th & V (2021 14th St NW) is a restaurant and event space whose book program sells books and hosts author events.
U Street: Records and Vintage
Turn onto U Street to finish. GoodWood (1428 U St NW) sells high-end antique furniture along with vintage clothing and jewelry, art, textiles and niche perfumes, daily from noon to 6pm. Joint Custody (1530 U St NW) has new and used vinyl, cassettes, vintage clothing, old audio gear, posters and zines, and stays open until 8pm every day, so it works as a last stop. Further east, Lee's Flower and Card Shop (1026 U St NW) is a Black-owned family florist founded in 1945 and now run by the founders' granddaughters.
Lunch Near the Bookshops, Dinner on 14th
A few steps from Second Story Books, Amparo Fondita (2002 P St NW) serves Christian Irabién's shared-plates Mexican menu on in-house nixtamalized tortillas. It holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand. On 14th Street, Le Diplomate (1601 14th St NW) is the French brasserie at 14th and Q, with weekend brunch from 9:30am and a Saturday and Sunday midday menu from 3pm to 5pm, the easiest time to get a table without a reservation.
Two Metro Stations
Start at Dupont Circle station on the Red Line. Its Q Street exit comes up on Connecticut Avenue by Kramers, and Second Story Books is about a block away. Second Story Books notes on-street parking and nearby garages. The northbound service road on the 1600 block of Connecticut Avenue is closed for about eight weeks from September 8, 2026, though deliveries are still allowed.
To head home from the other end, U Street station on the Green Line, at 13th and U Streets NW, is a block east of 14th Street. Street parking on 14th is metered, and transit is the practical way in.