Pets are becoming the secret ingredient behind some of the most beloved and successful bookstores today. These are marketing powerhouses, emotional support, and full-time greeters. In a world shifting online, a real-life animal encounter can turn a quiet bookstore into a buzzing community space.
Walk into Wild Rumpus Books in Minneapolis, and you are just as likely to hear a cockatiel chirp as a page turn. Visitors drop in asking for specific pets by name and snapping selfies with geckos and chinchillas. Even Veruca Salt, a tortoise at Bear Pond Books, has fans who stop in just to see her. Thanks to Instagram, she is basically a local celebrity.
There is something about seeing a cat nap in a sunbeam between the poetry and the biographies that makes a bookstore feel like home. Pets give shops a lived-in warmth that fluorescent lights and shelves alone can't offer. At Scattered Books in New York, rabbits roam freely.
They are trained not to make a mess, and they make people laugh. One even climbed up President Clinton’s leg during a visit, which certainly made that book event more memorable.
In Kansas, The Literary Cat Co. has taken it even further. Here, cats are adoptable co-workers. Shoppers browse books while polydactyl cats like Scarlett Toe’Hara strut around with official titles like “Assistant Regional Manager.”
Bookstores with pets often use their furry staff to support animal rescue. Some partner with local shelters, featuring adoptable pets who mingle with customers during story time or casual visits.
Literary Cat Co / Instagram / At Literary Cat Co., the cats have fans and job descriptions. Customers post about them online, spreading word of the store far beyond Kansas.
Parnassus Books in Nashville shows how this can work with full-time, employee-owned pets. Staff bring in their own dogs. Some are seasoned bookstore greeters, while others are learning the ropes. There is a rule, though: no barking allowed. But even a beagle who couldn’t quite handle the job ended up “working remotely.”
Online bookstores can beat brick-and-mortar shops on price or speed. But they can’t offer a live bunny to climb onto your lap. They don’t have a cockatiel whistling along to the background music. Pets turn browsing into an experience. They create surprise and delight.
Wild Rumpus Books has become a destination. People don’t just shop there, they plan trips to visit. Pets are part of the brand, grandfathered into the business itself when the store changed hands in 2024.
Mind you, these pets bring foot traffic, social media buzz, and lasting emotional ties. A cat curled up on the front desk says, “Slow down, stay awhile.” A tortoise with an Instagram account says, “This place is special.”