Bookstores of the Triangle Part 8: Golden Fig Books

Bookstores of the Triangle is a blog series where Redbud highlights bookstores in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex, Morrisville, Cary, Pittsboro, Hillsborough, Carrboro, and surrounding environs. Do you have a bookstore you think we should visit? Let us know!

Photo courtesy of Golden Fig Books.

You might know the strip of shops and restaurants along 15 in Durham for bakery and beer garden Guglhupf and for gourmet food mainstay Foster’s Market. But if you don’t know it for bookstore Golden Fig—you should rectify that! Founded in February 2019 by a Letters Bookshop alum, Golden Fig is a well-decorated, well-curated shop selling both new and used books. We love Golden Fig for how welcoming and inclusive owner David Bradley is (fun fact: we were supposed to offer a class at Golden Fig in March 2020, which never happened for obvious reasons…someday! Someday soon!) and for the intentionality of the shop’s design and aesthetic (look for the fig art on the walls!). We also love David’s SURPRISE BOOKS, where you buy a book wrapped in brown paper sight unseen.

What’s new of late, says David, is that the shop has recently launched a Patreon, which grants you access to cool features like a book detective, who helps you find tomes that fit with your reading tastes. Golden Fig also recently started carrying products from local publisher Horse and Buggy Press.

Photo courtesy of Golden Fig Books.

Two more fun facts for ya: Golden Fig’s name comes from the Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. And, perhaps even more importantly, they make a mean tote bag. Seriously, we highly recommend their tote bags.

So next time you’re in that part of Durham, or next time you stop by Guglhopf or Foster’s, make sure to swing by Golden Fig, too!