Kramers

Bookstore, cafe, bar. Local, independent, unique. A DC favorite since 1976. Kramers is a DC institution located in the heart of Dupont Circle.

The carefully curated bookstore is adjoined by the All Day By Kramers restaurant.

09/17/2024

It’s not just the paperback of Fourth Wing out today—we’ve got all of these incredible new books too! Like Hillary Rodham Clinton’s new memoir, Something Lost, Something Gained, and Timothy Snyder’s new book, On Freedom! For fiction, we have Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders and Naomi Novik’s Buried Deep! 📚🐈‍⬛

09/17/2024

‼️UPDATE‼️
⭐️Event⭐️
We’re excited to announce on Monday, October 14th at 7PM, author Chris Wallace will be discussing his new book, Countdown 1960 in conversation with Kara Swisher! This incredible book is about the eleven months leading up the presidential election of John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon!
❗️NOTE: this event is not at Kramers, but will be held at Studio Theater!

⭐️Details⭐️
WHO: Chris Wallace and Kara Swisher
WHAT: Countdown 1960
WHERE: 1501 14th Street Northwest Washington, DC, 20005
WHEN: Monday, October 14th @ 7:00pm
RSVP link in bio!
See you there! ❤️

09/15/2024

⭐️Event⭐️
We’re excited to announce on Friday, October 4th at 7PM, author Nora Lange will be discussing her new book, Us Fools! This Midwestern coming-of-age story is about two sisters, Joanna and Bernadette, who must learn to preserve by themselves in a world set against them. 📖📚

⭐️Details⭐️
WHO: Nora Lange
WHAT: Us Fools
WHERE: Kramers
WHEN: Friday, October 4 @ 7:00pm
RSVP link in bio!
See you there! ❤️

Photos from Kramers's post 09/04/2024

Thanks so much to for giving an incredible book talk about her book, Facing the Fracture! And thanks to everyone who came! ☺️📚❤️

08/30/2024

⭐️Event⭐️
We’re excited to announce on Tuesday, October 8th at 7PM, author Bridget Baiss ( ) will be discussing the new edition of her book, The Crow: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Classic Film! This incredible updated and revised edition dives into the full story behind the incredible film starting from the original graphic novel all the way to the interview with the cast and crew! 🐦‍⬛

⭐️Details⭐️
WHO: Bridget Baiss
WHAT: The Crow: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Classic Film
WHERE: Kramers
WHEN: @ 7:00pm
RSVP link in bio!
See you there! ❤️

08/29/2024

⭐️Event⭐️
We’re excited to announce on Friday, September 20th at 7PM, author Julia Hotz () will be discussing her new book, The Connection Cure! Read all about what “social prescriptions” are and how this movement is offering change to how the healthcare system diagnosis and treats patients.

⭐️Details⭐️
WHO: Julia Hotz
WHAT: The Connection Cure
WHERE: Kramers
WHEN: Friday, September 20th @ 7:00pm
RSVP link in bio!
See you there! 💛

Photos from Kramers's post 08/27/2024

The last new releases of the summer are here, and they don’t disappoint! We’ve got the new paperbacks of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, and Going Infinite by Michael Lewis! And for something new we have That Librarian by Amanda Jones and The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard! ♾️🐈‍⬛

Photos from Kramers's post 08/23/2024

Book and tote pairings because you can’t just get one 🛍️📚

08/20/2024

Enjoy this chillier day by stopping by your favorite indie bookstore and picking up some new releases!

Grab a new cozy read with The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, or a new collection of powerful essays titled Planes Flying over a Monster by Daniel Saldaña París! ☕️✈️

What’s your favorite genre to dive into when the days start getting cooler? 🍁

08/18/2024

⭐️Event⭐️
We’re excited to announce on Thursday, September 19th at 7PM, author Chris La Tray will be discussing his new book, Becoming Little Shell! On a search to connect to his heritage and a family he never met, La Tray discovers a long and complicated history of Indigenous communities.

⭐️Details⭐️
WHO: Chris La Tray
WHAT: Becoming Little Shell
WHERE: Kramers
WHEN: Thursday, September 19 @ 7:00pm
RSVP link in bio!
See you there! 💛

08/16/2024

⭐️Event⭐️
We’re excited to announce on Wednesday, September 11th at 7PM, author Kim Wehle will be discussing her new book, Pardon Power! Wehle breaks down the historical context and contemporary challenges surrounding the presidential pardon.

⭐️Details⭐️
WHO: Kim Wehle
WHAT: Pardon Power
WHERE: Kramers
WHEN: Wednesday, September 11 @ 7:00pm
RSVP link in bio!
See you there! 💙

08/08/2024

⭐️Event⭐️
We’re excited to announce on Tuesday, September 3rd at 7PM, author Tania Israel will be discussing her new book, Facing the Fracture! This incredible book is all about finding resilience through this politically polarized environment we find ourselves in.

⭐️Details⭐️
WHO: Tania Israel, PhD
WHAT: Facing the Fracture
WHERE: Kramers
WHEN: Tuesday September 3 @ 7:00pm
RSVP link in bio!
See you there! 💙

08/07/2024

So many fantastic new releases out today! Notable new releases today include Nancy Pelosi’s The Art of Power, T. Kingfisher’s A Sorceress Comes to Call, and John J. Sullivan’s Midnight in Moscow! ✨🌙

Some staff favorites out today are Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer and I Want to Die but I Still Want to Want Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee! 🐸🥢

08/01/2024

The restaurant is currently closed for maintenance. Will open back up soon.

The bookstore is still open!

07/28/2024

Happy Sunday everyone! Here’s a new excited event to mark your calendars with: author Nick Rees Gardner’s book launch at Lost Generation Brewing! Join us for a book talk, signing, and a reading straight from Gardner’s new book, Delinquents and Other Escape Attempts! See you there!✨

*Please note this event is NOT at Kramers! RSVP link is in bio!

07/23/2024

Today’s new releases have a surprise guest (and no, it’s not the super cute cat of Rescue Cat!) It’s Keanu Reeves! The Book of Elsewhere is a new sci-fi novel by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville! We’re excited to see what everyone thinks of this new BRZRKR novel! 🗡️

Other new releases include Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc and Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s Catalina! ⚖️💚

Photos from Kramers's post 07/16/2024

Blue skies and blue(ish) themed new releases today 💙☁️

Lev Grossman’s highly anticipated new book, The Bright Sword, is out today, but if you’re already counting down the days to Halloween, you might be more interested in Stephen Graham Jones’ new book, I Was a Teenage Slasher! Which blue book will you be picking? 🗡️💙

07/11/2024

Author visited us and signed her new book, Swimming Pretty! Grab a copy today! 💙🏊🏼‍♀️

07/10/2024

⭐️Event⭐️
We’re excited to announce on Tuesday, July 23 at 7PM we’re hosting our Kramers Poetry Reading: Summer Edition featuring Maria Fernanda, Victoria Newton, and Erin Hoover!

⭐️Details⭐️
WHO: Maria Fernanda, Victoria Newton, Erin Hoover
WHAT: Summer Poetry Event
WHERE: Kramers
WHEN: Tuesday, July 23 @ 7:00pm
RSVP link in bio!
See you there! 💚

07/02/2024

‼️our hours on the 4th of July are 8AM-8:30PM‼️

So make sure to grab your next read and delicious drink in time to see the fireworks! 🎆

07/02/2024

‼️Our hours on the 4th of July are 8AM-8:30PM‼️

So grab your drinks and new summer read early! 🎆

06/28/2024

What the book cover says🦞

06/25/2024

Two tumblers worth of new releases today! 📚📚

We have The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim, The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing, and All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker! And if you prefer paperbacks, we have The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry, and finally Wellness by Nathan Hill! 👀💐📚💐

06/18/2024

Today’s new releases are filled with mysteries, romances, and adventures! 🔎

There’s Lucy Foley’s The Midnight Feast, Riley Sager’s Middle of the Night, Rachel Cusk’s Parade, and Dr Anthony Fauci’s On Call! 📚🩺

06/17/2024

Guide to Imbibes—the DC Metro specifically—are back! 🥂

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Our Story

Kramers first opened its doors amid the Bicentennial celebrations of 1976. At the time of its opening, it was the first bookstore/café in Washington DC. Over the years, through expansions, subpoenas, and innumerable neighborhood changes, much of our business has remained constant, notably our commitment to providing our patrons with access to the best books we can procure and to the most delicious, varied food we can produce. In addition to possessing a lively, convivial atmosphere, and a full-service bar, Kramers stages hundreds of book-related events each year, both in the store and elsewhere. From tourists to neighbors, college students to the political elite, there is something for everyone at Kramers!

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Address


1517 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington D.C., DC
20036

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 9pm
Tuesday 8am - 9pm
Wednesday 8am - 9pm
Thursday 8am - 9pm
Friday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 10pm
Sunday 8am - 10pm

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