Curious Iguana in Frederick, MD

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Telephone:	+1 301-695-2500
Website:	www.curiousiguana.com
Address:	12 N Market St, Frederick, MD, 21701
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	2.4 miMonocacy MARC Station 2.4 miMonocacy
Categories:	Bookstores Gift Shops

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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards	Yes
Accepts Apple Pay	No
Parking	Garage, Street

Bike Parking	Yes
Wheelchair Accessible	Yes
Dogs Allowed	Yes

Today

Today	11:00 am – 7:00 pm Closed now
Local time (Frederick)	07:25 Thursday, 19 June 2025

Business hours

Monday	11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday	11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday	11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday	11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday	10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday	10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday	12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

New books and literary-themed gifts for all ages

History

Established in 2013.

Established as a Benefit Corporation in 2012, Curious Iguana is owned by Tom and Marlene England, owners of Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts in Downtown Frederick since 2000.

Meet the Business Owner

Marlene E.

Business Owner

Marlene and Tom England opened Curious Iguana, an independent bookstore and benefit corporation, in September 2013. They also own Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts at 15 East Patrick Street, just around the corner in Downtown Frederick.

A love of books, a love of people and their stories, and a love of the Downtown Frederick community inspired the Englands to open an independent bookstore, which had been sorely missing from the retail mix in Downtown Frederick for several years. With a curated collection of books for adults and children, monthly book clubs, and a full calendar author talks and book signings, the Iguana enjoys a loyal following in and beyond Downtown Frederick. A portion of monthly sales supports global non-profits.

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10 reviews of Curious Iguana

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Ancy N.

Place rating: 5
Richmond, VA

Great selection of books and journals

Pamela G.

Place rating: 5
Baltimore, MD

I love this place!
I did use my self-control powers not to buy anything but next time it is game on. ;)
I was looking for aromatherapy books. The lady working there said that they do get requests on that a lot and they are thinking of adding a holistic section.
They have a note that the staff will be happy to recommend a book for you.
Cute little indie bookstore.

Lorena B.

Place rating: 5
Frederick, MD

Customer service is fabulous here! Since my initial review, I’ve had friendly staff members offer to order books for me, as well as suggest I try Abe Books if I’m searching for something that’s hard to find.
On my most recent visit, I headed toward the previously unexplored children’s area and found wonderful board books for Baby that I otherwise would’ve never heard of. Considering Frederick is a small town, I was pleased to find a selection of baby books in Spanish and French.
That visit also happened to be CI’s one year anniversary and they were celebrating by giving customers a chance to win a prize upon checkout. The super sweet cashier had me keep drawing tickets until I pulled a winner and I took home an awesome set of new cookbooks! Thank you Curious, you have made a loyal customer out of me!

Dee B.

Place rating: 5
Bethesda, MD

I *love* this bookshop — it is cozy, and very well curated. Everywhere I looked I saw dozens of books I’d be interested in reading. The kids’ section was particularly wonderful and diverse. They also have various events — we happened to be in the store about an hour before the author of a new biography of Francis Scott Key was to speak, so we came back to hear him.

Dana Y.

Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY

This place is great.
The Y.A. section is especially good, as is the children’s section. I am also a fan of the indie best sellers section, though I still look through the whole shop when I am in there. They are really good about keeping up with current book trends.
I love that the staff have read most of the books and are ready to talk to me about them, honestly.
They will also order most books for you if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

Joey B.

Place rating: 4
Frederick, MD

Wonderful bookstore !!!
stop in an take advantage of all the wonderful books
and they even have a fun kids room!
p. s. I don’t read and i don’t have children
but if i did i would be going there haha

Nick F.

Place rating: 4
Frederick, MD

As others have mentioned, it is a small space. However, they have access to just about any book you want if you are willing to have patience and wait a few days for them to get it in.
I’m guessing it is simply economy of scale.
They can’t carry a selection of 10,000 books simply due to overhead and space.
They carry a diverse selection in a small space and their staff has always been very accommodating and I have ordered two books from them.
They arrived in a timely manner and were very reasonably priced.
I would rather wait a few days for a book and support a wonderful local business like this instead of funneling more of my money to faceless corporations.
Great addition to Frederick and I wish them many years of success!

Felicia W.

Place rating: 5
Shepherdstown, WV

What a friendly independent bookstore! When you walk in, it has such a cool yet cozy atmosphere. The staff are all book lovers and are friendly. You can ask for a book they don’t have and they will try to accommodate to get the book. And I like that they support local authors in the community. My kids like coming in and they have a nice section for kids in the back. Because of the atmosphere and how welcoming it is, I’m now in their book club and the choice so far has been perfect!

Natalie V.

Place rating: 3
Washington, DC

Super small place. I wandered in here hoping to lose a few hours browsing and picking out books and gifts, but it just didn’t have the right vibe for that. I’m waffling between 2 and 3 stars, but am going with 3 since it is an independent bookstore and everyone loves to love those.

Mary B.