Inside Wisconsin’s largest used book warehouse

Driftless Books and Music

By Christina Lorey

March 18, 2025

Leave it to a small town to hide one of the state’s biggest gems.

Driftless Books and Music, located in Viroqua (population 4,300) is Wisconsin’s largest used bookseller, and it’s located in an unexpected place: a historic warehouse.

The all-brick Viroqua Tobacco Warehouse, built in 1906, was one of the state’s largest tobacco warehouses at the time. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s still adorned with tobacco leaf medallion decorations. Only now, it’s filled with knowledge, not nicotine.

🎞️ LIST: National Register of Historic Places listings in Wisconsin

If you’re looking for a very specific book, there’s a good chance you’ll find it at Driftless. The shop holds an enormous, ever-changing collection of new, used, rare, and antiquarian books. But you’ll also find records and tapes, sheet music and maps, a beer can museum, music venue, and an art gallery inside.

📚 FUN FACT: The owners have dubbed the building “The Driftless Center for Slow Media.”

The warehouse closes on a seasonal basis, so make sure to check the website before hitting the road. (It’s open now–we checked!)

Not local? You can support Driftless Books–or any indie bookseller–by ordering books online at Bookshop.org, and selecting the shop of your choice at the checkout. They’ll get a portion of your sales, just like if you’d shopped there in person!

MORE: Book It to These 12 Wisconsin Independent Bookstores

Author

Christina Lorey

Christina is an Edward R. Murrow-winning journalist and former producer, reporter, and anchor for TV stations in Madison and Moline. When she’s not writing or asking questions, you can find her volunteering with Girls on the Run, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and various mental health organizations. Send all story tips to [email protected] and sign up for her newsletter here.

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CATEGORIES: LOCAL BUSINESS

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