Before the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II, José Ramos and Socorro Cáncio-Ramos, rented a small-corner space of a Haberdashery situated at the foot of Escolta Bridge in Santa Cruz, Manila.

During World War II, the store shifted to selling sold candies, soap, and slippers due to stringent book censorship.

[4][5] National Book Store began selling greeting cards in the 1950s depicting Philippine subjects to showcase local culture and traditions.

In 1955, the Ramoses were able to acquire a lot owned by the Guerrero family, where they erected the nine-story Albercer Building in 1963 which was named after Alfredo, Benjamin, and Cecilia, where a National Book Store was hosted.

[5] National Book Store accumulated enough capital after several years to acquire rights to reprint foreign brand greeting cards for the Philippine market.

[4] The Ramos children proposed expanding the scope of National Book Store, and a branch along Recto Avenue was opened, an area often frequented by students.

[7] It entered the education industry in 2017 with the launch of NBS College, its first institution for higher learning at the National Book Store building on Quezon Avenue[8] and by 2018, it has now 230 branches all over the country.

[4] A new logo was adopted in 1996 following a proposal from Ramos' children and grandchildren, which features the store's name in a more modern font on a red background.