This is one of those places I wish I had growing up in CT. I make it a point to try and stop in…read morewhenever I'm back. This place just has that cozy, local charm that you won't find at other bookstores. The selection is great, the prices are fair, and their selection of bookmarks is pretty amazing. Could'a left with ten, but I need to cut back.

I love a good independent book store- and this is one of my favorites. They have new releases,…read moresections for everyone, and their staff is knowledgeable and give great recommendations.

Explored this place as a random Yelp find. It certainly takes a minute or two to find being in the…read moreart space multi building parking lot, and figuring out how to get buzzed in by calling, however, there's some really good book hunting here in the decent sized space, particularly if you're a fan of old books. The owner was very friendly and chatty to me and I had a pleasant experience, found a few old reads, and would return. Thanks!

Weird little place in a weird little space. The whole store is under lock and key--one must buzz-in…read moreby telephone request unless one has made a prior appointment to access what could be a browser's paradise. The owner (as he announced himself) is, on every third Thursday of each alternate month, a nice-enough-fellow full of the love of books. But every other day at the store, he cements his love of books at the cost of a passing indifference for his customers that borders on hostility. While the book selection is as comprehensive as it is well-organized, something about the place seems... well... 'off.' It's as though one is being watched--or rather scrutinized--by unseen eyes, suspicious you may be replacing a book in the wrong place, disturbing the piles of rarities without regard to how the newly imbalanced feng-shui will impact the owner as he lingers scowling from the sequestered bowls of the shop. The books are, nevertheless, excellent and priced clearly in the "almost-too-expensive-but-still-just-affordable" range. Comparatively, the prices here are fair to good. You will not be finding any shocking bargains or hidden but neglected treasures here. The books are carefully selected, after all, and intended to turn a profit for the owner. After all, buying low and selling high is the name of the game--and yet, listening in on the owner's bargaining with one collector attempting to sell her books, I'd say there are fairer prices to be had from other buyers. But after exhaustive talks ranging from condition to author popularity (when has it been hard to sell Orwell?), she settled on a price with our peculiar host all the same. It was, in a word, creepy. Upon leaving with my new acquisitions, I was reminded of John Locke's description of this weird trade which combines refined erudition with predatory avarice: "Printers, binders, sellers, and others that make a trade and gain out of them have universally so odd a turn and corruption of mind, that they have a way of dealing peculiar to themselves, and not conformed to the good of society, and that general fairness that cements mankind." True enough of this odd little place, I thought. And then I went home, placed the books on my desk, and retired to take a nice long shower.

The service at this location is stellar. Everyone is exceedingly helpful. I called to reserve a…read morebook (for Father's Day) and the line moved quickly. The displays were well done and included all the current titles and best sellers, prompting me to purchase a book I hadn't intended. My uncle appreciated and enjoyed it!

Browsed around before a dinner reservation. Pretty clean and spacious with a nice variety of fun…read moreand unique games (pictured below)!

I always try to support my small, independent bookstores as well. For a large distributor, this is…read moremight be one of my favorite Barnes & Noble locations. My other favorite being in Pittsford, NY, which has nostalgia since it was a treat to go there when I was a kid and it also has 2 floors! This location is not as large as that one, but it is larger than most of the other spots in Connecticut. Their selection is impressive and they are unbeatable in the "buy one get one" options they always have out and seem to rotate regularly. That is always my favorite "excuse" for picking up a stack of books I have been eyeing. They also have a very large section of toys and puzzles next to the cafe area. Highly recommend this location if you are trying to resist Amazon and just love a good, relaxing perusal!

It was a great shopping experience with excellent customer service. I hope I can visit it in the…read morenear future.

A great place to get your Husky gear without going all the way to the Storrs coop. The Storrs coop…read morehas a much bigger selection, but other than that, this is the best I've found. It's not going to be discounted, so don't expect it to by cheap, but the things that have are nice. It's never crowded and usually quiet. There are students to help if you have a question but usually you have to approach them. They aren't going around checking on you. They have an ok selection of books including kids books- but I don't have much experience with that. Definitely a nice addition to downtown Hartford!

I love a good bookstore…read more Although it's been around for a few months I never really paid too much attention to it because I thought it was the school bookstore. And it is! So they have textbooks and UCONN gear (including law school stuff if you're looking!). But!! They are also a regular B&N. This place isn't large; but somehow when I went I spent about a half hour browsing the shelves (and I could have stayed longer but I was on my lunch break). They have a really nice selection of hardcover and paperback books, journals and other stuff for creative types. There's a Starbucks attached to the store so I think they designed it with people staying and browsing in mind. You know what I love most about this place though? That's it's downtown!! Buck-A-Book and Walden Books left probably close to two decades ago so it's great to have a Barnes and Noble!

Art and Braulio are amongst the friendliest comic professionals I've had the fortune to interact…read morewith. Was looking to sell the last of a mostly copper-aged comic collection and they made an offer on-the-spot. If you're considering letting go of some of your archives - seriously - give The Eye Opener a call!

This is my spot. Friendly staff who know where everything is even if a box is unlabeled. Solid…read moretrade paperback section. Near limitless back issue collection and almost every current series from Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Vertigo, IDW, and more. If you decide to open an account with them (ten dollar deposit, and they take a list of series you follow and put new release issues aside for you, with a minimum one pickup per month) you get great perks like 10 percent off all new comics. And I believe trade paperbacks too. My favorite thing about this store is they put together packets of consecutive issues for both new and old series. Really helpful if you want to dive into a series that started awhile ago and you don't have to hunt down single issues. Recently grabbed the first 8 issues of East of West because it was all there ready to go. But they put together old and new stuff. AvX, Brightest Day, Generation X, X-Statix, Civil War, tons of complete miniseries 80s-current. And their Christmas-New Years sale is out of this world.

Everything says it opens at 11am and here I am still waiting at 11:45am waiting for someone to show…read moreup. Called the phone number listed and Lady pretending not to understand me. Will go online to purchase what I need.