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Bobzbay Books

4.3 (29 reviews)
Open 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Updated 1 month ago

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4 months ago

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10 months ago

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2 years ago

A local treasure! Wonderful selection of new & used books plus fun gift items. So much fun to browse. They will also special order.

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

Business owner information

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Liz A.

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

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15 years ago

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

Business owner information

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Liz A.

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5 years ago

Great place to shop for books!

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8 years ago

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7 years ago

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12 years ago

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10 years ago

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15 years ago

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13 years ago

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15 years ago

Bobzbay is neat little shop tucked away in downtown Bloomington with a great variety of books and friendly people

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

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15 years ago

Very cool store with a variety of items, not just books and music. Always see something new and interesting there. Love the robot theme.

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15 years ago

If your in Bloomington and if you read books and if you don't have a Automatonophobia. You should probably check out this epic book store.

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14 years ago

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Ask the Community - Bobzbay Books

Review Highlights - Bobzbay Books

We both love the logo and the robot theme through out the store.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

Read more highlights

Old Book Barn

Old Book Barn

(15 reviews)

$

My husband and I had read an adulatory article about the store and the many thousands of books…read morethere, so we traveled up from St. Louis to take a look. The thousands of books were there, all right, but in a building that smells overwhelmingly of mold. I don't know whether it's from a roof leak or a flood, or whether they have just bought a lot of smelly books, but my husband and I both stank of mold even after we left, and I was coughing. I didn't find much of a selection of unusual or uncommon books to tempt me, and the layout of the place is very strange. I couldn't find mystery books for over ten minutes. They were hidden away in a corner, and given far less prominence than romance or inspirational books. Even if I found out that the mold problem had been solved, it's not likely we would return.

Don't let any negative reviews steer you away from this place, it's great!!! I was in-town…read moreovernight, and specifically looking for guitar tablature books. While they didn't have much, I did find their music section, and got a great book on the old ACE Records label. However, the best part of the experience was Lori, the owner (I believe). She was SO HELPFUL!!! I asked about her usual stock, and she was totally willing to have an in-depth conversation with me about various subjects. Also, when I went to check out, and told her that I was in town for a concert, she reached into a drawer, and pulled out an information sheet recommending restaurants for dinner, breakfast and coffee places. She even gave me some of her own, and some advice on where else to look for good used books!! Other than the concert itself, it was the highlight of my trip there. Thank you Lori!!!

Priceless Books

Priceless Books

(13 reviews)

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Every university town requires a shambly old bookstore with overflowing shelves whispering wisps of…read morearcana to all who pass its portal. This is Urbana's. My favorite thing about this particular emporium of tomes, though, is that the kindly gentleman who owns it is a dead ringer for a beloved childhood fictional character, Professor Branestawm.

The best part of used bookstores is the element of serendipity. I find books I have loved that I…read morenever knew existed, and would never have known to search for them. New bookstores, in my view, are very limited in scope -- the owner has a particular taste, majority of titles (not counting classics) have been published in the last 1-5 years, from major publishing houses, almost everything has been on the NYT besteller's list. Very little element of surprise, few hidden gems. Used bookstores have so much more serendipity, so many hidden gems, so much more variety. And Priceless Books has this element of used bookstores, but twice as much as any other used bookstore I've been to. And I've been to a lot! On every road trip, if I'm just passing through, I check out their used bookstores. This one's special. Yes, it's messy and there's piles of books on the floor blocking the path (definitely not a wheelchair friendly store). Yes, you have to crane your neck to view titles up on the shelf. Yes, the store clerk is not gregarious (but does have a twinkle in his eye). But it's worth it! I have found so many books that my here that my life feels more complete having read them, and I never would have known of them if not for this store. This can be said of many a used book store, but Priceless Books just has more of it, and it's something special.

Lit on Fire Books - Beautiful space

Lit on Fire Books

(7 reviews)

$$

Beautifully laid out bookstore hosting a forward thinking selection of charged topics, mostly…read morebiased in a predictable direction, what we expected; the main room clean and inviting for the open mind. Got myself tickled surprised stumbling upon a new comic book styled adaptation of The Hobbit, didn't purchase, now I regret even for a pricer new edition. Very much there had been more celebration of literature's full magic, iconic authors, celebrated series, unique publishers, instead of just a couple main topics. Noticed the solo staff quietly holding down the side room at the back corner checkout, oddly not near the entry. The second oddity was a bewildering array of invisible god replacements: fortune telling, card reading, and general assortment of materials bent on using the star charts and crystal as religion. Always amusing to see attempts made to replace a simple prayer and book based church, that's remained unaltered for four thousand years, the endless chaos of frantic scrabbling at palm lines, tea leaves, and incense doesn't go along with the rest of the progressive socially cared for collection here. However I understand how quickly the mind starts to make up its own sense of self with the easiest options at hand not necessarily the ones that will last or prove worthwhile.

Lit on Fire Books is hands-down my favorite bookstore in Peoria! It's a hidden gem of a place with…read morean amazing collection of books that always seems to have exactly what I need -- or introduces me to something I didn't know I needed. The selection is wonderfully curated, and the store has a welcoming vibe that makes you want to stay for hours. The owner is absolutely fantastic--knowledgeable, friendly, and incredibly accommodating.

The Alamo II - A power bank that was ISU themed on the website but isn't on this power bank.

The Alamo II

(9 reviews)

$$$

I came here while on my Jr High Band Camp week long visit. Some of the stuff here is pretty cool,…read morethe ISU gear is awesome. And they added a "Stay Mobile" store to the Alamo building. Youre able to buy a lot of tech gear from the stay mobile section for relatively decent prices. The Stay Mobile store was giving out free stress balls, so I took one. $30 later, I now have a $18 ISU t-shirt, a $10 power bank, and a free "StayMobile" stress ball.

The Alamo II hasn't changed too much since my college days... there's still a buttload of…read moreoverpriced hoodies and ISU chotchkies (which I will admit, I bought some, but did end up putting some things back prior to purchase, tyvm), as well as all of the school supplies you could ever want. I did find it amusing that the majority of the "notebook" section has been replaced with some sort of technological hardware, cords, docking stations, etc. Oh, technology. The other thing that didn't change much was the lack of employees. There were two girls at the counter, and that was about it. Not that you really need HELP sorting through $85 dollar hoodies, but you'd think there would be someone walking around the floor to see if they can offer assistance. Why did they get rid of the greek loft? I was really disappointed to see that it is now *storage* and the selection of greek stuff is now pre-made shirts and hoodies (they used to be sewn or ironed to order) and a very small selection of car decals, keychains, and mugs. None of my fraternity stuff was even carried (it was difficult enough before, now it's practically impossible to find anything Alpha Phi Omega anywhere but online.) $70 something dollars later, I have a new hoodie, a license plate frame, a poster for the BF (on the rules of beer pong) and a redbull.

Bobzbay Books - usedbooks - Updated May 2026

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