I had hours to kill before catching the Megabus back to NY and the stop wasn't far from this shop…read more I wandered in and bought a book I still haven't read yet, mainly purchased to support a local business. It was called "Hope: A Tragedy" , a blurb on the back read, "Hilarious...what David Sedaris would sound like if his neuroses revolved entirely around matters of Orthodox Judaica". Also the author of "Foreskin's Lament". No, really. I mean, what a souvenir, eh? The woman who owns the shop and I talked for a good hour, maybe more, about a little of everything. Politics, art, travel, what has changed since she was my age. I couldn't have asked for better company. During our chat no one besides the UPS guy came in. Maybe you should go, say hi, buy something. And call your mother.

Four stars for the selection, but honestly I'd rate it much lower for the smell. As others have…read morementioned, this bookstore smells like smoke, and of course old books since this is a used bookstore. As someone with severe asthma, I just couldn't stay in this store for very long. Just not my cup of tea, but might be yours. They had a very large selection of a wide range of used books, and it was very well organized and pretty tidy compared to other used bookstores. This was one of my stops on the Rochester Book Crawl, so I might not have otherwise explored this shop. The bookseller was very nice and helpful.

Rick's Recycled Books is the best book store in the city of Rochester. Yes, I know, there's Barnes…read more& Noble in Pittsford, and if you're looking for a Starbucks latte or kid's toys that's a nice place to go too. But if you're looking for an incredible selection of books stacked floor to ceiling. amazing science fiction paperbacks or mysteries, walls of fiction classic or modern, books on history, self-help, the occult, you name it, this has always been my go-to spot. It's wonderful, it's affordable, you can lose yourself for hours there. A real ornament to the city of Rochester. There is one sad thing about it, however. Recently Rick, the founder and owner, passed away from pancreatic cancer. His son Richard has taken it over, but Richard also is facing spinal surgery and will have to close the shop for at least two months if he can't find a replacement to watch the bookstore while he's recovering, or cover the bills. A friend of the shop created a Gofundme page for Richard and Rick's Recycled Books at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-with-medical-bills-and-money-to-keep-my-store The loss of the bookstore would leave a vast, vast hole in the intellectual life of this city, and any reader of this review who can help, should. If only to celebrate the memory of Rick Senior himself, a great guy, and the creator of the best bookstore this town has.

Great place ! Books , Books and more books ! Everything you can imagine . Definitely needs lots of…read moretime to browse. Great value , and Rick is great . I live in Buffalo and i will take a trip there again .

Best Coffee House (and Bookstore!) in Rochester! Beautiful two-story space, with amazing food, and…read morethe book selections are smart and relevant! Gorgeous art on the walls too!

The shop was cute enough, though there wasn't much of a selection for any of the genres. This might…read morebe more of the kind of bookstore I would be visiting if I were meeting friends and wanted to be *around* books vs my purpose for visiting, which was really to wander and shop indie bookstores for the day. There were plenty of people using up the various tables and seating spaces... though this also made it a bit awkward to try and navigate around those folks to look at the various shelves of books. In terms of the little cafe, it's a nice addition to the space... though perhaps adds a bit of chaos too. There was one person working the cafe when I visited and it was clear that she was completely overwhelmed with having to make everyone's orders AND help cash people out. I was fine waiting, but I ordered an iced salted caramel pecan latte (one of the fall specials) and ended up getting a hot one instead. I'll drink it either way, but it was a bit unfortunate that I waited 10-ish minutes for a latte that wasn't what I originally ordered. (And honestly, I didn't want to add on to the stress of the server by asking her to re-make it, since, again, I would drink it either way.) TL;DR Not necessarily my vibe. I like to wander around the bookstores I visit and not feel like I'm hovering too closely to people that are seated or having conversation with friends. Bookeater feels a bit chaotic for me between the handling of the cafe orders and the organization of the spaces. Probably won't be back, but that's just me.

I visit this shop when I'm home visiting family. It's my favorite gem in Rochester. The selection:…read moreunique, lovely, and interesting books! The prices are reasonable. I also enjoy chatting with the owner and seeing the cat, whose name, I think, is Rex.

This is one of those "can't believe I haven't been here yet" places. Book lovers, this is a must…read morevisit. There are shelves upon shelves of books, loosely organized into sections (through the lovely worker helped me find exactly what I was looking for). There are multiple floors and sections to Small World, so if you are coming to browse, give yourself a lot of time. I came on a lunch break so I didn't explore every room, but was able to purchase two local history books as gifts. There are other fun things to buy, like quirky art and vintage postcards. According to their Facebook page, they sometimes have live bands or meditation events. Possibly the best part is the super sweet shop kitty who enjoys pets. Skip the big box booksellers and #shoplocal!

Met Ken and really loved this place. I bought a few things and he wrapped them to protect the dust…read morejackets for me. Pricing was quite fair!

I had no idea this place was here! Apparently the owner, Ken, has just taken over the larger space…read morefrom previously being in another part of the building. It's already jam- packed full of used books, with a few cases of rare finds as well. It's not dirty and dusty... yet. I mean, how can bookstores like this even hope to stay clean. LOL. I was there coincidentally when a book reading for a local author was about to start, which Ken plans to make a more regular thing. I will definitely be back.

Writers and Books is a wonderful non-profit literacy center dedicated to promoting reading and…read morewriting. They have a book store on site and host workshops, and events with authors in person. The building is quite large and has on site parking with a back lot. I was very excited to learn of a free event with graphic journalist Joe Sacco. The event was free and I found great value in the conversation with Joe Sacco and Daniel Worden. I learned a lot about the authors body of work and felt it was a great evening focused on the arts. I also learned Writers and Books hosts events like this throughout the year and brings authors to the Rochester area to discuss their works. As previously mentioned, The book store had new and used books, including books by the visiting author available to purchase and have signed. I also enjoyed an interactive typewriter display where you can type out a line and add to what others have written before you. A wonderful organization with a worthy cause, I hope to attend more events in the future and visit the bookstore when in the area.

Great workshops and events that encourage people to write and publish. Have been to poetry readings…read morethere, and I think it's a great place for students and teachers.

Um... I'm obsessed with this independent bookstore, peeps. An eclectic variety of genres are…read moreavailable throughout the shop, but also plenty of witchy things (perfect for Halloween!), tumbled gemstones, notebooks, pens, stickers, magnets, postcards... everywhere you look, there's some niche little trinket that matches the genre/theme of the books in that shelf space. It's like going on a scavenger hunt within the bookstore. I loved digging through everything. Super inviting, inclusive, and friendly service. Loved checking out the noted "staff picks" on the shelves - picked up "Bury My Heart at Chuck E Cheeses" by Tiffany Midge thanks to reading one of the staff picks cards (I believe this pick was from Giles). Was also immediately drawn to a book called "F*cked Up Fairy Tales" by Liz Gotauco. Once I got to the register and everything got totaled up, I was also surprised at the amount - honestly, expected it to be quite a bit more expensive. I'll chalk that up to some great value for the books and various trinkets available here. TL;DR One of my new fave independent bookstores in the Rochester-area. I'll be back, for sure!

This bookstore had such a vast collection of books and book-y trinkets. The witchy and sassy humor…read moreis right up my alley, and I found the notebook of my dreams!

This place is enormous! I've seen some big B&N's but not like this one. They literally have…read moreeverything from music, to games, to gifts for the reader and even a used book section. Of course as a member you get a discount and I've always felt the prices are reasonable. Everyone is so helpful and sweet.

The escalator is broken. As a Barnes and Noble member, I don't know why they don't fix it. For some…read morereason, the maintenance workers refuse to work on it. The cafe is full of whitewashed snobs and the occasional performative males. They always leave a mess for the workers. I'm also underwhelmed by the staff for their lack of consistency with the cafe and self-service options. I imagine they have money to spare a single kiosk screen. It would reduce the wait time and help baristas work more efficiently. Better menu options as well, like gluten free sandwiches. In summation, it's a standard Barnes and Nobles, minus the charm of a blues jazz cafe.

Why are used second hand books so overpriced? :( I understand that certain titles may be rare or…read morecollectible, but many of these were ordinary, well-worn editions. I really wanted to support a local bookstore and give pre-loved books a new home, but the pricing made it difficult to find a good deal. Hopefully, prices become more reasonable in the future....

I came in looking for a specific boom and unfortunately couldn't find it but found plenty of other…read morebooks I've been interested in reading. It feels about overwhelming at first, but there is organization in the chaos and easy to identify where everything is, as long as you're entering the aisles through the front. The books also seemed to be priced reasonably as well. Definitely a future first stop if I'm browsing!

This place was very convenient. We met with a long time colleague and business partner at UofR…read moreMedical center and he recommended this place for all the university swag. Awesome place just very expensive. Bought a beautiful hoody for my wife... $100!

Nice bookstore, but definitely tailored to the college students at the University. While you can…read morefind some books you may be looking for, others might not be there (I would imagine due to limited space). Not your typical Barnes and Noble bookstore, but overall clean and has a couple of small sitting area to enjoy. No StarBucks inside so that was a bummer. Staff was friendly and helpful.