The staff is friendly and knowledgable. Their minds are like lasers, dissecting my questions with…read morea surgeons precision.

Living in what used to be Sycamore Mall, on the east side of town, The Hobby Corner is a great spot…read moreto find radio controlled items, games, models, puzzles, trains, tools, rockets, educational sets and all sorts of cool toys! It's got a wide variety of items. I popped in on a Saturday evening and perused the shop. There are so many unique items, all priced appropriately. I was impressed to overhear a regular customer pop in and chat with the staff. There is definitely a sense of community at this shop. My daughter saw a daffodil Lego set and was thrilled have it purchased for her. (You're welcome.) It's cool that they have board game night (Thursdays) and that you can come play a board game yourself anytime during the day. On the same note-- if you have an old board game you can sell it here. You can now sell your used games in our store. To do this simply follow these few steps. You set the price and once it is sold you get 80% of that price as store credit. The coolest thing about The Hobby Corner is that they will order anything for you if you can't find it in the store-- at NO additional cost!

I'm shocked it took me so long to explore this IC gem. Critical Hit Games is insanely niche but a…read moregreat spot for gamers to both game, get new cool stuff or meet like-minded folks. I popped in with my eight year old on a random weekend evening. Wowza. It was packed with folks at tables, playing card games and board games. I thought their selection was unlike any other spot in the IC area. (There is a semi-similar spot on the East side but I think CHG has a bigger selection. It also boasts some arcade games to play.) It sells magic sets, board games, pokemon cards, role playing games, card games, retro video games and so, so much more. I thought the pricing seemed on par, I thought the vibes were rad. The staff was nice. It was down a bunch of stairs (not sure if there was an elevator...) The closest parking is probably the Dubuque Street Ramp (first hour free).

The nerd factor is on point here for all you fellow gamers. Trying to see if some magic the…read moregathering cards after 30 years in prime condition were worth anything but they passed. Was really cool to see that this type of place still exists with arcade games and fellow gamers playing board games on a Sunday. It's a niche business and community, but I have to say they do what they do well. If you're not one of "them" you are a little bit of an outsider, and I think they smelled the former jock on me.

This place has a wide variety of games and you can set up and play your friend in their with tables…read morebut they are quite under stocked with a lot of things, even with consistent deliveries. They keep up on new products but get sold out very quickly.

Geek City is the best geeky stop in town. There are other game shops which are okay but they don't…read morehave the quality location of Geek City. The staff are always friendly and on top of any questions I have about board games or comics. I'm here at least once a week, if not more often, and have never been unhappy with the quality products or service.

Beatiful paper and gifts. Feels like a portal to another time and place. Where beauty and…read moreconnection are the center of life. And writing is magic.

This place is awesome. There's so many different cards and other stationary goods in there. The…read moreprices are a little high, but they're definitely worth it to get the chance to have so many options in such a convenient area, while also supporting phone businesses. The service is always nice and amazing and I have never had an issue.

Jeff is a SERIOUS book connoisseur. He goes above & beyond to match unique finds with the right…read moreowners. Recommend 1000%.

This is one of my favorite book stores, and I've visited a lot. The owner Jeff was concise and…read morewelcoming during my visit. He has a wide range of books, some hard to find elsewhere, and very reasonable pricing. For anyone who likes reading, games and also children's books, I would highly recommend a visit!

After a relatively stressful day at U of I Hospital, we needed a fun outlet. THIS IS IT!!…read more Their vinyl collection is enviable and while we are still in the market for a great turntable, we found an amazing selection of CDs to hold us over until we can justify going back for LPs. If my memory serves me right, we walked out with about 9 CDs for less than $60.00 and they were wonderful additions to our library. We will definitely be back to feed our music habit

Definitely worth the stop. I came in because they were listed as a Daptone dealer on the record…read morelabels website. Unfortunately I didn't find an abnormal amount of Daptone, or any of the Daptone 7" records they're famous for. I was also hoping to find Daptone accessories and didn't see any, like the 45 rpm branded weights. However, it is a good store, I did find a new sealed record and a used record. I could have bought more, but the prices were a little high, and I owned most of the stuff, it didn't go too deep, lot of the basic popular stuff and modern stuff. One thing I saw was a lot of representation of local artists, which I really like and respect when a store helps their local scene. Staff were very friendly, and helpful. I overheard someone getting a recommendation and they were cared for well. Great store for the area, I'd stop in and check them out again if I were nearby.

This antique store is heavy focused on old stereo equipment and music. There is furniture and…read morebooks. Thereare many LP and 45 records. There are even some 78 records. If you are interested in music it is necessary to ask the owner for the organization method in order to find what you are looking for. Do bring cash. Cards are not accepted. Prices are fair. You can get better at a yard sale, but have to spend a long time looking. You are spend much more at a dedicated record store and get better organizing and renewed sleeves. I would got back.

There are a ton of records here. In the front are bagged, cataloged, curated and filed records of…read moregood quality. Then the back is full of mixed stuff that's all $10. I think the front bagged stuff was a good selection but I can't pay those prices when discogs and eBay exist. I have an ultrasonic and returns are guaranteed online. I'll gamble online before paying $30 for a record I've seen elsewhere for $5-10. Plus most good albums have been reissued at about $20. Some people may want an OG copy, I don't get paying more than the reissue price for a used OG record that looks eh.... Now the stuff in back had some good stuff too, but it should have been $5 a record and I'd have bought a bunch, they're just not worth $10 for common stuff. I don't need to fill out my collection that much, and nothing was rare or uncommon really. I managed to find a couple things I was ok with buying, was eventually helped at the counter, and was then told they only take cash. Who carries cash? I'm not 60..... cards are everything these days. So I wasted a half hour to an hour browsing through overpriced records just to be turned away. I could have found an ATM, but I'm out of town. So we tack an ATM fee on to the overpriced records too? Nah, didn't feel like it, so drove back to my hotel in Cedar Rapids... If you need decent copies of mostly basic albums (classics) with the occasional gem or underpriced record, come here with a lot of time, and cash only. Moral of this story? A question - You talked my ear off when I arrived but mentioned nothing of cash only? Waste of both our time.

Sidekick is such a neat space! They have a great selection of books and tons of fun events. Their…read morecoffee and cocktails are spot on. Staff are fun, energetic, and engaging. A must see for book lovers!

A great spot for studying, meeting up with people, or just enjoying a nice cup of coffee. Wonderful…read moreatmosphere with plenty of books to browse.