My last couple visits to BAM have been accented by a really friendly and engaging guy who has come…read morefrom behind the counter to help me find a particular book, magazine, or gift. And last week, he was wearing a cool Puerto Rico baseball jersey (Santurce Cangrejeros) with Roberto Clemente's number (21). BAM also has an extensive magazine collection that you just don't see anymore. It's right next to the coffee shop, which accentuates the book and periodical browsing experience.

I love that there's still a bookstore in town. There used to be that amazing bookstore over in the…read moreLincoln Center mall, and we had Borders, but now this Borders has closed and turned into a Books a Million. Everything is laid out about-ish the same that Borders used to have it laid out. There's music and movies in the same spot, the children's area in the same spot, the coffee and seating in the same spot, and of course, the bathrooms haven't moved. Shopping here is nice. They have a ton of clearance, but that seems to be standard for a lot of bookstores. Prices are pretty standard for books (higher than online), but they also are lower than prices I've seen at Barnes & Noble, so that's a positive. It was easy to locate the area that I was looking for. There are large signs on top of shelves that let you know what type of books are on there. They have a pretty large biblical/Christian section which I found surprising. It's larger than quite a lot of the other sections, and I think it actually might be getting close to the size of some of the fiction sections. Over in the Transportation section, I found what I was looking for pretty easily. They even had a good selection. However, the books were not in order like they should have been. Books about airplanes were strewn throughout and between books about motorcycles, trains, and cars. They were in the right section (Transportation), but definitely not organized how they should have been. So if you're looking for a specific book, make sure you look through the whole section. There were quite a few Clearance books, and I came out with 5 books instead of the original 1 I was looking for. Most of their clearance is very reasonably priced at about 50% to 75% off the original price. The books are in decent shape too. I had a really fun time looking through clearance. Check-out was nice and simple. They asked me to sign up for their membership program which I declined. They also offered me to sign up for their "3 free magazines" deal, but none of that was particularly pushed on me. They were really friendly about it and didn't push when I said no. Staff was extremely friendly and I was greeted on multiple occasions. Didn't try out the coffee area or look through the Children's area. Final thoughts: I'd definitely come back. The prices are higher than what I could get online, but there's something to be said for in-store book stores. I love being able to buy a book locally and help support the local economy as well. Plus, looking through Clearance is easily one of my favorite aspects of bookstores. I came out with 5 new books at least than $40; that's definitely amazing for book prices. I'm glad Ames still has a local bookstore.

I believe this is where all burned out retail workers go to fade into obscurity. Every Time we ever…read morewent in here it was understaffed, you had to wait to be checked out, and the ones behind the counter always seemed to have an attitude, and a chip on their shoulder. They are the only one in this town, so I guess it's what is to be expected. They really need to do something about employee morale though. It's better than going all the way into Ames though, if that can be counted as a good point.

This store is absolutely AWFUL!!! A complete mess to say the least. Nothing on the shelves, big…read morestocking carts constantly all over the place full of boxes. There's honestly no sense in coming here, just drive to Walmart. They never have what I need, and it's basic necessities. Not to mention, even if I do end up buying something the wait time to check out is ridiculous. It's hard to even push a cart around in here, and if you do your either rolling through a mess or an empty isle. This store could be so convenient but is just a hassle to even mess with. Where is the manager or store owner? Surely this isn't how they think a business should be ran.

Very large selection of everything a Christian would want! Good service and hours open.read more

I like to give my business to local stores and when I was able, I used to come here several times a…read moreyear. I really didn't want to make money for Amazon or any on line business this year when I bought Christmas cards but did want to get them on sale. The manager of this store worked with me so that I could do so. Friendly, well stocked but will probably order, nice other customers, support local!!

Thank you Chat at the Ames AT&T store for helping us is restoring the internet on our phones…read more. great service!!

This store is under new management! Hannah helped our family sign up for a brand new unlimited…read moreplan, add a line, and buy a new phone all in under an hour. She was very knowledgeable, kind, patient, and helpful. I didn't get the pleasure of working with any of her employees, but I am sure she's working hard to build a team of people with similar qualities!

Unexpectedly spent more time in Ames than planned, but this store saved me, and I want to thank…read morestaff member Nancy for her help and pleasant customer service. The store has a terrific selection of men's clothing and I was grateful to be able to have not only a well-stocked store but a high level of customer interaction.

The customer service at this J.C.Penny's location top to bottom is absolutely amazing. The mall its…read morein might have seen better days, but whoa, does the caring attentiveness of the staff more than make up for that! Would definitely highly recommend. A special shout out to the young lady who helped me pick out a gift for my roommate in the Sephora section. I think her name starts with an R? Her customer service skills are off the charts amazingly high!

I literally had no idea that Ames even had a music store in town. After a recommendation on…read moreFacebook while trying to find a guitar (I want to play TODAY!), I decided to check out this place. It's a nice little shop with a lot of stuff for sale including standard musical instruments, guitars, pianos, and a lot more. It's located on Main Street next to a Salon. I had no idea what I was looking for, so when the owner asked me how he could help, I told him I wanted a beginner-friendly guitar that didn't cost too much. It's obvious it's a passion of his as he was happy to give me as much information as I wanted. He explained the various price points of guitars as well as what you get for each price point. He doesn't carry any guitars under $200 since most of those are absolute garbage, but when I mentioned that that was over my budget, he gave me a couple brands and suggestions for something that would be okay until I was ready to upgrade. After that, he recommended a fantastic tuner that I ended up purchasing as well as taught me the differences between guitar picks and how it would effect my playing and the sound. He even gave me a couple guitar picks, free of charge, to try out and figure out which ones I'd like to come get more. Throughout the entire transaction, he was extremely friendly, very understanding of my questions, and pretty much was the ideal experience of customer service. Final thoughts: The owner seems to be a great guy, and I had a seriously amazing experience. If I end up loving the guitar, I'll be back to purchase a higher-quality one from here. I'm impressed. Plus, I love supporting a local Ames business!

I've only been here a few times, but someone always greets me as I walk in and asks if I need help…read morefinding anything. This may not sound like something to get all excited about, but consider how many times you've walked into a store...and it almost seems like the staff is AVOIDING you! Good customer service is a feature worth raving about. While usually I do opt to search on my own, the one time I was in a hurry and did accept assistance, the person helping me was able to take me right to what I wanted. She showed me the various options in the category of item I needed, and I was able to make an informed decision and get right on my way. Everyone working at this store is always friendly and available to help, and--at least in my experience thus far--they always have what I need. All in all, it's a pleasure to visit this location.

This Bomgaars building was once the first Walmart in Boone. It's a little hard to reach as you…read morehave to turn in at Pizza Ranch and wind your way back. Bomgaars is a Midwest (and family owned) "Farm and Home" chain with branches throughout Iowa and beyond. It's one of those places that you could get lost in while you're looking for tools, outdoor gear, and even pet food. I've previously been to the Bomgaars in Estherville and Spirit Lake. This Boone outpost has seen my smiling face a couple times, mostly to pick up items I need at the moment, plus any impulse buys along the way.

The selection is good. The employees are friendly and helpful. The annoying thing for me is the…read moremusic. They play really loud 80s metal. I try to find what I came for and get out of there as fast as I can. I don't know how the people who work there can stand it.

6/13/26 We've been…read moreto this location a few times now, and each time has been pleasant. We're not pressured to buy anything or feel uncomfortable. It's nice to be able to walk around and look at things without being followed or pestered constantly. The store is brightly lit and very well organized, with a wide variety of merchandise. Each time we've gone in, we're greeted with a smile by whoever is working. The employees are also very knowledgeable, non-judgmental, and easy to talk to, which is a huge plus in this type of environment. There also tends to be some sort of sale going on each time, which is always a win lol. Plus, the prices are pretty reasonable compared to other similar stores/online. If you're looking for an "adult" store, this is definitely the place to go.

Well I'm impressed little Ames even has a sex store! For a small town it's not so bad. They are…read morelacking a tad bit in some of the sex toy aspects that you'd likely find in a city, but there are a lot of cool costumes and a VERY diverse pornography collection. I didn't expect to see any ethnic porn or interracial porn but there's a whole large section. And if you'd like a hookah pipe and a little hookah, they sell that as well! I just checked their website and everything they are lacking in the store the website makes up for. The people working there are nice, friendly, and professional. There's also a back area that I think people can pick out a video and watch in a private room for one. There are multiple rooms and multiple videos - for a price, mind you. If what goes on in there is what I think goes on in there, then I hope they wipe those rooms down with disinfectant wipes afterwards.