I did a little min tour of independent bookstores in Rochester recently & Book Culture was my first…read morestop... which, honestly, set the bar pretty high. I didn't even realize that I had stopped in on new release Tuesday, so I was especially delighted to find a whole bunch of books that had been on my list to find and purchase being freshly put on display in the front of the store. Lovely, welcoming, and service-minded staff that are happy to assist in all your book-related needs *OR* just let you wander the store aimlessly (as I did) to pick up anything that grabs your attention for purchase. Great selection of books and gifts, wonderfully organized, easily available street parking, and overall just such a gem of a shop. I especially loved the "blind date with a book" selections that came with little summaries of each book. I ended up with "Mystic River" after picking a psychological thriller with dark and emotional crime stories, estranged friendships / childhood trauma, murder investigations, and working class settings as my featured themes. I remember watching the movie years ago, but had never read the book... so now I'm super excited to dive in. TL;DR Setting the bar high on the independent bookstore scene in ROC. I'll be back to this location before too long, for sure.

I love the layout of this bookstore. It tickles my "must have every book" itch and looks very…read moreaesthetically pleasing. They have a large selection of a range of books as well as bookish gifts. The products sold here seem to be very good quality. I've also found some good picks on their sale carts. This isn't the cheapest bookstore, but it is definitely one of my favorites to browse for new books and gifts.

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!

Hidden gem with a huge selection of comic books, all different kinds and in different price ranges…read more Really cool place to check out if you're looking for something fun to do in Rochester on a rainy day!

Really large assortment with helpful staff. It's organized alphabetically, which can be a lot to…read moretake in at first, but once you submerge yourself in it makes sense.

No. We don't need another Bookstore in Rochester. However! This is another great one. The owner is…read morevery sweet. There's a good election of New and used books. They also accept used books so it's always nice to have a place to donate to. If you haven't been in since she opened, it's definitely worth revisiting because it's really filled out.

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.

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.

Greenwood Books is a great local bookstore, one of the best independent ones in town (if not the…read morebest). They sell really quality literature on a variety of topics, especially music (fitting, given the nearby Eastman School of Music), and also including religion, fiction, technology and more. There's definitely a theme of rare, old, obscure and intriguing books on all subjects - the main running theme seems to be whatever is genuinely interesting, by any definition. Also, although there's no seating, I do appreciate that the place is not overly stuffed to the brim with books and doesn't feel overwhelming, but rather, pleasantly full of options to peruse and explore. The owner is always very nice; I (at least) once had a great conversation with her. I haven't bought a lot here, but I once purchased a beautiful book of Saul Steinberg's artwork for a relatively good price. It's well worth browsing the shelves here, maybe preceded or followed by a visit to Java's Café on Gibbs. Buy something if you can, and support a local treasure!

Came in with some friends for the opening day of Yellow Warbler Books. I was so excited about a new…read morebookstore in the area, and the store is so cute! It's not super big inside, but it has a nice table area to sit down and relax at which I love! I also love that they have free Wi-Fi so you're able to get some work done here while enjoying the cozy bookstore vibes. One of my favorite parts is that they have a used book section which I think every bookstore should have! They also have a bunch of cool, knickknacks bookmarks, and stickers. The owner was super nice and I'm so glad we were able to come an opening day. I got a bookmark, a sticker, and a book and I cannot wait to enjoy all of it!

Newest bookshop in the Roc! (For now! lol) good selection of mostly used books although there were…read moresome new things. The owner was very nice. Looks like there's a good plan for community events using the space. I love the mural on the wall. I will definitely be back.

I was downtown with a group of friends and we were searching for a place that was open nearby, past…read more8pm, where we could buy a board game ASAP. Boldo's Armory came through! I honestly had no clue that this place existed and that they had such a large selection of board games. This is a great find! Don't miss it if you're looking for board games.

I've long dabbled in Magic the Gathering which has taken me from big stores to literal dungeon…read morebasements hidden by a trap door. Boldo's is closer to the second experience; it's on the smaller side, dark, and mysterious. The store has two floors, the first has their small selection of games and cards for sale while the second is overflow for their events. While it may not have the size and selection of other stores it does make up for it in charm and small local business. The people who run the events are knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate making it my preferred place when I'd play in leagues. Hungry? Ashort walk or drive from great good like Han's or Dogtown, you can satisfy your hankerings while doing a marathon of pre-release events. Boldo's is truly a hidden gem for tabletop enthusiasts of Rochester.