My friend was showing us around Trolley Square. She said after lunch that we needed to head to…read morethis book store. The way it's set up was really cool! We were on the second floor entrance. Honestly walking in, it looked like a normal book store until she walked me to the back. Walking through the gate door is where the view changes. I was in awwww! How cool is the set up of this place. I had no clue it was a 2 leveled book store. It was neat looking at the lower level. The shelves prettily speckled with color cause of all the books. I was able to look at all the old school historical books when we were walking in and out. How neat to have so much history on your shelves! We were in a time schedule so I wasn't able to really dig into them. I have seen some pretty neat places while I'm here in SLC for a bit. I'm happy I got to add this book store to that neat list. I'm hoping to make it back so I can check out the lower level.

Amazing. I want to live in this store. It was uncrowded on…read morea Thursday late afternoon, and I thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by great - used - rare books. Incredible selection. Found a good art book. Felt like my college days. Totally beats shopping books online! The staff isn't very friendly; they are more like librarians with attitudes. But friendly staff isn't what I look for at a place like this so it's all good.

I have heard of this bookstore and have had it on my checklist of places to check out!…read more And I finally did for a Jane Austin Tea Party local author panel! It was so much fun and loved having all of us dress up for some discussion of books and tea! I have it now on my radar to check back again soon!

It took me too long to finally come here but I can now say I've been to all bookshops in SLC. This…read moreis one I would love to come to again. I loved the layout of the store. Everything was well organized. Really cute vibes. Me and my friend found a book I've been wanting to read so we both got it! The check out girlie was so sweet and complimented my sweater and bag.

It is so fun to go in and look at the huge selection of books but also all of the other things that…read moreare in there. The staff is fantastic! It's a highly recommended fun place to spend an afternoon.

Wow, wow, wow. I was completely blown away by this bookstore. From the outside it looks like an old…read morecar shop, but once you walk in, it opens into a whole new world. Every section feels thoughtfully curated into vintage, used, new, special editions. There is truly something for everyone. I instantly fell in love. The children's section was beyond adorable, and the vintage area pulled me in like it was that era. It's a big bookstore giving antique vibes.

Trivia: Golden braids, golden locks. Mythology and folktale contains many instances of golden hair…read more Name one. (Maybe Thor's wife for one?) This is a very cool spot to hang out. A neat little café, a cool seating area, and enough merchandise and books to find yourself perusing for just the right amount of time. I was a little confused on the way the books are organized, but it clears up after a few walkthroughs. The service was very nice, very helpful, very accommodating.

This book store is right beside oasis cafe. Because there was a wait to eat I decided to stop in…read morefor a book. As soon as you stop in the store, it feels like you're transported into a beautiful spiritual library. I loved that they not only sell books, but do readings, and sell other various things. The staff is very friendly and I had 3 separate people ask me if I needed help. I ended up going with a book the staff highly recommended. I will definitely be back for any future needs!

Very kind workers, cheap prices, and very large selection of books! def recommend a visit, it was a…read morevery cool place

Fabulous bookstore. Plenty of rare and used books. Loved going through it all. Great selection, and…read moregreat way to spend time in Salt Lake City!! Decent value, you can find stuff for $10 and under. Good service too. They will help you find something if you need to:)

Cutest little bookstore there is! I had no idea something from the 1960's would have been preserved…read moreso well with everything still intact (that I could see!) This bookstore had such a good variety of books for all ages and it was very well- organized. The staff here are so welcoming and helpful with any questions we had and customer service was definitely 10/10. They also have this great program where they will buy our books in trade for points that can be used towards your next book purchase. This also helps with why they have such a vast variety of books to choose from. Highly recommended for any of your bookworm needs!

I feel like I've been left out of a huge secret (that I now believe shouldn't be a secret at all)…read morebetween when I got to Salt Lake some twenty years ago and 2025 when I finally stepped foot into Central Book Exchange... but I will just say I'm glad I found them when I did. Calvin and the whole crew are super friendly, caring, and--this is clutch for bookstore folks--great at helping readers find books they'll love. The curated collection in the main room is truly well-maintained and sourced, and they've got a ton of catalogued backroom-stock, too, so if you don't see something, be sure to ask for it! They've got a convenient ordering system and text me when my books are in. They buy used books for credit in the store in the form of a point system that is easy to understand. They have local authors and publishers (present company included!) in the store on a regular basis and especially on Sugarhouse Art Walk nights. The music is chill (instrumental math rock was on last time I was in the store, yay!), and the vibe is comfortable. Most importantly, I felt welcomed and like I could find a book for me in CBE. Check them out!

So many fun queer books with great events and awesome community support!…read more This is a store you always want to come back to

On the evening of September 18, I walked past a bookstore with my dog and was attacked by three…read moredogs while trying to push them away from us. Two dogs clamped onto my dog's neck, and I was suddenly struck by a homeless man and his partner; he punched me in the face three times as my dog was mauled by two pit bulls. The bookstore employees declined to assist or call the police, choosing only to watch while I summoned an ambulance. I asked them to contact the police so the attackers could not leave, but they refused. That is all I have to say... in filing the police report, I found that this store is politically active, which I can appreciate, but not to the point where they would let another human being be harmed. They are unwilling to cooperate or talk to the police, and so they just let someone be assaulted and punched in the face three times. While watching it occur they refused to do anything to help. They'll be hearing from me, but what I would like them and maybe for you to ask yourself before you patronize this business is: I wonder what they would've done if it that had been one of them walking their dog and they had two pit bulls on the dog's neck and they had been punched in the face? What would they have done if those dogs instead of attacking me and my dog, had run into their bookstore and started attacking their customers or themselves? Would they have also refused to call the police or report the incident because of their political views? I don't think their political views would've even entered their minds at the moment they were being attacked! If your idea of politically correct is that your values mean something so long as it isn't you who are in jeopardy...

Small gem that I would recommend to everyone! The owner helped me and showed me the exact…read morebook/author I was looking for. Amazing used book options as well!

I was out celebrating Independent Bookstore Day, so I made a stop at The Printed Garden. Most of…read morethe independent bookstores in the valley are further north, so it was nice to have something in the south side representing. This one is located in Union Square, a rather geriatric shopping district that appears pretty run down, but is home to several local shops. Pretty it isn't, but it must be doing something right, because there are always folks in the parking lot. And during my visit, several of them were in this store too. Anyway, back to the bookstore. It's modest in size, but had a good amount of books. It strikes me as of a more of a place where you call and talk to the owner to help track down a very specific book than a store that you might just want to browse for fun. The layout and design of the store is slightly lacking in appeal and creativity. That said, not everyone wants to browse through shelves of books or attractive displays. Sometimes you know just what you want and need someone like the folks at The Printed Garden who can locate it for you. And I'll bet they would be happy to do that.

Tucked away in the mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah is a bookstore worth traveling for. The…read moreLegendarium is a bookstore and cafe in a cozy little house. While we came on our travel day, I could easily picture us spending an afternoon here with a cup of tea and a new book. The selection is divine, and is fantasy-heavy. Lots of tabletop game supplies and various nerdy merchandise as well. As a queer person traveling to Salt Lake, it was nice to be in a place where I knew we were among friends. Side note - apparently there's a downstairs??? I guess I have to get back on a plane and see it myself.

Such a cozy little shop! This locally owned gem is stocked with all things fantasy and feels like a…read morecommunity safe haven. I had such a nice time exploring the shop and was pleasantly surprised to see it's also a coffee shop! I found my friend the perfect gift here and recommend it to all the fantasy lovers out there.

Been here several times to purchase books and gifts. Found a really cute weekly calendar today that…read moredoubles as a mousepad and has space to write daily agenda plus weekly checklist and notes. Such a fun and practical gift! Each time we've been here it seems they're either understaffed or not enough stockers are cashier trained because it'll be just one cashier until an antsy line queues and then someone notices and comes up to help ring down the line. Good selection of books and games. The front by the cashier also has a fun collection of gift items that change seasonally. There's a cafe in the back but it's usually pretty full so we haven't gone there yet. The store is well organized but maintenance needs to come in to clean the escalator and repaint since it is pretty dirty in some spots which is normal over time but looks like whoever is in charge of regional upkeep maybe hasn't noticed on their visits that this store needs so deep cleaning in some high foot traffic areas. Overall a good albeit pricey place to find your next good read as well as a great place to find gifts for everyone. Cashiers are friendly. Keep up the good work!

It's unfortunate I have to leave this review considering I love books and supporting book stores…read morebut the staff is Extremely lazy, rude, and apathetic. I came in looking for a book but after sometime I couldn't find it, and when I asked for help they didn't want to really help but instead kept ignoring me, seemed bothered I even asked, later came to find out that was the manager-disgraceful behavior. Gave them the benefit of the doubt and asked a different employee but she wasn't very helpful, told me to go look myself despite already telling her I have and I asked her if she would get in trouble if she walked over and helped me (btw the store wasn't very busy) she said she wouldn't get in trouble..but she proceeded to basically say she doesn't want to but I guess fine, and told me she was going to help another customer first despite me being there first but I said okay, and waited for her to come to the section I told her I would be in (where the book I was looking for should be) and when she wasn't there within a reasonable time I looked over and saw she was continuing to "help" every other customer around and stand there, when I talked to her again, she looked like she was caught and it was more of the same apathetic and lazy response, while two other employees (two managers-one was the first one I talked to) were just standing talking and laughing away near by doing nothing. Tried to talk to them about what happened and they didn't seem to genuinely care AT ALL. It made me feel unprioritized and like I didn't matter. Way to make a person walk straight out of the store. Walked out feeling worse than when I came in. Amazon and other sellers are cheaper but people come to Barnes for the service/experience not just books. Overall, consistently disgraceful employees and an unpleasant experience at this location.