I can never get enough of a bookstore and Symposium Books did not disappoint. They pack a ton into this small shop. The store was easy to navigate so you could find what book or genre you wanted to browse. I always love checking out how book stores setup their front tables and what types of books they are recommending. They have a few cafe tables out front if you visit during nice weather. Street parking and garages are all around, so you may have to do a loop or two, but overall you can find parking! read more

See all

I've loved this bookstore for the past 10 years that I've lived in Rhode Island. The record selection happens to fall within my taste, which is sometimes a little dangerous. Same with the books. They are nicely displayed. There's always a good selection of art books. I've been here for a book readings , a record listening party today, shopping and browsing. It's always a welcoming vibe here. I feel like there used to be more of a use selection than there is now, but I still love this place. read more

Symposium Books - Bookstores Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

What a lovely independent bookstore! Whenever I visit a new town, I make a point of checking out at least one local, independent bookstore. This one had a super friendly and helpful staff, was well organized and even has used and sale book sections. I was looking for a theme book for my year-long Vision/Dream Board class that I teach and the selection of children's books was small but high quality. (Yes, being a former teacher I use children's books for adult themed classes!) I think it is imperative to support independent and local bookstores and always buy at least one book. I prefer to not get a book in my personal list but instead read the staff pics and see what is out that I haven't heard of. This time was no exception and I purchased a short story and an old favorite that I have given away and want to read again. And getting one of them used was a great value and didn't max my book budget out! If you like bookstores this one is not to miss! read more

See all

This is a nice little bookstore in such a charming area of downtown Providence. It is absolutely worth a visit. They also have a nice book club as well. read more

Symposium Books - Bookstores Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Love this bookstore. It has that old-school charm with the creaky floors and the smell of real books. The manager recommended a novel I never would have picked up on my own and I ended up loving it read more

A really cute bookstore in a cute downtown space. I have been here before but never noticed the large used books section both indoors and outside. They carry a wide variety of books, but also sell records and some plants. It's a great spot and I will continue to make sure I visit every time I am in town. read more

See all

Decent selection in a great area of town. My kids found books and book related things they were interested in. The new book tables in the front were interesting. Took a star off because the staff person was behind a huge counter where they seemed hidden. read more

Can't go wrong with a local bookstore! However, a bit difficult to get inside if you have wheels (stroller, Wheelchair) as the store is a step up from sidewalk. Update: there is a kids section at this store!! read more

I prefer used books so this particular bookstore wasn't for me but it is a beautiful bookstore with a fantastic selection of new and older books. The staff was very friendly and offered to help me find anything I wanted in particular. read more

Symposium Books - Bookstores Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

This book store is so cute! I love what they've done with the place. It is very millennial. Mainly because we prefer to shop in person and are willing to pay up for that experience + buying books does not have to break the bank. It's a little hipster. To your left you have all your audio, the wall is enamored with records, lots of House music. There's also a fancy record player if you want to enjoy some tunes. I enjoy places that offer experiences like being able to listen to records. Love the retro vibes. The gentleman behind the counter was cool. Didn't really talk but I got the sense that he wanted to give us space and let us look around...but also if we had questions he was available. The bookstore hosts a variety of genres ranging from Sci-Fi to ecopolitical, to feminism or novels about mafia rings. I like that this bookstore hosts local authors as well as stories about the City of Providence. It's sprinkled throughout and adds a nice touch to the store. If you're looking for new books to read, I would definitely check this place out because of the variety they have to offer. If you walk in not sure what type of book you're in the mood for, I feel confident you'll walk out with something interesting. read more

See all

I've only been here once, but I'd like to go back. I stopped in on Christmas Eve (thankfully they were open!!) and wanted a good book to read on the long weekend. Here is what happened: Me, to employee: Hi, I'm looking for a book for myself. I just want to read a really good story. Employee: Hmm. Ok...is it ok if it's sad? Me: Will it make me cry? Employee: Yes. Me: I'll take it. And then I spent the rest of the weekend reading a fantastic book. It did make my cry. Thank you, Symposium Books! (If you're wondering, the book was A Little Life, and I would recommend it.) read more

I tried this year for Christmas to give more money to local businesses rather than going through Amazon or Barnes and Nobel. I very much enjoy buying books for people so I made it my mission to seek out independent books stores. I came in and I loved how it was set up. Tables with random selections of books are how I always find treasures! I'm a cover shopper and I spent a fair amount of time at these tables and was able to get things for people I was not expecting. Definitely will come back to buy books in the future! read more

super cute, lots of books. also they had a cute little section for vinyl records. they had innerspeaker by tame impala, which i like. so yeah, five stars for me lol read more

Excellent selection of books, lots of modern stuff. Good selection of used books at a great price as well. Very friendly staff. I also appreciate their user-friendly online catalogue. You can easily search for and purchase books for pick up or delivery. It's not a huge store, but manageable! read more

Great independent local bookstore in downtown Providence. Westminster is a great street for shopping and exploring, and that's exactly what my friend and I were doing our last morning in Providence. And we happened upon Symposium Books and found ourselves very impressed by the store - it's not large, but it's got a great selection and doesn't feel as cramped as many smaller bookstores (not that I mind that too much either - all bookstores are good bookstores, right?). I'd definitely be a regular shopper here if I lived in Providence! read more

I decided to shop local for my new batch of new books and stumbled upon Symposium Books in my search. I haven't been in the store yet however, their online shopping experience is superb! It's easy to search titles or browse genres. They've even got a great bargain books section full of high quality reads. Shipping is free for orders over $35 and they arrive very quickly! Their prices are on par with Amazon for the most part, sometimes a couple bucks higher. But I would gladly spend an extra dollar or two to support an independent bookseller instead of the Jeff Bezos money machine. 10/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! read more

This is a great place for book lovers....Not many "mom and pop" bookstores anymore....so this is a refreshing stop along Westminster. Arts books abound, but you can find all kinds of categories....Travel, Music, Ethnic studies, Erotica, Food, Religion, you name it....they have it... They provide custom book orders, so they will order a book for you. Great customer service. Bargain specials many times (some 2x1) read more

What a cool bookstore - and cheap! Wandered in here the other day while I was trying to kill some time and I was pretty fascinated by all the neat books. There are such odd little books like "Flea Markets in Italy" but also books that you've heard of. The prices on the books were all between $5 and $10 which surprised me in most cases. I saw a design book in there that I assumed was around $30 and turned out to be about $9. I'd really like to spend more time in here fishing around cause there are some pretty neat finds hanging around. read more

Symposium Books - Bookstores Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Purchased a book about Julia Child this morning and I was treated to a story, from the owner, who actually saw her in person. I will be back. read more

Symposium Books - Bookstores Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Awesome bookstore. By far the best used bookstore in Providence. Really cannot go wrong with a trip here. Spend an afternoon wandering around! I love how they are up-to-date and modern unlike other used bookstores that are more depressing than anything. It's clean and the books are in good condition and the experience there is good one. BONUS: they have air conditioning. You can get a ton of books for a very small price, including recent releases. read more

The selection of art books alone makes this place wonderful, but throw in the glorious collection of novels and non-fiction, the reasonable prices and the location next to a coffee shop, and you've got yourself a bookworm's dream. Nestled in a quiet spot on Westminster, this place reminds me of romantic bookshops you see in movies about New York or Paris or something. It's just a fun place to chill, browse, spend an afternoon... it's lovely. It's quirkiness and quaintness makes it a little treasure, and I'm so happy places like this are still in business. I think it's a testament to how great and how loved this store is that the big bookstore chains are closing their doors for good in the PVD, yet Symposium always has visitors. Count me as one of them! read more

A bookstore AND a record store?!? And there are used books as well?!? Be still, my heart! I was sightseeing Providence and almost walked by this place without stopping by. I bought three records and three books. One is a used book and the others were new. I have a penchant for used items because they have a story behind the book, aside from the story within the book. Very cute place and there are tshirts that I wanted to leave with but couldn't cause I needed to fit everything back in a suitcase or my hands. read more

Totally awesome thimble sized, ecclectic and functional bookstore. Will I have to tell my children about these places? along with the memories of not having a cell phone or email for the most part of college ( the big bang theory, lawn darts & walking up hill in the snow to and from school??). I found a great book for my brother. for $19.00. It was normally $50! this book store has deals and inventory in a small space. It felt nice to grab a book that causes the book seller to laugh out loud and comment "nice, that's my new favorite book". But then again, if everyone got an "art book" of mexican wrestler's from their older sister as a gift- there would be no more family conflict or sitcoms about zany sibling rivalry. read more

If you're looking for a contemporary NYT bestseller, you most likely won't find it here. No, Symposium is like a treasure trove filled with hidden literary gems. You shouldn't come into the store on a mission; rather, enter with an open mind and free time (you will lose track!) and you'll leave with something you wouldn't have expected finding. This bookstore carries a lot of coffee table books and books on art, philosophy, nonfiction, and poetry. The reading material is often way over my head, but the books are still fascinating to look at and take in. The quaint, cozy, and quiet atmosphere makes this bookstore a perfect place for browsing. There are no crowds to maneuver around - just a couple of individuals each getting lost in their thoughts. The prices are amazingly cheap here. Hardcover books often sell for less than $15! I'm so thankful that this cozy, independent bookstore exists and I'm even more glad that it's in the heart of the once-declining downtown Providence. Likelihood of another visit: When I'm back in my hometown Symposium is always one of the places I visit. read more

Symposium has all the marks of a truly great independent book seller. Their selection is eclectic and interesting. Always a constant influx of new an quirky titles to peruse. Their prices are quite good too! During a lunch break on a sunny day, I just love to pick up a coffee and look through the racks that they keep out on the sidewalk. There's always some great titles and prices so low it's almost silly. My boyfriend is a high school history teacher, and we were able to find some great reads to stock his book shelf, many at less than $10. I love to find great deals, but it's extra sweet when you get great quality, too. The location on Thayer is nice as well :) read more

It's been said before, but I'll say it again: if you're looking for the latest Twilight book, steer clear (although they have all the 50 Shades of Gray novels, which is kinda amusing...). The organization is a bit hectic too. That being said, what an amazing collection of books. Everything from classic Kurt Vonnegut, to local poetry anthologies, to books on avant-gardism in Northern Europe... You'll find something you weren't looking for at all, and be very glad you did. Even if I don't buy anything, I always leave happy, and inspired to gain more knowledge. It's no Barnes and Noble; but I hope that unlike Barnes and Noble, Symposium is here to stay. read more

I am so embarrassed that after three years of living in Providence I have only visited Symposium once. As a former "reader of the year" in elementary school and novice art history enthusiast, this shop is awesome for all my reading needs. I love the coffee table art books and the wide selection of non-fiction reads. I guess I never entered the shop before last week was due to my incorrect perception that the books would be expensive. I was very wrong. I purchased four books (two were massive travel history books) for $35. I win! Symposium isn't the type of bookstore to sit and drink your coffee- way too pack with bookshelves and minimal room to lounge. Buy your books and go next door to Tazza or Small Point to enjoy. I will definitely be back to satiate my bibliophilia. read more

We are not local to RI; so we are just online customers. My husband and I stumbled upon the Symposium website through Google searching a book title we were looking for that they had in stock. Not understanding that they are mostly a used/damaged books store, we loaded up our cart with several other items we were excited to find. In the end we purchased a couple hundred dollars worth of items and not till later did we realize they were all damaged books. My husband coordinated with someone regarding the return process after we got the books and they said we could return the items we did not want to keep and they would refund our money. So, we packaged up about $100 worth of returns, insured them and sent them back. My husband coordinated with Symposium several times via e-mail after not hearing back from them for a few weeks, and was first told they were having web trouble, but that the returned books ended up at a warehouse and that we would just be receiving a money order in the mail. The money order never arrived and we have contacted them several times since inquiring as to the whereabouts of our refund. And now they are not even responding to our e-mails pleading for our money back. We love independent stores (especially independent book stores)...and hate to give Symposium a bad review, but this was pretty unacceptable. We were basically robbed for close to $100. read more

Awesome book store! Classics and new releases for less than I have seen at most other stores! Highly recommend

cute book store makes you appreciate being a cozy small store. Books everywhere and at register they have some fun toys. Dont bring drinks, there are books everywhere and you dont want to risk spilling. Some seats throughout to skim through a book or two. gentleman working was really nice read more

Great bookstore, not huge, but cleaner in style, as well as literally, than your average smaller used book store. They have a lot of nice glossy design books, grabbed one as a gift - $20 for a $130 list price. Very thorough philosophy section, and pretty heavy design section- as to be expected in Providence. Employees were uber-friendly, and were able to ship my gift direct to its recipient, they looked up USPS media rate and added it to my total on the spot- definitely better than lugging it home and shipping it myself- for the same price! read more

Cheaper than buying books off of Amazon. I'm serious. Generally good selection of art/design books, which is a plus. Fairly small sections for various "intellectual"-ish fields (psychology, gender studies, American history, etc.) as well as a sizable amount of graphic novels and fiction. My only reason for the 4-star review is that it is nearly impossible to find any specific book you may be looking for, as organization appears to be fairly minimal. The variety and price, however, completely outweigh that fact. read more

Beautiful bookstore, great location. I like to pick up a book here and start reading it at Taza Cafe or Small Point Cafe. Relatively cheap and well organized. I love roaming the shelves after a long days work! read more

Amazing local bookstore. If they don't have it, they will get it for you. Fun downtown location and a friendly owner who is fun to chat with. read more

This is a great place. They seem to specialize in art books and have an amazing selection of topics from architecture and design to monographs of artists famous and not so much. There's a very deep selection of non-fiction topics including religious studies, history, and biographies. For fiction, this is a browsers dream - the classics are well represented, but there's a wide array of contemporary authors that you just don't see in those big chain stores. The prices are really affordable. We picked up some books for gifts recently, and I couldn't believe how inexpensive they were. These were high quality books too. Very good store for finding the unusual, offbeat, and obscure. read more

Symposium is one of the few but excellent shops in downtown Providence on Westminster. These days when I go in I am kind of sad that I have an e-reader and don't buy hard copy books anymore. It was always easy to find new copies of older books by famous writers at cheap prices (~$6). Even if you are like me and don't buy paperbacks any more, Symposium has a great selection for browsing - particularly an awesome combo of weird and interesting coffee-table type books that no e-reader can replace! read more

This is a wonderful bookstore. My first stop was on a whim, and what a fruitful whim it was. Great selection of unique 'coffee table' books, beautifully produced books on art, architecture travel etc. They also carry a nice variety of fiction and non-fiction, with choices ranging from classics to some current bestsellers. The kicker is that they primarily sell remainders from publishing houses, meaning GREAT pricing on less common editions. I have been able to find amazing steals here, including some gorgeous anthologies that cost at least twice as much on Amazon. The atmosphere in the store is nice too, with friendly service. If you are looking for a particular title, don't be shy about asking the staff. Located right next to a handful of cafes, Symposium books is a great stop to buy a unique gift or pop in for some good old fashioned book browsing soul-food. read more

Great vinyl selection! My fiancée and I spent a wonderful rainy afternoon looking through the 15 or so crates of records they have on consignment. While Cat Stevens and Master P aren't our speed, they had a great variety to choose from. I will definitely be stopping by periodically to find more to add to my growing collection. I don't spend much time perusing the books, but they have the bestsellers and a cool poetry selection. But, I love the vinyl. I mean, we found Saturday Night Fever and Best of the Supremes for goodness sake! read more

Really interesting selection of graphic novels. At least when it comes to the foreign ones. If you're here for the standard fair there's not much for you. There's only Marvel comics, there wasn't a single DC comic. Not much of a problem, though. Since there are plenty of real good comic stores elsewhere in the city. read more

Lots of books on philosophy, design, and art; all seemed to be in great condition for reasonable prices. Some sections didn't seem to have the clearest order to them, but everything was displayed well enough to accommodate searching if one has time to look. Nice small section of records, not much in the way of organization that I could figure out at least, but definitely worth browsing! Tl;dr: Lots of great books, come with time to browse! read more