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    Symposium Books

    4.5 (69 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Symposium Books Books, Mags, Music & Video Photos

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    Danielle F.

    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.

    Sale books! Most were only $3
    Samantha R.

    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.

    Jessica R.

    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.

    Helena E.

    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.

    Amuse B.

    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.

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    9 years ago

    Needed a book in a pinch because my daughter lost her book somewhere between CA and RI. They had it used for $4!

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    10 years ago

    Super cool book store with great deals. They've got an awesome selection, and relaxing tunes.

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    16 years ago

    A bookstore filled with smart titles is good. A bookstore filled with smart, remaindered titles (aka new and cheap) is heaven.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Symposium Books

    Review Highlights - Symposium Books

    Symposium is one of the few but excellent shops in downtown Providence on Westminster.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Round Again Records

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    2.6(36 reviews)
    0.8 miFox Point
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    I was visiting town for five days and hitting local record shops was one of my biggest goals. I hit…read moreup three, this being the first. I'm glad I didn't read the reviews first. The guy has some decent stuff, but prices are all over the place. He had one record priced $30 that I'm guessing he put that price on 20 years ago and it's been sitting there ever since. I looked it up online and it was $10 in mint condition, so I was going to see if I could offer him $15. I asked very politely if he was open to any kind of negotiation around prices and his response was, I'm paraphrasing, "I priced things what I think they're worth. Why would I accept less than what I think they're worth?" So I didn't get that record. I did however buy a Madonna CD for $7.99 which is actually a 24k gold Japanese import release with a rough estimated value of $250, so karma's a bitch.

    Wish I'd looked at the reviews before stopping in today. I was looking to donate a handful of my…read moregrandpa's records. He was a pretty famous DJ back in the 50s/60s. Didn't want to sell them, was just hoping to get them to people who might appreciate them more than I could. Any store has the right to say "no thank you, these aren't for me" but before I could explain where they came from or their history, the owner cut me off, mocked me, and rounded it all off by insulting me for wanting to donate them in the first place. Breathtakingly rude. I've never left a bad review in my life. I want independent stores to survive. But if you go in here looking for customer service or just base level human decency, Godspeed.

    Newbury Comics - Entrance

    Newbury Comics

    3.5(31 reviews)
    0.4 miDowntown
    $$

    Recently, I was scrolling through instagram and came across @newburycomicsprovidence post and story…read moreof in stock Pop Mart's Labubu blind boxes. Falling for the trend, I had to get my hands on my own Labubu! Labubu is a small monster with high, pointed ears and serrated teeth. Despite a mischievous look, Labubu is kind-hearted and always wants to help. Aren't they so cute? I hurried over to Newbury Comics and they had THE MONSTERS - Have a Seat Vinyl Plush Blind Box, THE MONSTERS - Exciting Macaron Vinyl Face Blind Box, The Monsters Coca-Cola Series Figures Blind Box, and The Monsters Lazy Yoga Series Blind Box behind the checkout counter. There is a limit of purchasing 3 of each type and no holds. A few hours later, I saw an update on the post that Have a Seat and Exciting Macaron Blind Box were sold out. I am so glad Newbury Comics carries these blind boxes and even have a whole Pop Mart section. I've also purchased hippers. Hippers are adorable decorative mini figures come with adhesive tape to stick onto your laptop, desk, phone, bookshelf, and more. I've stuck them on my monitor and my desk organizer. If you are on the hunt for THE MONSTERS blind boxes, follow @newburycomicsprovidence on Instagram and I'm sure you'll get it. They restock and post updates.

    Great staff and great people working, however they never have anything good here. All CDs and…read moreVinyls are overpriced and the only things worth getting are Funkos.

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    Sophistication

    Sophistication

    2.5(13 reviews)
    1.9 miSummit

    Went looking for CDs and it did not disappoint! After reading some reviews I was a bit worried but…read morefigured I'd stop by cause I was in the area and my aunt recommended it. The, I believe owner, was slightly strange but honestly both me and my father just think he's on the spectrum. He was nice just a bit odd, he saw me looking through the CDs and told me where the rest were, as the place had things everywhere. 95% of the CDs didn't have a price marked however when I asked he gave me a range of 5-7 for used and upwards of 10 for new, which seemed reasonable. When I went to pay he also explained to me why he was pricing each thing as it was which I personally appreciated. I got three CDs all good condition for 21 which Is better then what I would have gotten at say target or even online. It was a bit funny I did the math faster than him for getting the total but I've always been quick with simple math. Overall great place, although I would describe it as a hoarder home turned store I could definitely spend hours looking through that place and hopefully will be back next time I'm in the area! Also very pretty jewelry although I didn't get any so I couldn't tell you how well they're priced.

    Frustrating experience, the store is a treasure trove of items full of books, jewelry, records,…read morepurses, you name it! There is stuff stuffed in everywhere with seemingly no organization. I spent a good portion of time sorting through records, enjoying the search however upon getting ready to check out, the owner had arrived and had the staff price out the records-which was frustrating that they weren't premarked (excluding the one I picked up that was marked $1.99 from a previous owner, then offered to me for $15) The owner proceeded to instruct the staff to charge the highest price for each of the record listings online, making what I had thought would be a fun thrift into a more expensive outing than planned. Ended up narrowing down to 3 records, mostly as Id taken up so much time having them find prices that I felt bad not getting them. Witnessed the owner be incredibly rude to customers who questioned prices, telling one person to get out when they questioned a $15 price tag for a paperback of to kill a mocking bird. There is value in vintage, I recognize that- however this shop was also selling a preowned shein cardigan for $22, which is pretty laughable, It's reasonable to set high prices for things Very cool store, but there's no need for the hostility towards customers who questioned prices.

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    Symposium Books - bookstores - Updated May 2026

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