The Bookstore

Love this bookstore. Wonderful selection and great prices. Knowledgeable staff…read more And I love the way they promote local craftspeople and authors.

The owners are extremely helpful. They are knowledgeable about books and authors. I highly…read morerecommend ABC Books to everyone who reads a lot. Their prices are very reasonable.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

3.1(36 reviews)

1.7 mi

There Starbucks is currently under construction and closed, but the stores still open and we found…read morea lot of fun stuff and a book I've been looking for. Service was really friendly. I wish I could remember his name- front counter, really nice. Parking was really easy, as always.

Part of this review is not actually the fault of this particular store, but this particular store…read moreis the one I have to shop at... Firstly, did you know that when you return an online purchase, due to the negligence of Barnes & Noble, you do not get reimbursed for your shipping cost? So when you receive a book in bad condition, you only get reimbursed for the book. Secondly, the location of the store has become increasingly unpleasant to shop at... Thirdly, not overly impressive staff, friendliness, helpfulness, etc.. Makes me sad because it used to be a highlight to go shopping for a new book.

Café again.

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Café.

Bird In Hand

4.0(59 reviews)

0.1 mi

I can't believe I've never reviewed this toy shop bc I'm here a lot lol. My kids are (all three, 31…read morethrough 11) obsessed w this store. My sons into yo-yos (mostly gentry stein) and this place has a yo yo museum in the back. Friendly staff and any toy you can imagine lol.

Visited September 26th..see receipt…read more This place is off Broadway in Chico. After having amazing suishi at the Rawbar we walked over to this shop which is just a few steps away from the restaurant. They have so many toys! Stuffed animals! Puzzles! Jewelry! They have house decor items and some yummy smelling candles! This place is packed with so much stuff that the kiddos will have a blast looking at all the toys! You could spend hours in here! They also have nostalgic items which I love ( bought a mood ring and some funny gum). In the back of the shop is the Yo Yo Museum which houses the largest Yo Yo and Yo Yo memorabilia! Lovely shop with kind employees!

Inside

Back of gum

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Entry

Chico State Wildcat Store

3.3(7 reviews)

0.3 mi

This campus was way smaller than I expected. Has a cool student store for students and others to…read moreget Chico swag. Has a great selection of items. The cost is pretty typical for college swag

As far as college bookstores go, this one is pretty good. It's quite big. Having seen several other…read moreCSU bookstores, this one is really big and well stocked. The prices of the books are what you would expect, but they have a Chegg rental station too, which is kind of cool. For everyday use (as opposed to just book buying time), this store fits a lot of needs. I can run in here and buy a sandwich in the deli area, get coffee from the coffee shop, buy a Mac, apparel, or Clinique makeup. What I don't love about this store is that whenever it is book buying season, they hire a bunch of "security" from an outside place, but it's just a crew of people from the temp agency who walk around and make you feel uncomfortable. Extra security is fine, but why the strangers? We have plenty of students to employ, even if it's just temporarily.

Not for sale

Chico goodies!

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Mugs/drink bottles

Buy the Book

2.0(1 review)

1.7 mi

I have visited the store three times…read more The good: 1. For a small bookstore, they have a pretty good variety of titles. I have been able to pick up quite a few books inexpensively. 2. They aren't picky about books you turn in for credit. They've taken every title I've brought in, no matter how obscure. 3. The staff is friendly. 4. Almost all the children's books are just $2, which makes them $1 if you have store credit. The bad: 1. Their debit/credit machine is never working. I carry a checkbook, so it hasn't been a problem, but it could be a problem for other visitors. 2. The first time I visited the proprietors were eating McDonald's at the front desk, which made the whole store smell greasy. Yuck. 3. The second time I visited the woman at the front desk had a somewhat personal and confrontational phone conversation with a family member while I was shopping. All in all, I will continue to visit the store, but pickier customers could get turned off by a seeming lack of professionalism. If the store were spruced up a bit and the staff behaved a little more professionally, I would be raving.

Chico Christian Center

5.0(1 review)

2.0 mi

ONE is a little shop but packed with Christian love. The owners were so kind and welcoming.read more

Bat Comics & Games

2.8(45 reviews)

0.1 mi

•$$$

I will never again do business with Bat Comics. The website projects the image of a friendly,…read morehelpful local neighborhood store with many resources for local collectors so I went in today seeking advice on what details to include in a database inventory of my large but poorly characterized comic collection. I explained this to the friendly clerk, who then brought out the owner to speak with me. Unfortunately, he turned out to be the rudest, most disrespectful and dismissive person I've ever encountered at a store. He launched into an angry loud diatribe against me, apparently thinking i was trying to sell him comics, which was never my intent. Without ever trying to find out why I'd come in, he vented angrily, then turned his back on me and walked away. I've never felt more disrespected and misunderstood in any local business. Such a person really should find a different line of work.

This place is cool! They have a wide variety of MTG sets and Pokemon sets to choose from! I wasn't…read moregoing to get much at first, but I saw the new Lorcana set! The prices in general were decent. Nothing was that overpriced. The owner of the store and the staff also greeted me and made sure I was taken care of. Dope place overall.

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Collectors Ink

4.7(32 reviews)

2.6 mi

If you like comics and live in Chico go to Collectors ink. It easily has the largest selection in…read moreChico and the staff is always super kind. Any other comic shop in the area pales in comparison

Have been here a couple of times now and absolutely love this store! Family owned business with an…read moreincredible selection of comics, funko, cards, etc. Owners and staff are incredibly knowledgeable. Very clean and well organized store. Highly recommend! Thank you!

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Under Western Eyes

2.0(1 review)

1.4 mi

This store was short-lived and run by a guy named Nick Lee from North Dakota/Hawaii. It was just…read morehim and this little Chihuahua, and Nick basically hung out and drank beer all day amid stacks of old books. The place smelled like absolute hell, as I'm pretty sure he also lived in there. At some point he closed up shop and dropped off the face of the earth---but not before burning a few bridges over the shoddy production of local band t-shirts, which he also printed out of the store. It was rumored he left town with a bunch of Pat Hull's tour money. Despite all that Nick was actually really intelligent and a pretty good dude. Still curious where he wound up. I seem to recall he had family in Half Moon Bay.

The humble storefront

Infinity

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Inside the gallery

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4 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Ronald B.

0

1

0

13 years ago

A superfluous and over-priced seller of yard sale books that offers little to no customer service, the Bookstore was bailed out by misty-eyed Chico idealists after it tanked due to being a superfluous and over-priced seller of yard sale books that offers little to no customer service. You see, rather than looking for other work when the business began to shut down, the manager of over twenty years wished to buy the Bookstore from its original owner despite the store's descent into oblivion. So he pan-handled online, using crowd funding, gross begging, and leveraging the plight of his two children for guilt, tears, and wads of free cash. Somehow Chico folks raised $35,000 to save this outdated and pretentious redundancy, deciding that it added to the community in some way that I fail to comprehend. I mean, why would you want to keep around a bookstore whose prices for used and often poorly-conditioned books are higher than Amazon prices when its "local business charm" is comprised entirely of bland hostility and smugness? Why would you want to hand a sneering store manager who cannot even be bothered to get up from his desk to help you find a book, the deed to this store? Why would you throw so much money (Not loaned, GIVEN with little to no oversight) at such a failed mess when Chico has several other very good VIABLE bookstores with better prices, better selection, and astronomically better customer service? Not to mention if you carry a bag in there they treat you as if you are already guilty of shoplifting, and mock you passive-aggressively if your selection of book is not up to their superior taste. If you want to buy books in Chico at fair local USED bookstore prices, I suggest the ARC thrift store or any other number of Chico thrift stores. After all, thrift stores and yard sales are where the Bookstore gets most of its inventory, so just cut out the middle man and save yourself a lot of pain and cash. Maybe when this business fails a second time Chico won't rescue it. But who knows? Bailouts are still pretty popular, it would seem. This kind of thing would only happen in Chico, and the sad thing is, they're proud of it. read more

Roy H.

3

6

0

12 years ago

Wow, this is the nicest used book store I've ever been in. I wish they were in Denver! Apparently, if they don't have a book at the store you're at and you have time (we didn't), they'll call their other stores and if the other stores have it, you can get it delivered to the store closest to you. We also visited the store in Mesa. read more

Cicely F.

1

13

0

11 years ago

Just bought an Alice Munro collection here. This place is like the Platonic ideal of a used bookstore: big, light, well-organized, and friendly. I always find something great to read here. read more

Brad J.

249

105

43

16 years ago

Awesome college bookstore. I would give it 5 stars if they had a porn section.

The Bookstore - bookstores - Updated September 2026

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ABC Books

4.6

(19 reviews)

Love this bookstore. Wonderful selection and great prices. Knowledgeable staff…read more And I love the way they promote local craftspeople and authors.

The owners are extremely helpful. They are knowledgeable about books and authors. I highly…read morerecommend ABC Books to everyone who reads a lot. Their prices are very reasonable.

Ellis Art & Engineering Supplies

4.3

(19 reviews)

Barbara & Mark were very helpful and the service was excellent, they showed me around the store &…read morehelped me pick out materials that I was looking for. The product selection is very wide and variable. They were out of a few things but they had plenty of options and loads of popular brands. They had a lot of services that artists would find useful. They had things that you wouldn't even think they carried. Useful for field techs just as much as an artist. The prices were also very fair. Didn't need to blow out my budget for what I was looking for. I would recommend for anyone in Chico in need of art supplies.

I was able to purchase a drawing sketch book and colored pencil set for a good price!read more

Chico State Wildcat Store

3.3

(7 reviews)

This campus was way smaller than I expected. Has a cool student store for students and others to…read moreget Chico swag. Has a great selection of items. The cost is pretty typical for college swag

As far as college bookstores go, this one is pretty good. It's quite big. Having seen several other…read moreCSU bookstores, this one is really big and well stocked. The prices of the books are what you would expect, but they have a Chegg rental station too, which is kind of cool. For everyday use (as opposed to just book buying time), this store fits a lot of needs. I can run in here and buy a sandwich in the deli area, get coffee from the coffee shop, buy a Mac, apparel, or Clinique makeup. What I don't love about this store is that whenever it is book buying season, they hire a bunch of "security" from an outside place, but it's just a crew of people from the temp agency who walk around and make you feel uncomfortable. Extra security is fine, but why the strangers? We have plenty of students to employ, even if it's just temporarily.

Chico Magic

4.0

(23 reviews)

The shop itself is cramped, and the singles inventory is disorganized enough that it's difficult to…read moreknow what is or isn't actually in stock. My biggest issue was the atmosphere. I experienced what felt like gatekeeping toward experienced players and well-built Commander decks. The environment seemed geared toward keeping games at lower power levels rather than accommodating a variety of playstyles. The store also keeps very limited hours, being open only for a few hours on weekends, which makes it difficult to shop or attend events regularly. The hygiene policy also struck me as unusually strict. While I understand wanting to maintain a clean and comfortable environment, some aspects of the policy seem unnecessarily rigid and could unfairly affect people with legitimate medical or glandular conditions. Overall, I found the community to be geared primarily toward newer players and mostly unmodified Bracket 1-2 preconstructed Commander decks. If that's what you're looking for, it may be a good fit. However, players with larger collections, more optimized decks, or more experience may find the environment restrictive and less welcoming. There are other game stores in the area, like Hero's Corner, that, in my experience, offer a broader range of playstyles, more flexible communities, less gatekeeping, and a more enjoyable overall experience. I've been to a lot of different LGS's over the years and I can't say I'd recommend this one.

Visited recently from my college days after the previous owner sold to the new owners (didn't know…read moreabout that). Was greeted with a sign outside that said wear deodorant..... okay understanable but thats really brazen for an owner to do that. The young women behind the counter was insanely helpful and kind though! I expressed my previous ventures here about the old owner and we talked, lovely discussion and the only reason thisnplaces gets a two and not a 1. The owner was apparently on the bottom floor playing / organizing cards. Me and my friend started to look through the bulk area of cards and started to ask about pricing of certain cards and packs. That's when the owner chimed in with the absolute worst attitude, a complete night and day compared to the person running the ont desk. In his bulk section we made a point that these 10 cards totaled less then what he wanted for the cards in that price section and we were willing to round up but just not over pay by about $6. The sneer this person had was horrid. Idk how people like that ever are blessed with the ability to own and operate a buisness but it is really sad. This place as amazing during college for me, but the new owner has completly built an extremely toxic atmosphere.

Sierra Nevada Sports Cards

5.0

(4 reviews)

Great store in Chico! A bit of everything, cards and autographs. Will definitely go by when I'm up…read morethere again!

Have just recently got back into collecting and have been to the store twice now. Definitely the…read morebest card shop in Chico. Mostly sports but a good assortment of no. Sports as well. Prices are reasonable and staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely be stopping by more often! Highly recommend!

Chico Paper Company

3.8

(13 reviews)

•$$$

Beautiful, small art shop located in the corner…read more My friend took me here because he loves the artist who puts famous buildings and photoshops it in the middle of no where - really great concept! The employee that approached that was very friendly. She explained to us about the artist and how he was able to do it. After looking at that artwork, we looked around the store and found some really interesting place. I found this shop more interesting than most museums, to be honest.

I picked up some great photographs by a local artist here over the weekend. The items I selected…read morewere on consignment and were surprisingly inexpensive, though I felt like the prices on the other items in the gallery were marked up a bit high, but that seems to be part of a larger trend evident at galleries all over the place, so I can't really fault them for that. They seemed to have a large selection of work by local artists which I think is fantastic. The glass art that was on display was gorgeous, even if they did have quite a few glass pumpkins mixed in there. I'll be the first to admit, I do not get the whole glass pumpkin thing, they are everywhere! Do that many people really like pumpkins? Or are there just that many women running around with Cinderella complexes? Anyway, they had several (non-squash) pieces that I would've loved to have come home with. Maybe next time. The staff at the gallery was friendly and helpful without being overbearing. I would definitely check them out again.

Timeless Treasures

5.0

(5 reviews)

Walked into this store while waiting for Apple Blossom Baby store to open. Found lots of great…read moretreasures. I purchased two books and a sticker. Owners very pleasant and knowledgeable! I will definitely be returning when my friend is in town.

This spot is a treasure in itself! Vintage items, beautiful rocks and gems, jewelry, and so many…read morelovely trinkets! I love me a trinket. Everything was so appropriately priced and it was easy to find some fun stuff in our budget. Also, run by such lovely and fun ladies! Will be back many more times for sure.

Attic Treasures

4.0

(12 reviews)

Quite a collection. Some great deals. Maneuvering through the place takes some effort. Over all a…read morenice stop especially because of the pleasant people.

10,000 square feet of fun!!! This place is filled with great finds at great prices. I always bring…read moreout of town visitors to spend the afternoon shopping. It's a great time.

Lotus Flower Imports

4.6

(8 reviews)