Such a cool space! It has an incredible view of the park and Lake…read more It's not a big space but they use the space well. We stopped in today after going to the violin shop at the Fine Arts Building. It was really busy! Lots of people inside a little hard to maneuver around, but all good. I'm happy they were busy! Books were well organized and easy to find.

Small but mighty! This cute bookshop is tucked away on the 2nd floor of the Fine Arts building,…read morewhich is an excursion in and of itself because it has the last manually operated public elevator in Chicago. The bookshop also has a special view overlooking Grant Park to Lake Michigan. I've been to Exile for an event before (which they had in a separate space) and I recently stopped in again to browse their books. I can appreciate their collection is thoughtfully and uniquely curated, with prices on par with the average independent bookstore in Chicago. I also like the handwritten summaries and recommendations for standout books. They are not going to have everything because they're in a small space but I was able to find both a popular book that was on my wishlist and also a book I'd never heard of before that piqued my interest, so I purchased both. I also love that they're open every day of the week, which makes it easy to pop by!

Sandmeyer's Bookstore is a gem! Everyone who works there is so friendly and it makes for a great…read moreatmosphere. It feels really cozy inside and I could spend an hour or so perusing the book selection. They also have a nice variety of bookish gifts and cards. The best part is the sale corner in the back where you can find books of all kinds marked down to really reasonable prices. I'll always stop at Sandmeyer's when I'm in the area!

What a gorgeous location to have a bookstore! Sandmeyer's Bookstore sits in Printer's Row and is a…read morevery lit and airy environment. The selection is not too bad, considering they are recovering from a flood. There are so many titles and a vast array of topics available. I found some classics, fiction, a wonderful selection in their non-fiction area, and translated books. They also provide you with lists of books that have won prizes or coincide with different regions in the USA and the world! I thought that was very helpful. It's a medium-sized store, but their displays are quite prominent. Everything is easy to grab (no ladders or staff needed to get to the high books). All the areas are labeled and it's visually pleasing. The staff was nice, too. Checkout was easy and they were friendly. Prices are standard of paperbacks and hardcovers. You are paying for an indie bookseller (I paid about $40 for two books, which includes tax). I wasn't at all disappointed with the price. They also have a loyalty program for those that are regulars. I really am happy I checked out this spot. It was beautiful and friendly. There was a lot of books and totes to chose from, it was hard not to leave with more in my bag!

My husband and I happened to find this bookstore randomly while out shopping. I will say this is…read morenot the store for you if you need a Barnes and Noble type experience. Some sections are alphabetized, some not (there is a color-coded guide to which are which). Books also are not priced; the owner uses Abebooks.com to look up the price online (but this led to the surprise of one trade paperback book I brought up being $50! I let that one go...) But if you want to spend hours browsing for new treasures, this is the kind of shop for you. Go in with an adventurous spirit and you will surely find something! Accessibility is rather challenging: aisles are narrow, and a good portion of the store is downstairs, where I had to shuffle sideways with my cane while also trying not to hit my head on the low ceiling. Even on the ground level, shelves stretch very high and books go to the floor. So you may need assistance reaching something.

Great used bookstore, cool staff, easy donation. Re the "pricing" complaint, I didn't look before I…read morewent, nice guy found it very quickly, said "I'll look up the price..." I checked inside the cover and blurted "it says $10 here" and he said "that's not ours", looked it up and it was $4.75. #leftadonation

I enjoyed popping in here for indie book store day. They have a great selection of books for all…read moreages.

Do you love bookstores?…read more Stumbled on this treasure near the University of Chicago campus. Enter the red door on the brick walled building, go down a few stairs and enter 57th Street Books. What a cute slice of reading heaven. Fiction. Fantasy. Romance. Murder mystery. Science. Biography. Children's books. So many books! Dress Like a Girl. Sunrise on the Reaping. The Lilac People. Dyscalculia. Say You'll Remember Me. The Grief Keeper. Klara and the Sun. The Road. Suggestions for Yelp Book Club?? Read the comment cards below the books to see the opinions of others. Or, grab a YRAB for your kids. The Young Readers Advisory Board offers free pre-publication books for children to read and review. The children's reading book nook is so cute. A cute bookstore to buy a book. Get hooked on books, because reading is addictive!

If you are looking for books on Anthropology, the natural sciences or ethic art this is *THE* place…read moreto go in Chicago. A mix of used and new books all very reasonably priced.

Idyllic used bookstore…read more Lots and lots of books (even the bathroom had bookshelves that we're completely filled)- a great selection of classics & all kinds of nonfiction. Really inexpensive prices, narrow aisles, imperfect order, kind/ helpful/ interesting workers (maybe owners?), a radio in the front tuned to NPR, a couple of dogs that like to follow you around... I ended up paying $5 for 4 books (although the actual total was 9.65... He wanted ones instead of bigger bills). Definitely worth visiting, but I'd call first. The hours are pretty odd.

This is one of the best used bookstores in Chicago! The selection of art books is amazing and…read morelarge, and I've never seen so many good art books at a used bookstore. The fiction selection is also quite extensive and includes a second floor. This bookstore is among the best of the larger used bookstores in Chicago, which inlude Myopic and Powells, and it differs from them in offering lower prices.

The atmosphere is just there quiet but yet peaceful definitely would recommend if you're just…read morewanting a quiet space to read and zen ‍ 10/10 recommend!

I was very sad when the Logan Square location closed - I spent a lot of money there and brought…read morevisitors who loved it. Finally had time to visit this location, which I was told was massive. Well - the building is massive - the little section that you can actually browse is tiny - and I mean like TINY. No rare books, genre sections barely a shelf long. I was in and out in 15 mins and even that was me trying. This was about 2 weeks ago. There was a giant section on the west side of the building with stacks of books that was roped off. Is this the inventory? Why can't I see those books too? Did I come during an event prep or is this literally how it is? If I didn't know this was the same organization, I never would have guessed it. I support their mission but what happened? Why is this location so bad? Hoping the Lake St location has some of that LS location magic because I'm so so so disappointed.

The vast collection of books available for review and selection is amazing, and so well organized…read more The collection covers all ages and interests!

I stumbled upon this bookstore while I was exploring the Bridgeport neighborhood. The store had…read moretall ceilings, and shelves were filled with books from all kinds of different genres. Pricing was very fair, and I had a great time wandering the shelves. I'd come back!

Friendly bookseller who will give you a tour if you'd like of the store sections. It's a large…read morespace filled to the brim with deep cuts on just about everything. It didn't have alot of the contemporary fiction ( ie Bunny by Mona Awad or Circe by Madeline Miller i was searching for ) but it had an amazing selection of drawing and YA and history as well as classics. Either way it's great to have a local bookstore that is community focused and sells books at an affordable price.