This is an excellent community publication. I love the focus on local news and activities. The…read moreowners have been in the publishing business in Austin, Texas for decades. They know the ins and outs of the community, and are very involved with community activities ... especially in promoting local businesses, and encouraging people to shop locally. The high caliber and integrity of this publication makes it one of the finest in Austin.

West Austin News is a society paper, so I wouldn't jump to recommend its pages for hard news. Get…read morethe blood & guts at the Statesman and your next blind date at The Chronicle. For color pictures of Austin's old school money, up-and-coming debutantes, or trust fund kindergartners, see West Austin News. I suppose this is a bit harsh. WAN is a perfectly respectable paper, but its target demographic is not exactly all-inclusive of our broad and colorful Austin community. However, if you're in love with a Westlaker or can't remember who you were schmoozing at last Saturday evening's fundraising gala, you may find their smiling face among these pages. Likely worth a read.

This isn't a real newspaper, its a West Austin guide to "my kid is better than yours!" and look at…read morewhat we did! The publisher employes meth addicts to do his accounting and bookkeeping so none of the advertisers are ever billed or pay their bills on time. He expects the ONE production manager who is in charge of building everything to work 15+ hour days because they're not allowed to be in the office for more than 2 days a week while they're expected to turn out 20+ pages of content! This publication is a joke and I wouldn't waste a dime of my money advertising with this rag!

I love this bookstore so much -- and love the staff too, especially the owner, Abby, who sees me in…read morethe shop at least once a week! The book selection is thoughtfully curated and the displays change often. Something is always a little different each time I come in, which is great! I love perusing the shelves to check out what's new. The shop also puts on tons of events, from storytime for kids to adult book events, including the latest Dungeon Crawler Carl midnight release party. If you end up at Birdhouse, definitely chat with the staff as they are full of great recommendations and are so friendly! Parking is a breeze with the big lot and I love that this shop is in the same strip as Asahi, the Japanese market where you can get onigiri for lunch! I think this shop is a great place to cultivate community and is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. Go visit!!

This was such a sweet find. Today is Independent Bookstore Day and we were in Austin and decided to…read morecheck out Birdhouse Books. We absolutely loved our time there. My kids and I spent a considerable amount of time in the children's section. I particularly appreciate the book categories they have, from graphic books to books about inclusivity. There is a limited selection of parenting books, which was surprising to me. I half expected a wider range of parenting books considering the selection of children's books they had. And the parenting books were shelved right at the back of the store instead of being closer to the children's section, which I thought was an odd choice. I also particularly appreciate that they have banned books here, and book recommendations. When we went there today, it looks like there was an event going on and from their calendar in the store, it seems that they hosted events every now and then, which is great. Staff are incredibly helpful and welcoming. We plan to come back again. Parking was easy and when you have kids, that is an important factor to consider. And tip: When you are done here, walk to the Japanese grocery store in the same block and get yourself some delicious snack.

On June 20, 2026, a beloved north Austin bookstore will cease operations as a brick-and-mortar…read moreshop. Their online presence will continue during the transitionary period. Black Pearl Books, one of Austin's few Black-owned independent bookstores, is closing this chapter of their physical operations. Husband-and-wife owners Eric and Katrina Brooks stated that this move comes as they "rethink life as empty nesters." I got an opportunity to chat with the couple. Eric said their daughter, Alicia, will be going off to college. He said they still continue to do pop ups with community partners like ACC Highland campus and the Austin Public Library. The owners will work toward their future plans and continue to host authors through the fall. The closing celebration on Saturday will include live illustrations, henna, matcha, and a live reading and book signing. Importantly, the City of Austin has designated June 20, 2026, as Black Pearl Books Day. This bookstore has been a beacon of light in the Austin community and will be sorely missed! For me, it is a bigger issue...we see more and more smaller businesses closing especially over the last few years. Big box national book sellers seemingly are expanding. While Black Pearl Books owners are closing their brick-and-mortar shop, I am excited for the new opportunities that await them. We say so long for now...not goodbye!

Now that they're about to close, I decide to write my review. Well, it's another one that has been…read moresitting for SO LONG as a pending draft, I may as well get to it. Though they are closing the brick & mortar, the owners say they aren't going anywhere and this makes me happy. I am hoping this means we will continue to see them involved in all things books, social justice, and more. This is a place I started going to when I first started coming to Austin on twice-yearly visits (prior to relocation here). For several years in fact. It is one the best places to obtain banned books. The collection is impressive and IMPORTANT. Though it is a small shop, they have EVERYTHING. If they don't they get it for you. They go above and beyond! I write this as if they are still in existence and that's because as I write this, they are. While there is still time, get out and support this local, Black-owned, glorious bookstore! When they're gone and doing other things, continue to support them. We need MORE people and MORE places like this. Period. They walk the walk and talk the talk! A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A couple of months ago, I decided to spend a day checking out thrift shops around the area. It had…read morebeen several years since I'd visited some of the local stores, so I mapped out a route that would let me hit several in one trip. Out of the Past Collectibles showed up in my search, and since I'd never been there before, I added it to the list. From the outside, I was excited. It didn't look as polished as some of the other stores, which made me think I might stumble across some great bargains. They also had a lot of interesting items displayed outside the entrance. Unfortunately, once I walked in, my excitement faded. The customer area is small, and it's packed with dusty items stacked so high that they don't always look particularly stable. The aisles are extremely narrow, and there just isn't much room to move around. I explored the small section to the left of the entrance, but another customer was browsing the only other aisle I could access, so there really wasn't any way to see the rest of the store without squeezing past. To be honest, I felt a little uneasy, like I was going to get trapped back there somewhere. I noticed a few pieces in a glass cabinet that caught my eye, but I ended up leaving and heading to the next, better-organized thrift shop on my list. A few weeks later, I happened to be driving right past the store on my way home from work and decided to give it one more chance. This time I was the only customer, so it was much easier to get around. As it turned out, the section I couldn't reach on my first visit was mostly records and other collectibles that just aren't my thing, and what I'd assumed was another aisle was actually blocked off for employees only. That meant the small section I'd already seen was really the part of the store that interested me anyway. The difference was that this time I knew what to expect, so I slowed down and started looking through the clutter more carefully. Before long I spotted an Early American Prescut piece I didn't already have... then another... then another. The woman working there noticed what I was looking at and helped me get to the pieces I wanted. They still had price stickers from wherever the store had acquired them, but she sold them to me for half of the marked prices, making them excellent buys. These are pieces I could have easily found on eBay, but without paying shipping. I also saw a couple of them later that day at another thrift shop for several dollars more. Walking away with all three pieces for $20 was definitely a bargain. So what do I think? It's an interesting little store. It's definitely cluttered--maybe even a little junky--but if you're willing to slow down and dig through the stacks, you can find some really good deals for fair prices. I'd also recommend visiting on a weekday if you can. The aisles are so narrow that even one or two other shoppers can make it difficult to get around, and my Friday afternoon visit was a much more enjoyable experience than my Saturday one. It may not be the easiest place to browse, but for the right shopper, it's worth taking the time.

I love this place because you can find some great and unexpected finds!…read more Last time I got a silver dish, a trinket box and a few costume jewelry rings. This time I got three sterling silver rings which I'm super stoked about! Usually a good price for most finds, but nothing has a price tag so you have to ask for prices for each item. Also pretty dusty and crammed. It doesn't bother me personally as long as I can find something cool, but looks like some folk are unhappy about it.

What a JOKE! This isn't a real newspaper, its a West Austin guide to "my kid is better than yours!"…read more The publisher hires meth addicts to do his accounting, none of the advertisers are ever billed or pay their bills on time and he works the ONE production manager that he as on staff 15+ hour days because they're not allowed to be in the office for more than 2 days during production and they're expected to turn out 20+ pages of content! I wouldn't waste a dime of my money advertising with this rag!

I am a woman who loves magazines and Austin, so you'd think I'd naturally be in lust with Austin…read moreWoman magazine. To be honest, I'm on the fence about this local publication. First, the positives. I applaud Austin for supporting print media that highlights the successes of our hometown heroines, and I applaud founder Melinda Maine Garvey for breaking ground in a competitive market. Austin Woman began in 2002. In less than five years they've established a circulation of over 25,000 with distribution at over 600 Austin hot spots. Nice. My other positive? They generally select pretty cool women to highlight. I was delighted with their recent feature on Natalie Maines, and they've been discerning (in a good way) with their broad range of picks. Unfortunately, the articles are not wholly impressive. The quality of the composition is mediocre and the writing style is plain ole vanilla. I often spot grammatical errors and run-on sentences (this isn't one, is it?) I suppose this is nit-picky, but I like Austin Woman. I worry that these minor issues lower their credibility within the community and present less-than-stellar essays on some of our most notable and notorious. I grab an issue of Austin Woman each month. Hopefully I'll pick it up one day and be blown away by the copy.

I am so sad to write this review because I sincerely looked up to Austin Woman as a true icon in…read morethe community. However after becoming their customer I have since changed my mind. I was sold on monthly advertising for thousands per month and became very excited to advertise in their magazine. Unfortunately, print ads just aren't what they used to be and my business saw a very small return on this. They trapped me into a year long contract, but did not produce results. Their bill collections practice was unethical and illegal. When I found myself in a position of paying thousands a month with literally little to no return on my investment I begged for a cancellation and payment plan, but they had no mercy. The husband of the owner harassed my employees without my permission and even engaged in yelling over the phone with threats of a lawsuit and refusal to work out a payment plan for my small business. I was not only horrified that he discussed my private billing matters illegally with employees without my permission to my front desk staff. I filed an official complaint and request to stop several times (to only discuss my billing matters wirh me). Nonetheless, they used this unlawful tactic as an attempt to collect a debt. I had to file an official complaint with the federal trade commission due to ongoing illegal harassment and illegal billing practices. I encourage anyone who has experienced illegal billing collection methods from this company to file an official report with the FTC to fight against humiliation and unethical bill collection practice. This company doesn't stand behind their sales claims and doesn't care about you or your small business.

Look, it a volunteer run anarchist leaning bookstore. So now lets revisit that statement -…read moreVolunteer run - sure you get some people that can be off putting and really just get lost in what they are reading or doing but thats not the point. The point of the bookstore is that you have an avenue to meet and associate with like minded people, maybe find a few books, maybe donate a few books you want them to have... Like another review mentioned there is some cognitive dissonance in the whole ""At Monkeywrench Books, the following things are not tolerated: sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and/or any other behavior that is hateful and has the effect of policing others." but thats ok, not because of anything else, again its about the intent and spirit here. Sure the book selection is 3 star at best, but come on, this is truly about the community effort around it and nothing more. So here's to Monkeywrench books and the people that make it possible. 5 stars even if i disagree with you on certain levels. (Also my 200th review , you'll always be special to me :P )

This bookstore is incredible! It's part of my North Loop Jaunt (every few months I head over to the…read moreneighborhood and hit up my favorite places). Did you know it's run by volunteers? Yep, how wonderfully Austin. The book selections focus on social justice, economic justice, etc. It's a gathering space for like-minded people and I feel so at home when there. They have different events like creative art nights and study groups. There's an area that has a shelving unit containing free items. Sofas, lounge area, coffee/tea area. Space for kids to create. It's a welcoming and inclusive shop that's important in today's world. Support local.

I'm indescribably grateful that APL came up with the concept of Recycled Reads. I'm infinitely more…read moregrateful that they had the smarts to staff the branch with Paola. I have spent many hours at different library branches, several closer to my home than Recycled Reads. While all are fine and I can't say that I've ever had a bad experience at any of them, neither can I say that any -outside of Recycled Reads - have ever felt like they were being operated as a community service. At Recycled Reads, Paola has created an atmosphere of welcome and acceptance for everyone. It's still the Austin Public Library, so there are obviously rules that she and her staff are obligated to enforce, but it's always done with courtesy and eespect. Under Paola's leadership, Recycled Reads has created programs and events that are exciting, fun, and inclusive! I'm always excited to see what's next, and even when it's not something I would have chosen my myself, I participate, have a great time, and learn something! Isn't that what the library is all about? Thank you, Austin Public Library, Recycled Reads, and the amazing staff and volunteers who work so hard to make their little corner of the city into a place where absolutely everyone can find value, if only they choose to look for it.

We came here as our city is being a jerk and closing this down. I know some of that is that our…read moreolder generation didn't want any new taxes on anything as they are selfish and don't want to pay taxes on the 3 houses they own or whatever. Still it sucks to see this going away. We came in, bought some books and browed a bit. They place had a fair amount of people, still quite a few books, music, and movies. I couldn't find much I was intersteied in but Shana did and even found me a book or two. The bathroom is weird, it is around a corner that looks like you are not allowed to go to and there is a key on a hanger that you take in with you, you don't need to unlock the door and I am not sure it even locks. If the key is missing that is how you know the bathroom has someone in it, there is a small hook on the inside to hang the key while you are in the restroom. So you have to hope people notice it is gone and you have to hope everyone puts the key back. But they are clean and they have a sign in the bathroom that the front desk can supply you with pads if needed. The one misstep here was the guy running the front desk, he was not super friendly, I heard his reaction to a lady gushing about how great the place was and how many books she found for such a good price, some were gifts and he could care less. He wasn't rude but he was doing that thing where you just nod and say uh huh. I also heard him later say he was from another branch of the library, I don't know which but I hope we don't run into him again. We got something like 7 or 8 books for 9 bucks which is fantastic. He checked us out fast, as he had better things to do and we headed out.

I always buy my books from half Price Books. You can usually find good quality cheap books here…read more They also have cool stationary, vinyls, calendars, puzzles, and colouring books. People who work there can also help you find books you're looking for.

Not our usual Half Price, we came here as part of our relaxing weekend…read more There were two authors doing book signings but not a lot of interest while we where there. They have a large selection of books, music, and movies. It is a large place. We found a few books and left, we didn't stay long. Check out was fine, we didn't need any other help.