Book lovers are hoarders. They might have shelves filled with hardbacks at home, most of them unread, but they will still browse through the bookstores to add even more to their collection.
Don’t worry. We aren’t here to judge. After all, who can resist sniffing the crisp and sweet scent of new books or the dark, musty, nostalgic fragrance of old and battered copies? It’s even better than the smell of coffee, right?
These book stores in Chicago are beautifully designed, some with new, and some having an old collection of books. And to truly escape from the urban hustle and bustle, why not visit a bookstore that also doubles up as a coffee shop and café?
If this sounds like a good idea to you, check out the following list of Chicago’s best bookstores.
Best Bookstores In Chicago
Sandmeyer’s Bookstore
Address: 714 S Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
This family-owned, local bookshop in Chicago makes it so much easier to spend a whole day here. You can browse tons of shelves filled with perennial favorites and new releases curated for children as well as adults. The puzzles, mugs, greeting cards, journaling books, and other gift items make it so much lovelier to shop at this store.
This book store in Chicago, family-owned for about 40 years, was founded in the South Loop in 1982 when it sold new, quality books and had a customer service that had every book lover come again and again to the shop.
After-Words Bookstore
Address: 23 E Illinois Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
The rustic wooden desks, shelves, and chairs at After-Words Chicago bookstore make you feel as if you have stepped back in time, with more than 70,000 books ranging from crisp, clean new releases to old books from fiction, literature, and children’s books.
You can even request the bookstore to arrange an out-of-print title if you cannot find it in their collection. This cool bookstore also has a dedicated space for readings, book signings, and other events that draw book lovers from all over Chicago.
City Lit Books
Address: 2523 N Kedzie Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
City Lit Books is a bookshop in Chicago in the Logan Square neighborhood. Born in 2012, the bookstore made a reappearance in the city in 2021, selling a wide range of non-fiction, contemporary fiction, and children’s literature in their cozy, independent book store in Chicago.
This store is friendly on so many levels – for the adults, children, and the dogs, too. Besides being a dog-friendly space, they also host book clubs, author events, poetry readings, and the lovely children’s story time hour. So many thoughtful events in one place!
The Last Chapter Book Shop
Address: 2013 W Roscoe Street, Chicago, IL 60618, United States
The Chicago’s best bookstores are offering books from every genre. But how about a visit to a romantic bookstore that only sells sweet and joyful titles?
The Last Chapter has a very unique vibe. If you want a change from your regular mystery and thriller books and want to bury yourself in a pile of wholesome romantic stories, this is the place to go.
From a blind date with a book and Instagrammable neon signs that speak to your heart to the cute little photo booths, this place will attract bibliophiles like nothing else. The bookish merchandise and collaborations with artists – stickers, tees, and coke cans – are just another pretty addition to your bookshelves.
Women & Children First
Address: 5233 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
This Indy bookshop in Chicago feels so surreal when you walk up to the shelves filled to the edges with feminist books celebrating the underrepresented voices since 1979.
The unique books collection at Women & Children First is the reason why we call it one of the coolest bookstores in Chicago. It’s a warm and welcoming space in which a curated collection of women and children’s books are present, as well as other titles on family and relationships, literary criticism, self-help and social science.
The staff is truly helpful, and author appearances also make it a must-check-out book store in Chicago.
Pilsen Community Books
Address: 1102 W 18th Street, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
In the heart of the Pilsen neighborhood that overflows with art, music, and culture, you will find this cool bookstore, which was established in 2016 and still operates independently.
Pilsen Community Books is devoted to left-wing politics books, as well as books on various other genres and different languages. The staff has maintained the place really well and organized the books so that you may always find what you are looking for.
The used selection of books is also in pristine condition, so pick out a book on colonialism or resistance and make way to the nearest coffee shop to read it – we think this makes up for a perfect evening plan in Chicago.
Exile in Bookville
Address: Fine Arts Building, 410 S Michigan Avenue, suite 210, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
In the stunning Fine Arts Building, this independent book store in Chicago is even more stunning with huge windows letting in natural light and an organized but homely display of books.
Make your way to the second floor of the building to find this hidden gem. The shelves run from floor to ceiling, on which you will find so many things that you might have never seen before (cue books, journals, a pretty Howl’s Moving Castle sketchbook, tarot decks, little books, and jigsaw puzzles.)
The staff at this bookstore is really knowledgeable, and it shows how much they love the books. They would even leave handwritten notes in the books!
RoscoeBooks
Address: 2142 W Roscoe Street, Chicago, IL 60618, United States
RoscoeBooks was a dream of Erika VanDam, a book lover and sales mogul who always wanted to own an impressive bookstore in the heart of Chicago.
RoscoeBooks is a cozy and cool bookstore in Roscoe Village, where the staff is as excited to help and hand out recommendations as the readers. The bookstore also hosts frequent book clubs. So, if you want to read the classics with fellow bibliophiles, have engaging discussions, and express your opinion over a glass of wine, or have a look at their recommended books section, this bookshop in Chicago is the perfect retreat for you.
Where To Buy Used Books In Chicago
Uncharted Books
Address: 5140 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
Uncharted Books isn’t just a regular Chicago bookstore to buy used books. It’s a community brick-and-mortar space where the atmosphere is as beautifully crafted as the fine selection of books. This used bookstore owners call themselves a DIY business and take pride in the fact that their book collection is eclectic, rare, and full of quality.
This is why Uncharted Books is a favorite spot for many book lovers in Chicago who want to browse through books in a cozy and intimate setting, where each visit surprises them with a constantly changing inventory.
Myopic Books
Address: 1564 N Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
Myopic Books is one of the best-used bookstores in Chicago. Continuing its 30-year-old legacy, the bookstore still holds a calm and peaceful space in the middle of the Wicker Park neighborhood, filled to the brim with new and gently used volumes of books.
Take your time perusing the three floors that are packed with more than 60,000 titles, and if you find yourself lost between the pages, ask a helpful staff member to find a title you’ve been looking for.
The bookstore, still retaining its old-world charm, allows readers to access the top floors and basement via staircases. This stunning ambiance also leads to periodic concerts and cozy poetry nights every now and then.
Powell’s Books Chicago
Address: 1501 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
Powell’s is a very famous used bookstore in Chicago. With its best selection of fiction, nonfiction, and academic titles, more than 16,000 books are displayed on the vertical shelves and tabletops.
Thoughtfully chosen for eager readers, you can find many antiquarians, used and out-of-print books, that too at reasonable prices. So, whether you are looking for titles on anarchism, socialism, or Marxism, you will definitely find something really interesting here.
The staff is again very helpful and accommodating, and it would be no surprise if you will end up purchasing even more books than what you came here for.
Ravenswood Used Books
Address: 2005 W Montrose Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618, United States
Ravenswood is a very homely, very compact used bookstore in the heart of Chicago. If you are planning to buy a bulk of used fiction and nonfiction books, as well as children’s titles, then make a trip to this book store in Chicago.
The ambient lights, vintage wooden shelves and sometimes organized, sometimes scattered collection of books gives the feel of an old world library, making Ravenswood a place where you can get lost in the books.
Make sure to ask the staff for titles if you cannot find them on your own. In this eccentric and one of the best bookstores in Chicago, you will definitely leave with a heap of books snagged at a very reasonable price.
Best Coffee And Bookshop In Chicago
The Understudy Coffee and Books
Address: 5531 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
The Understudy Coffee and Books is one of Chicago’s best bookstores. Its an amalgam of the warmth of a coffee shop, and the buzzing ambiance of a bookstore.
With a stunning corner location in the Andersonville neighborhood and floor-to-ceiling windows letting in natural light in every corner of the shop, you can choose an aesthetic spot on the plush sofas or the tables, order a delicious cup of coffee, and get lost in a world of your own over a book.
This theater bookstore also hosts open mic nights, monthly readings, and theater plays – indeed, one of the best bookstores in Chicago to spend a day outdoors.
The Book Cellar
Address: 4736 N Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, United States
A book, a warm cup of coffee, and a cute place to sit is every bookworm’s dream.
The Book Celler is one of the coolest bookstores in Chicago, and the food menu is as extensive as the book collection. Soups, coffee, salads, sandwiches, and everything else that you might expect from a book café are available.
This is one of those book stores in Chicago where you are free to overstay your welcome, as the ambiance is as warm and friendly as the staff and fellow book lovers who inhabit this place.
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