Looking for the best Chicago book stores? In this post we will tell you what we love about each bookstore! Each bookstores is in a unique neighborhood in Chicago. Let’s jump right in.
Rose & Thorn
Rose & Thorn is something that is special to us here at a nature escape. We have been engaging in Rose & Thorn in our personal lives and work life. We decided to continue the tradition going because what better way to connect all things to nature.
Rose: the best part, the reason we keep going back
Thorn: a con of the bookstore
1. Sandmeyer’s Book Store (printers row)
Website: https://sandmeyersbookstore.com/sandmeyers-home
Rose: Organized by genre and always update with new releases. The wooden floors and large windows are just perfect.
Thorn: Closes too early for us night owls + Park Chicago is expensive in this area!
2. Open Books (fulton river district)
Website: https://www.open-books.org/
Rose: Provides books and programming for the youth in Chicago
Thorn: Limited parking on this busy street!
3. Semicolon Bookstore (west town)
Website: https://www.semicolonchi.com/
Rose: The artwork is beautiful!
Thorn: Limited parking near this busy intersection and only opened on Friday’s & Saturday’s (hours subject to change in the future).
4. Pilsen Community Books (pilsen)
Website: https://www.pilsencommunitybooks.com/
Rose: Two monthly book box subscriptions where the books are wrapped in butcher paper and available for pickup or delivery!
Thorn: Does not open until 12pm
5. After-Words Bookstore (streeterville)
Website: http://after-wordschicago.com/
Rose: Two floors of endless amounts of books!
Thorn: Parking is expensive, we suggest public transportation or walking!
6. Unabridged Bookstore (lakeview)
Website: https://www.unabridgedbookstore.com/
Rose: Such a variety of books with lots of notes/recommendations from the Unabridged Bookstore team!
Thorn: Park Chicago, but cheaper than some Pay to Park areas!
7. Volumes Bookstore (gold coast)
Website: https://www.volumesbooks.com/
Rose: Free parking with store validation
Thorn: Crowded area of the city, us introverts prefer a quieter neighborhood!
8. Barbara’s Bookstore (loop)
Website: https://barbarasbookstores.com/
Rose: Very closet to the candy store in the basement of Macy’s – candy and books? Perfect pair!
Thorn: Hidden underneath Macy’s–Chicago’s best kept secret!
9. Madison Street Books (west loop)
Website: https://madstreetbooks.com/
Rose: The young adult section is awesome, variety of representation in the books and the authors.
Thorn: Park Chicago (but plenty of parking there).
10. Myopic Bookstore (wicker park)
Website: https://www.myopicbookstore.com/
Rose: Three levels and has so much character!
Thorn: Milwaukee street is always busy!
Map of the Bookstores
Click here to see the google map of all 10 bookstores.
I love bookstores. I used to visit bookstores every time I went to the city. Now that I have more responsibilities I don’t do that anymore. This made me wanna go check out some books. Thanks for sharing!
not so much of a bookworm. but i love going to bookstores to flip some pages to feed my mind and have some alone & quiet time.
It’s nice to see others appreciating a good bookstore. One of my favorite places to be.
Nnnniiiiccceeeeeee….thank you for sharing these locations! Yyyyooooo….how I wish I was in Chicago, right now!
this is surely going to be helpful for those in that axis
Great suggestions, I’m sure book lovers would love this list to check out bookstore in there. Thank you for sharing!
I used to love bookstores. I used to wonder the aisles and I love to read
It is so sad that book stores are becoming a thing of the past. I used to love wondering bookstores.
I’d love to discover many more good bookstores. It’s gonna be fun checking these out and visiting them.
I live in Chicago and I love your post. I adore bookstores! I think I gonna check Myopic Bookstore for sure.
I love a good bookstore. This is such a great list! How fun to be able to check these out.
Who doesn’t love a good bookstore? I think it’s a shame the more independent ones are becoming few and far between these days. This is brilliant that you have provided a source for local people in the area to explore.
thank you so much for this! my daughter loves going to bookstores, so someday i hope we visit these places 🙂
While I am not a bookworm, I love to read something informative and current news. These bookstores are gems that we should explore.