Myopic Books
Myopic Books is 100 times more than what it seems from its small storefront.
This used bookstore of Chicago has all it takes to make your experience the most pleasant and memorable one.
The first thing that you’ll find endearing about Myopic books is its huge collection of 60,000 books spread across subjects that include fiction, architecture, art, music, Sci-Fi, mythology, religion, philosophy, psychology, cooking, children’s, and literary criticism.
The moment you enter the shop it looks quite deep to you. Your experience starts becoming gold when you find the room in the front expanding into more rooms in the back.
Myopic Books has three floors on which you find interesting titles, organized by book and author, at each step you take. All you have to take care of is your time because you’ll find yourself immersed in books kept on its organized and labeled book sections.
You surely feel tempted to make use of the chairs and benches kept only for you to read and get lost in a book. This certainly makes you feel at home.
The major feature of this bookshop that you should definitely check out is its dimly-lit basement which is basically its mystery books section. The basement gives you the sweet-spooky feel that you get while reading a sensational mystery thriller.
And yes, Myopic Books accepts credit cards if you run out of cash.
Address : 1564 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
Timings : 12 PM - 8PM
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Pilsen Community Books
Have you ever fantasized about sitting by a bookshelf, breaking through the ceiling, that is full of books, and reading for hours?
As ecstatic as it sounds, you can get this feeling in the Pilsen community bookstore which is one of the best used bookstores in Chicago.
The moment you enter this bookstore you get elated seeing the collection of books; what pleases you more is that most of these books are under 10 dollars.
Apart from books on genres such as fiction, biography, gastronomy, Pilsen community bookstore offers on sale books on different-than-regular subjects such as climate crisis, epidemic, pandemic, and Society field guide to North American Birds.
Books by Latino authors, black authors, Indie books, native American authors are housed by this bookstore some of which you won’t find in any other bookstore.
Books on topics such as struggles of Black in the USA, Feminicide are definitely going to touch your heart.
I bet you will sit with 2-3 books and you won’t feel a significant amount of time passing by you. That’s the magic this community-run bookstore brings for you.
For a used bookstore, it has been kept clean and tidy by its friendly staff who you find reading when they are not assisting the customers. This reading habit of the staff gets them to recommend you some excellent books if you seek their recommendations.
Address : 1102 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
Timings : 12 PM - 7PM
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Uncharted Books
Another bookstore in Chicago that you should visit to buy rare and used books is Uncharted Books.
Books are decently priced in this bookstore.
The collection of books is massive in this three-floor bookstore on whose top floor you find an armchair to read.
You find books on diverse categories in this used bookstore of Chicago which include art, photography and design, novels, Christianity, medicine, psychology, religion, Sci-Fi, feminism and women’s history, literary classics, and many more.
You also get accompanied by Ramona - the bookstore dog on most days in this bookstore, which brings cuteness to the place and sweetens your experience.
If you’re after rare books in Chicago then Uncharted Books is a must-visit for you because you’d find some amazing vintage, ancient books, and letters. But you should be ready to pay a handsome amount for them.
Handwritten Letters from Stephen Crane to Elbert Hubbard and Related Ephemera (12000$) and The Society Of Jesus (1548-1773) are a few rare books that this used bookstore of Chicago keeps.
Address : 5140 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
Timings : 11 AM - 7PM, Monday closed
Read More : 21 Best Bookstores in Los Angeles that you cannot miss to visit
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Bookman’s Corner
All used bookstores mentioned in this list are the best used bookstores in Chicago IL.
You will find it difficult to measure which one is better than the other.
To make this measuring task tougher for you, here’s another Chicago used bookstore that you must visit - Bookman’s Corner.
You find piles and piles and stacks and stacks of books placed in every square foot of this bookstore which for a book lover like you feels like heaven.
Although the bookstore is full of countless stacks of used books, you find them sorted by genres such as history, art, fiction, non-fiction, geography, science, religion, medicine, animals, music, cooking, etc.
You are guided by visible signs that notify you about the category of books and the narrow space between the aisles gives you that perfect feeling of walking in a sea of books.
The prices of books are much cheaper in comparison to other used bookstores of Chicago. You may end up buying 14-15 used books for less than 30$ from this used bookstore.
Bookman’s Corner charges you peanuts for an extensively wide collection of books that it presents to you for sale. The owner is friendly and does remember you when you visit this bookstore the next time.
Address : 2959 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
Timings : 1 PM - 7 PM
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After-Words Bookstore
More than 70,000 hand-curated new and used books you find in the After-Words Bookstore of Chicago.
You find books on genres of fiction, literature, poetry, young adults, children’s in the After-Words Bookstore, a majority of which you find in the basement of this two-storey used bookstore of Chicago.
You enter this used bookstore and you’re greeted gracefully not only by the owner but also by that sweet smell of used books that literally makes your day.
The staff of After-Words Bookstore is friendly and does everything in their capacity to help you with the books you’re looking for.
This bookstore orders out of print books or any special books for you that you don’t find on its bookshelves.
Address : 23 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
Timings : 12 AM - 9 PM, Saturday 10 AM - 10 PM, Sunday 12 AM - 7 PM
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Armadillo's Pillow Inc
A good used bookstore is the one in which you enter with a mindset of buying only one book but you leave the bookstore with 5 books in your hands and a reason to return.
Armadillo’s Pillow Inc is one such bookstore.
Never be disappointed by its small storefront because once you enter this bookstore you find it packed with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves housing an extensive collection of usual and unusual used books from different times and genres.
You will definitely be impressed by the Sci-Fi collection available and if you’re a fiction buff then you are not coming out of this bookstore anytime soon.
You can bring your children to this bookstore as well because Armadillo’s Pillow has a great children’s books section, as well as a small dog that your children will love playing with.
Huge stacks of books, comfortable chairs, a perfect bookstore atmosphere, and a positive vibe make Armallido’s Pillow one of the best used bookstores of Chicago.
Address : 6753 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626, United States
Timings : 12 AM - 8 PM
Read More : 12 Best Bookstores in New York City
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Bookie’s
You find a mix of new and used books in Bookie’s bookstore. I will come to the book collection later but let me tell you first that the staff of this bookstore goes to lengths to find the right books for you.
You can call Bookie’s in advance for a book that you think is an uncommon find and they will get it for you at a reasonable price.
Also, if you have used books that you want to sell then Bookie’s bookstore loves to exchange them for discounts on the books that you buy from here.
This bookstore has a great rewarding system.
You can use all points, accumulated from previous book purchases, to buy more books from here.
This bookstore gives you a pleasant experience because it’s so neat and clean.
You find books well organized.
Speaking of the book collection, this bookstore houses a great collection of books on mystery, Sci-Fi, romance, children’s, local favorites, best sellers, literary classics, and many more.
You also find books that help you on SAT, GRE, GMAT, and many other entrance examinations in Bookie’s bookstore.
Address : 10324 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60643, United States
Timings : 10 AM - 5 PM
Powell’s Books Chicago
If you’re a scholar, searching for course-related books, and entrance examination books then you find them in Powell’s Books.
Yes, the bookstore’s inventory is inclined towards academic literature, course books from all fields but it does have a decent collection of fiction books.
The price of books in this bookstore loves your pocket as it ranges between 20% to 70% depending on the condition of the books you buy.
The section of the bookstore that you must check out is the drama section which does contain interesting, priceless gems.
Also, Powell’s Books Chicago has a good cookbooks section too for chefs, gastronomers, and connoisseurs.
If you’re a graphic novels/comics buff then let me tell you that Powell’s Books has a great comic book section too.
Powell’s Books stocks 250,000+ books so even if it is 50% inclined towards the course and academic literature you can calculate the number of books it stocks under other genres and subjects.
Watch out for the glass cases in the store that contain thick antique books as they will surely feel like a pleasure to the eyes.
Address : 1501 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
Timings : 11 AM - 7 PM, Closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday
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Ravenswood Used Books
Time to read about one used bookstore of Chicago which is smaller in size in comparison with other used bookstores mentioned in this blog post.
But never make the mistake of judging this bookstore by its size.
You can find almost any book you need in Ravenswood Used Books. Even your children’s books’ demand can be easily met in this used bookstore.
When you enter this bookstore it seems a bit disorganized but in reality, it isn’t.
The bookstore is built on a small space, houses tall ceiling-breaking bookshelves full of books, sometimes more than two layers of books you find on a shelf which makes these shelves look deep which is why the space between aisles look short.
You surely get the feel of a movie set of a library with step ladders kept against the shelves. You may want to use these ladders to browse the books on the top.
Thousands of books on Sci-Fi, mystery fiction, religion, self-help, non-fiction, out-of-print titles are available for you to buy in this lovely bookstore of Chicago.
The owners are warm and friendly. Moreover, they take special care of you when you become one of their regulars.
A healthy tip is to call them in advance and ask for the book you want as that way you would save time in browsing its loaded bookshelves to find your read.
Address : 2005 W Montrose Ave Chicago, IL 60618
Timings : 11 AM - 6 PM
Bx-zone.com
bx-zone is a bookstore that is a little different in the way it is online and you can sell your used books using it to people living around you in Chicago.
If you’re a student then you must have a lot of textbooks, course books, entrance examination books with you that you don’t want to read anymore.
You can sell all those books of yours using bx-zone’s online used bookstore at prices decided by you in Chicago
You can easily sell your used books at 50% of the prices for which you bought them.
Moreover, bx-zone is free to use and doesn’t charge any commission fee from its users. Neither there is any hidden charge nor any convenience fee.
If want to know how you can sell used books in Chicago then you should definitely read this article.
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Used bookstores in Chicago are a gateway to pure heaven.
By visiting one of these you can get a slice of that heaven which indeed costs quite less.
A book reader can tackle any kind of crisis if they are in the company of the right books.
The used bookstores of Chicago are waiting with all the right books for you, the only thing they need in exchange is your love and support.
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