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Category: Bookstores [Edit]
Neighborhood: German VillageMon-Thu. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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I could wander around this bookstore for hours. True, that might be because I'd probably get lost and not be able to find my way out, but it would be worth it.
My sister told me she was here once when the power went out and employees came around with flashlights to lead people out. Ha!
Seriously, this place is incredible. The staff is super friendly and the atmosphere is so comforting. You feel like you're wandering around someone's house, picking up books off their personal shelves (except the books are all organized by room and category).
Definitely drop by this gem if you've got a couple hours you don't mind losing.
Great book selection. Prices beat those at B&N but not going to beat Half-Price Books any time soon. A cool place to show off to people from out of town when you want to prove... something. I see people doing it all the time- I guess it proves you can read or something. And climb stairs.
The place oozes with charm and has a rich history if you can find someone to take the time to tell it to you. But don't bug the employees- they suffer enough as it is- they have to deal with tourists all day. Also, the place is open 'till midnight- so Harold and Kumar can pick up some Ayn Rand on the way back from White Castle, apparently.
There is different music in several rooms. Go regularly and you'll realize that it's the SAME music in each room for 3 or 4 YEARS at a time.
But in the end, you'll feel somewhat guilty spending money there (or at least you should) given that the management's hiring and labor practices would merit investigation by both NOW and the NAACP. But if you can ignore that (I can't) consider it 4.5 stars.
I love wandering around looking at all the rooms of books. I'm able to navigate myself through the maze of books now. The prices are like any other book store, like Barnes & Noble, but most books have a little orange sticked that says 5% off, or something like that, that makes you think you're saving money.
I like when they have author signings. This past summer I went when David Sedaris read some new material and did the book signing. In order to attend the reading you had to buy one of his books at The Book Loft to receive a number. I got ticket #2, which helped get me into the area where he read, however didn't help with the book signing. They called sections, ie) # 1- 25.. and the guy who rushed in line in front of me had 10 books, and the lady with him had at least 5 - he was getting them signed because he sells them online. Unfair.
But either way, I got to sit against the stage while David Sedaris did the reading, and my neck hurt from craning upwards :-)
Might be the coolest bookstore ever - you can literally get lost amongst the stacks. Great selection and helpful staff.
Prepare to get lost-it's half the fun.
An amazing store! We shopped for almost 2 hours. A great selection. We kept finding more and more rooms with tons of books. We left with 2 full bags of books!
This is the sort of place that you will hate if you don't go in the frame of mind.... understand this: This place is NOT Barnes & Noble. If you expect to find exactly the book you're looking for... go to Amazon.
Stores like Book Loft... you go to explore. It's magic. You go in, meaning to look around... and every time I leave, it's with several hundred dollars worth of books in tow. It's the way that store is. One minute you're lost, next minute you find ten books you can't live without.
It's like crack for book lovers. Only way to describe it.
This place is more loft than book. Everytime I go here looking for a specific title or author I can't find it. Of course they will order for you but I generally just end up bowing down to the gods of online media at amazon.
On the other hand if you get your kicks from perusing yard sale type books you will love digging through the collectiton on the patio. It is fun to poke around the huge house if you are in the mood to browse, you will find most bestsellers, classics, and novelties. Each area has a different soundtrack playing which can be cool or annoying depending on the mood.
That said I did spend a lazy summer sunday reading a great kurt cobain bio in the east wing and no one hassled me.
Being the book nut that I am, I had to visit here today. I have not been to this shop in years so I had for gotten just how vast it is. I felt like I was going to get lost in it. It is such a maze. If I was any bigger in size I could not get around the place. I am a very large woman of 280 plus/minus lbs. Ha, Ha. Now I do have problems with my legs and use a walking stick. This place is not handicap accessible. Thus the 4 stars and not 5.
Sorry guys.
I can understand it being an old converted German Village house and shop. I have no problem with this, but others may. I am cool with it.
I just did not get to go down to the lower level today because I was having problems being I had just walked around the North Market for a good hour.
Today I just wanted to familarize myself with the shop. I did buy some small calenders for friends and a Celtic Romance CD.
The Book Loft is truly a destination shopping spot in Columbus. I love bringing out-of-town guests to German Village, and particularly to this bookstore. It's a charming, mazelike warehouse, brimming over with new (and slightly discounted) books.
Once you enter the Book Loft you'll realize why it's considered one of the largest independent book sellers in the country. 32 claustrophobic, confusingly organized rooms choked full of books, travel guides, magazines, music, calenders and every paper product you can imagine. It's the sort of place book lovers will get lost in for hours. And they give you a map for that exact reason.
The Book Loft recently hosted a book-signing of mine and it was very nicely done. The owners are extremely gracious and I look forward to working with them again.
The Book Loft has a ton of character and makes for a one-of-a-kind shopping experience in Columbus.
The Book Loft is a labyrinth of shelves and rooms and music. Yes, everything about the place is charming and eccentric. This is not a place to find a book. Determining what room and shelf a book might be classified in is an act of faith. Take the time and let the books find you.
Oh. My. Gee. You guys, words cannot describe the wonder I felt visiting this bookstore. Bookstore is really not appropriate, book experience is more valid because this place is a combination of a bookstore and a tree house. Seriously, it is as magical as visiting Hogwarts would be, because this place is a multi-tiered, MC Escher-esque fort of books. You have to climb ladders, descend stairwells, navigate hallways...it makes you feel like the booking you're looking for is locked in some kind of labyrinth, the cheese at the end of the maze. What's more is that the hardcover book I bought (The Collected Poems of Frederick Seidel) I got for %20 off. Seriously, there's nowhere else I have been quite like the Book Loft. If you come to Columbus, and you have even a passing interest in books, you must GO, GO, GO!
This is a place I don't mind getting lost in! I love the excitement of going in with no idea of what I'm going to find. I never go in with a list simply because I can always walk out with a stack of books! A must go if you have never been here! What a great place for the explorer!
This isn't necessarily the best place if you are looking for a particular book, but if you want to browse for a long time, and possibly find something you weren't expecting, this is the place. Part of the appeal is the labyrinthine layout, but there are also nice touches like the different music playing in each room, the odd assortment of bargain books laying about, and the general quirkiness. A fun place. The opposite of Barnes & Noble.
This is truly one of Columbus's best kept secrets. It looks like a tiny little cottage from the outside, but step inside and you will need the map they give you to navigate the 32 rooms packed full of books on everything you could ever dream of. They're open late which is nice, as this store is ideal for perusing. Most books are 5-10% off cover price. Also, check out the "mini" section by the register! There are dozens and dozens of miniature books and games that make great gifts.
I go to browse, to renew my confidence in intellectualism, and lose myself in its wonderful labyrinth for a while.
This place is totally unique to Columbus. The only other bookstore I've been to that was more interesting was Powell Books in Portland, OR. Basically The Book Loft is the smaller East Coast version of that place.
It's a great place to pass the time and awesome to hand out in at 11pm ont he weekends in order to see people stopping off to get books dressed up in weird outfits as their out for a night on the town.
Thirty minutes was all I could take in this hell hole. As a book lover and avid reader, I really wanted to like this place but, honestly, BLoGV made me want to run screaming to the vapid sterility and obsessive organization of Borders or B&N. Obviously I'm some kind of 33 year old dinosaur, but what others perceive as quaint and charming, I just saw as claustrophobic, chaotic and grubby. I thought the prices were pretty steep too. After half an hour of stumbling around in frustration and irritation, I called it a day. I too will continue my love affair with Half Price Books for the cheapies, http://amazon.com for the free shipping deals, and Borders/B&N for the "must have it now"s.
But 2 stars for the little kids having a FANTASTIC time reading with their parents. Cute as hell :)
Where I grew up in southeastern Connecticut we had a store very similar to the Book Loft: The Book Barn. So the idea of the Book Loft was not as novel to me as it might be to other Columbus transplants and other new discoverers of this mecca: on the other hand, I loved the Book Barn and I love the Book Loft.
Sure it's cramped, horribly organized and sort of a pain to navigate- but to some people, like me, that's half the fun. The organization of big-box booksellers is designed to find what you want and get the hell out of Dodge; a totally efficient experience. The Book Loft is undesigned to allow for a great degree of meditative browsing. You find yourself taking it slow, scanning titles, picking up books on subjects you never knew existed to care about and discovering old favorites you had totally forgotten.
The Book Loft is as much experience as it is destination. If you want to pick up a certain book and get going with it, avoid this place at all costs. If you want to kill an entire day reading, browsing, making up wish lists in your head and maybe buying something- then by all means cancel all plans and get to German Village. This place is a haven, a heaven and a hell of a time.
I'm not a big fan of bookstores; I find them either overwhelming or sparse and depressing. The Book Loft, however, won my heart immediately. Even the alley entrance is charming - especially with the decorative lights at night. Once inside, prepare to get lost for a while. It's so fun to discover new rooms. Even if the store isn't empty, you will often find yourself alone (except for the resident cat that might wander by - assuming the cat is still in residence). I always came with friends - I remember trying to track them down in the maze of rooms when I found a book I had to share. Such a great escape.
a fun spot.
use the arrows on the floor to avoid getting lost.
I really don't get the hype. Sure, it is a big book store in an old house that is easy to get lost in.....and?
The prices are generally on par or worse than Barnes and Noble or Borders, the selection is similar to those stores, and at B&N I don't need a map.
I guess some people think the ability to get lost and waste a bunch of time trying to find exactly what you are looking for is "charming" or "big city," but in my experience people in the big city have better things to do than deal with frustrating and misleading arrows and maps that lead to msrp prices.
In a city with a myriad of discount price bookstores secondary to college kids who've been forced to buy books they didn't want to read in the first place, I'll stick to bargain shopping at Halfpriced books. Better yet, I'll stay at home and pay $1 to get Kafka's complete works and the latest Vonnegut novel of http://half.com.
I haven't been here since 1996, so this review might be incorrect, but if this is the weird bookstore with all the little rooms, then it is one of my favorite bookstores in the Midwest. Cancel that. It is my favorite bookstore in the Midwest.
I loved spending time in here, and you will too, unless you're a troll. If you have children, please bring them here often. The memories of such a funky, fun bookstore will stick with them their entire lives and hopefully make them avid readers. (One of the reasons I love to read is that my dad took me to cool bookstores when I was a kid.)
I could (and often do) get lost - figuratively and literally - in here for hours! I almost always find something . . . that I wasn't even looking for. There's different music playing in each of the over 30 rooms and some of it is bothersome but some is nice. I try to make it a stop on every visit to C-Bus.
The New York Strand bookstore for the German Village section of Columbus!
AMAZING, HUGE, and DUSTY! My favorite kind.
The sheer volume of their inventory shocked me into a state of speed reading. I sped through dozens upon dozens of books until I finally gave in to my allergies and stepped outside.
After two or so hours, we hadn't even gotten to more than a couple of sections of the place. I really need to go back and pereuse the self-help section on "Mothers...Can't Live With 'Em...Can't Shoot 'Em."
JOKES, people, JOKES! Ha ha! Ha...(cough, cough...)
Have you read my reviews the include family in them? No jury would convict me.
There are so many reasons to fall in love with The Book Loft. Take your pick from the wonderfully quaint setting in Germany Village, the 32 different rooms of books, the stereotypical "book shop cats" that stroll freely throughout the store, or that every room comes with a different sound track.
I can't say a bad word about The Book Loft. Any topic that tickles your fancy you will most likely find somewhere on a shelf inside. Don't go expecting really rare finds though, that's really not their thing. Most books are also discounted, but not so much as say a Half Price Books.
On many occasions I've gotten completely lost inside the Book Loft, both lost in time and lost in space. That's really half the fun. You'll find a book that interests you, sit down to read a few pages, and the next thing you'll know you've spent 30 minutes in one of the tiny rooms. And not a single soul as walked by to disturb you.
The Book Loft deserves all the amazing reviews that you see here. But you don't have to take my word for it!
Strand? What's that? Columbus may not be New York City, but we've got our own (single) city block worth of books. So the Book Loft is fabulous--and horrible. Fabulous because it's thirty-two rooms of books, organized in a confusing, you'll-get-lost,-find-something-new,-and-love-it-a ll-the-while sortof way. Sure, there're maps available in most doorways, but I think they take away most of the fun; if you have the time to browse for hours down booklined halls, why not do it? The staff seems to encourage strolling and reading. One more praise: the shop keeps a few short-haired cats lazing on stacks of hardcovers. Cats and books: really, what more do you want?
The books are discounted, but not by that much; the Book Loft is certainly not a localized Half Price Books, and anyone who mistakes it as such will walk out with a significantly lighter wallet (with a few excellent books.)
Despite the hype, I did not like this store. It's disorienting, and yeah, I realize that's supposed to be "part of the fun" but it's very hard finding anything. And even though there are a bazillion books, the selection isn't that good. It just feels like too many books have been sitting that that place for too long. A great place to waste time but not if you're looking for that one book you must have. exhausting and confusing.
There sure are a lot of reviews for the Book Loft on Yelp. I have a hunch that most of the romance surrounding the store is that it is a big ol' block-sized, multi-floor, 32-room maze of a building filled with books. It's the kind of place you could get lost. You might even want to get lost. Other than that, it's just a book store. So that's it. The mystery is solved. We can all go home and shop on Amazon now.
Oh wait. I'm still in the store...because it's awesome.
I try to deny it, but I'm hooked. There is just something about losing yourself in the maze of rooms. It's claustrophobic, sure. So much so that my wife doesn't even like to go in, and she loves book stores almost as much as me.
It's unlikely there would be a title you couldn't find here. Anything is possible. Well, they probably stock it -- if you can actually locate it in the store. Their magazine selection leaves a bit to be desired. is that my only real complaint? I think I'll be heading back soon.
Bigger is not better.
Yep, I'll say it.. I'm not in love with this bookstore.
With a large inventory I had thought that when I moved closer to downtown I would go here very often, however it the inventory in general seems very picked over and not very interesting.
Whenever I stop in, I look at the art, architecture and design books, and every time i see the same Taschen editions and dusty leftovers. The same problem seems to plague the other sections of the store I visit as well.
The mazelike layout, though somewhat charming makes finding anything a chore. This is a real problem considering how much chaff there is here.
As much as I want to like this place I can't.. from me, a very begrudging 2 stars...
If this isn't your speed, I can understand. Barnes & Noble is thatta way. Don't come here in a hurry. Linger. Explore. There are some great deals to be found, especially on art books. I particularly love how different rooms have different music playing. The staff is very helpful--a nice gentleman even gave me an umbrella when it began raining.
I like the idea of The Book Loft. I like following the sort-of helpful arrows that point you all over the place inside of it. I like just being surrounded by that many books.
That said, I'd never shop there. Even with the maps they provide, I could never find the section I was looking for. It's a little claustrophobia-inducing in places, and while they obviously have a large selection, I don't think it's any better than what you'd find at Barnes and Noble or Waldenbooks. I'd rather go to one of those places and be able to easily find what I'm looking for than stumble around The Book Loft for hours, lost and confused.
I understand the charm of The Book Loft, and maybe if it had a rarer selection and it was easier to navigate I'd enjoy it more. As it is, I just left feeling disappointed and glad to be back in the wide open air again.
One of the greatest place to get lost for an afternoon. I love this place! It's definitely not B&N, but it doesn't try to be. Shopping at the Book Loft is an adventure. You never know what you are going to find in the next room or hallway. The location is wonderful in German Village. It's a great place to kill some time and pick up some books you forgot you were looking for.
Not a good bookstore for kids. Sure, they have a good selection of kids books but it is just too crowded.
That said, it's a great bookstore for times when you can ditch the kids and browse the stacks.
Even after shopping here for years, I can't tell you if the staff knows anything about books. I've had exactly one conversation... However, that's what I want when I go to the Book Loft: peace and quiet and time with books.
The Book Loft is a Columbus institution that people are eager to share with out-of-towners. If you are a child, someone will take you to COSI or the Columbus Zoo. If you are an adult, there's a decent chance someone will take you to the Book Loft. Heck, even I've taken people here for lack of ideas on what else to do with them.
That being said: the Book Loft is a maze-like and slightly claustrophobia-inducing bookstore with a wide selection of slightly out-of-the-ordinary books. It is not, however, easy to find things in, easy to navigate, or in possession of used or rare books that would make it appreciably better than, say, a Barnes and Noble.
If you like "exploring" or "getting lost" in a bookstore, you'll love the Book Loft. If not, skip it and go to the movies or something instead and shop on http://Amazon.com later.
Get lost! (in a wonderful maze of books!)
THE UP-SIDE: Crazy-fun layout with 32 rooms of books. Best way to see it all is to just keep meandering from room to room. You'll get lost, but it's well worth it. Much fun and tons of great books.
THE DOWN-SIDE: It's a little cramped, but that's part of the charm.
THE SUM-IT-UP: Everybody should visit the Book Loft at least once; especially book lovers. Guaranteed fun and a great selection of books, posters, CD's, and more!
Like a miniature Powells City of Books (Portland), Das Book Loft is 32 tightly packed rooms of books, most of which have their own soundtrack playing. Don't come here if you know what book you want and just wish to be in and out with ease and speed. Go to B&N instead. This is a place to spend some free time deciding which read will be your next as you explore it's two floors of narrow passages and endless rooms. Don't bother with the map, it's more fun without!
I love this bookstore. I've gone there since I was little (still have this gorgeous edition of Peter Pan I got there when I was younger), so whoever said it's not a place to take kids is sorely mistaken. It was always an adventure, going to the Book Loft, and still is. I can get lost in there (with a good book) for hours. Definitely not the place to go if you want to run in and grab a specific book.
This bookstore is one of the best I've ever been to - throughout the U.S. The selection is huge - 32 rooms! It's located in a cool neighborhood (Victorian Style Homes, Iron Gates, Brick Roads - you get the idea). It's a great place to wander around in if you have the hours to kill.
Good local bookstores are hard to find and this one is a gem.
Das Book Loft is the best book store around. 9000 rooms of books! How can you top that. If you have something specific you are looking for it is usually easy to just walk in and ask the person who says HI where to find what you want. They'll just tell you a room number and point you in the right direction (quite literally). The same conversation at a barnes and nobles takes 5 times the amount of time and energy. Plus I feel better giving my business to family owned gem and German Village landmark
IQ's brain will probably seize up like a rusty pump when I bring him in here on some future trip back to the Old Country. He loves a bookstore, and Book Loft is the best bookstore within 500 miles, in my opinion. As T-Bone says, I would happily get lost in here.
Neighborhood: Grandview Heights
Category: Bookstores
Neighborhood: University District
Category: Music & DVD's
Neighborhood: German Village
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