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5 stars to any retailer that pushes VHS videos. I went in here, took me a couple of minutes to find what I was looking for but I found it and it was priced $8 below suggested retail. The book was not heavily used and will keep me company for at least 2 plane rides. This place is a steal and would be perfect if I still owned a VHS player.
I had a specific book I was looking for, next time I will wander a bit more.
Contrary, it seems, to everybody else's experience here, this is the first bookstore that's seriously convinced me to start buying used books from Amazon. While admittedly they have an impressive collection of books and records, it is heavily circumvented by the sheer alienation one experiences while shopping here. A very minimal amount of the staff are genuinely willing to go out of there way to help one search through the absolute maze that is this store. While most of the newer books have a decent (not extraordinary) price, many of the older books that can be bought in the store are blatantly marked up from the number of cents they would be on Amazon to a number of dollars, leaving any concerned collector disappointed.
The manager, as does seem to be unanimous, is the truly fatal flaw in this store's design. The communalism and willingness to share knowledge with other people as an end within itself are completely lost on this man, who gets genuinely hostile with you if you perform any action besides blindly pick up a dozen books and leave as quickly as you came in. I personally witnessed one occasion where a man who was selling a box of paperbacks was answered with a shrill, "Did you find all of this in the garbage? Because this is NOTHING but garbage." The sheer feeling of unwelcoming emitted by this man is staggering, and the absolute non-prices he gives to sellers is near criminal.
Final verdict: Try Renaissance Books down the street off of Plankington for an equally good selection and an actually helpful staff, or seriously just consider Amazon. This place is a serious disappointment.
Really awesome book store in the heart of downtown MKE. Prices are cheap and you truly never know what you'll find here. It's not nearly the size of Powell books in Portland, but it's got a lot more charm. I always went in "just looking" and left with a handful of books.
The staff is very friendly and willing to help you track down whatever you're looking for. The store is well organized and it is a fun, albeit dorky, way to spend a rainy day.
Note: I would not recommend selling your books to them. I walked in with 8 books and the owner offered me $2.00 for the bunch. I donated 7 of them to him, but kept 1 that I thought was worth more money. Sure enough, I sold that one book alone on Amazon Marketplace for $10.00! I don't think the owner was trying to completely screw me, but I don't think he was giving me a fair value either. Therefore, I knocked down 1 star.
I want to give this place big ups though for staying open late on weeknights and weekends when every other retailer in downtown Milwaukee closes at 7pm.
I stumbled into this place one day, and was completely floored by what I found inside. You would never expect the three floors of surprisingly organized (with signs and everything) books and other media. I have yet to actually explore all of this store as I would like to, but this is now my go-to destination (within walking distance of my apartment!) for gifts as well as for my casual reading materials.
If you are looking for a book on a hard-to-find topic, then this is your place. Better than the internet because no shipping fees, and you know what you're getting because you can hold it in your hands. Oustanding low prices as well.
I am far from a book geek, but jeez. Even I get lost in this store for 2 hours at a time. I love it. The have just a crazy amount of books. So why not 5 stars? It seems like some of the books are not in the right sections. At least when I go there looking for something specific. Anyway, not a big deal since the staff has always been helpful Prices are cheap. Wonderful place.
Just went to Milwaukee this weekend, and I still can't believe I ended up finding a bookstore that TOPS Myopic Books in Chicago. Not to mention my delight in deciding to take the chance to go here(after driving by and noticing this place), and discovering it was so much more than it appears to be from the outside!
Michael summed up most good points I would've otherwise went ahead and said, but if you're familiar with Chicago bookstores, this one is like putting Shake, Rattle and Read(with its excellent selection of older magazines), the 3(or 31/2, depending on who you ask) stories of Myopic, and the CD and DVD selection of Chicago indie music stores just below the tier of Reckless Records all into a blender. But if you don't want to imagine that blender description, just picture much more hidden shelves and rooms than Myopic, no coffee served, no store cat at all, AND better discounts on used books(think over 50%, as 66-75% off isn't uncommon for used books here). And that they ACTUALLY have a selection of comic books and older magazines, 2 things Myopic doesn't have at all! Plus a room devoted to photography books doesn't hurt, either.
My regret is not spending more time in this store, since I only had about (sadly) just 30-40 minutes to explore the store. I'm sure I definitely would've spent some money here, had I had more time to explore its incredible selection. If you're a current student at Marquette University, and/or spending a night or 2 at a hotel or motel in downtown Milwaukee, there is just about no excuse in the world not to go here at least once. Period.
This place is reason enough to make Milwaukee a destination. A three floor labyrinth for book nuts to get lost in. If you love books... you need to go here. You will not find another place like this. It is a gem, a throwback, like something out of a 60's mystery movie. We have been going here regularly for at least 5 years.
When you walk in, it smells like books. My wife argues that it could be mildew, but I disagree.
At first look it seems impossible, but it IS organized and the help is always friendly and will point you in the right direction. In fact, the help is entertaining if not a bit well, curious.
The stock does get rotated and currently, some additional space has been added and the sections are being re-organized.
The building would never fly in Chicago. Homemade racks leaning this way or that, doorways hacked through walls with a sawzall, uneven floors, rooms on top of rooms, high ceilings, it just feels like a madhouse!! A friendly madhouse! Inside this building, it is still 1975.
Prices are more than reasonable on most books and really cheap on the rest. Many old and out of print books as well as current stuff. History, philosphy, science, fishing, camping, travel guides, art, cooking, fiction and animal husbandry... it is all here. Check out the collection of National Geographic back to the early 1900's. You can buy the one from your birth week ( even if you are 90!) for a couple of bucks.
They will buy your old books and music collections as well, just don't expect to get rich on the deal.
If you read as much as we do, it's fun to gather up the ones we've read, bring them in for a credit, and leave with another new batch for the next trip. Think of it as recycling with a purpose. I can't stomach giving old books to the trash man - even if they claim to "recycle" them.
A whole room is dedicated to music - records (yes the real thing), tapes, cd's, 8-tracks, sheet music... too much. It is like a research room at a library or the National Archives. There is also a good selection of vhs tapes near the counter - if you missed Mrs. Doubtfire or the orginal Batman movie, now is your chance to own it for pennies.
Another whole room dedicated to comic books. If you are a collector, this place is a must see - but you may need to book a room across the street at the Pfister. You could be here for days. Part of this comic book area holds a collection of old magazines as well which are worth browsing and are pretty entertaining.
If you like to pay twenty bucks for a cd or eighteen bucks for the latest paperback and sit with your latte and listen to some boob play his guitar, go to your neighborhood Borders. If you love books and browsing - go to Downtown Books in Milwaukee. It is an adventure. Give yourself some time - couple of hours at least if you are a bookie like me.
You never know what you will find. Maybe that book you read in high school - or the one you read the Cliff Notes on.
Nuff said.
I've been to Downtown Books a lot over the years I've lived in Milwaukee. Most of the time it's interesting enough to browse around. Every once and a while you find a gem among the stacks, sometimes even in the records. However the staff has always come across as crabby, unhelpful, and/or outright rude. Such attitudes have discouraged me from going back more and more often.
Additionally, there have been more than a few times now I have come across items that are not priced. No problem you say. I'll just ask the manager about it. Well it seems that no one, including the manager, has any clue about such day-to-day simplicities like pricing. I have each and every time been referred to the owners judgment, having to leave my name and phone number with the item at the front counter. In each and every case I have never received any response to my interest. When I have gone back to inquire, the item has always been gone (sold or put on their ebay store I suspect).
I say BOO to Downtown Books. There are many other outlets to get the same or better items (at the same or better price) with much more helpful, friendly, and informative customer service. Downtown Books, no longer will I mine your stacks for you!
As a postscript... If you ever try to trade some books/music for credit at Downtown Books (the don't buy for cash) watch how judiciously they inspect and value your items. Absolutely no rhyme or reason. You'd be better off giving your stuff away to the bums that hang out outside. At least you might feel you got a fair trade for some good karma!
This place is cool
The building alone is worth a look.
Three floors of used books.
Go...
Definitely my favorite bookstore. The selection is incredible.
It's all very well organized. The books are uniformly in good condition.
They're cheaper and have a more comprehensive selection than, say, Myopic Books in Chicago, although Myopic Books has a separate essay section, which would be nice if I wanted to spend $12 on a book I could get here for about half the price.
It's clean. It's not dusty or moldy or foul-smelling. The staff is helpful but unobtrusive.
It's the perfect atmosphere for browsing.
They also have a pretty decent record selection, though the organization of such varies...
I'm always finding exciting things. And over time, I seem to find just about any book I might like to find.
This is where used books go to die. This is the heaven for paperbacks and hardcovers of everyone and everything. Three stories of alphabet goodness. Have yet to walk out of here without spending twenty bucks on four or five books. Go here to seek your book well before Barnes and Noble, or even Amazon. hell, go here just to explore...
This place is expansive...don't get lost! Or scared. Rumor has it the upstairs is haunted!
More books than you'll find anywhere it seems...if you're a book nerd definetly get down here!
This is the first used book store I've been to that didn't smell like cat piss. If that isn't reason enough to visit, then keep reading.
Whoever is in charge of this place is one sick bookworm. It's friggin' huge, with books and records and comics and who-knows-what piled high, in every direction, on at least 3 floors of this big building. It's pretty well organized. Well, no, it's pretty well grouped, but that's good enough.
This is a good used bookstore. Located downtown, it is open many hours and weekends. Frequently I pass it and see that it is the only retail store of any kind open on Wisconsin Avenue east of the river. I have bought some reference books here that I needed at a fair price. The organization of all the material is decent considering the amount of material they have. There is a nice dog that runs around in the store.
My favorite used bookstore. It has a great, growing selection and, unlike its main downtown competitor, Renaissance Books, it's clean, well organized and easy to browse in. Friendly, non-pretentious owner and staff. You could spend days in this place.
This place is a book lover's dream (and a nightmare to his/her wallet!). Prices aren't bad and the selection is awesome. The staff is nice and helpful. I would give it five stars except...My bf and I went one Saturday for a books 'n records spree. (We do that more than we should.) We were browsing through records and found two great ones. When we went to check out we realized the records weren't priced. The guy working (I think he's the owner) looked up the records online and refused to sell them to us because they were each valued at about 30 dollars. He wanted to hang on to them. Well, we were disappointed, but wouldn't have minded, if he hadn't treated us like criminals! He was very rude and accused us of getting those records from behind the counter. We told him we found them upstairs in the record room, and you could tell he didn't believe us. He even asked "Are you sure you found them there?". We were buying $100 worth of merchandise! Not exactly a way to treat paying regular customers. I was very shocked because this man has always been nice before. I am a little hyper sensitive but the situation weirded the bf out too. I don't know, I still love the store, but that experience bothered me. I haven't been back since, but I know I won't be able to resist. There just isn't a better place to get a book fix in Milwaukee!
If you like to browse, this is the place for you. You never know exactly what you're going to find here and everything is dirt cheap. I really find it hard to set a budget when I go there because I always find tons of things that I want. There is a great selection of records (I found some stellar jazz recordings) and books for any taste. I can't seem to find the business hours on the internet and I don't know they off the top of my head. I'll post them as soon as I figure it out.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Category: Newspapers & Magazines
Milwaukee, WI
Category: Restaurants
Milwaukee, WI
Category: Greek
Milwaukee, WI
Category: French
