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Categories: Comic Books, Bookstores
Neighborhood: Wicker ParkDamen (Blue)
Mon-Thu. 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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I like Quimby's.
Pros:
-Photobooth!
-awesome collection of zines
-a good selection of magazines
Cons:
-Not a very huge selection of material
-The staff is never cheery or mean. They're just... there.
I was pretty impressed by Quimby's. There is a great selection of magazines, especially ones dealing with political issues (think "In These Times," "The Nation," etc) and they have a lot of locally published works. Its nice to see a business that supports the local artists, and this is the best place to find zines and the like from the neighborhood.
The staff are very friendly, and the place is easy to get around and well kept. The only warning that needs to be given is that there are tons of erotica and pornographic materials in the place, and it might not be the place to bring your toddler for a wander. If you're in the market for some S&M literature, though, you'd definitely dig this place.
I'd heard about Quimby's for years, as there were always ads in "Factsheet Five" and other such sheets. When I moved to Chicago, I was glad to find the legendary reputation was justified - Quimby's is one of the finest bookstores for people like me I've ever encountered. I try not to go very often, 'cause it's a lead pipe cinch that I'll spend monies I shouldn't.
Their bargain rack is more interesting than most chain stores in their entirety. They've always got a selection of books that I've never heard of, but am interested in the moment I look at them. Of course, they also have a wide selection of zines and magazines, as well as comics and graphic novels of the more indie variety.The video sections are worth checking out, full of obscurities and the kinds of things that are hard to find even WITH the Internet (you kids today don't know how easy you have it...). The employees are friendly and knowledgeable, and I've never not liked the music playing when I walk in. So go already!
I just discovered my new favorite bookstore! Quimby's takes the better elements of good bookstores and combines them into one unique shopping experience. Plenty of titles you can't find anywhere else, which makes for a wide assortment of gift ideas for people who might otherwise be hard to shop for. Browsing the magazines, comics, art books, and fiction is a great way to pass the time and to discover gems that you never knew existed.
I've been boring lately. This is a statement of fact because I've been lacking inspiration.
I have become a slave to my boring, boring weekday routine for way too long and when I felt the need to bust loose and get some creative inspiration I turned to the one place that always cheers me up. That's right it's Quimby's Books!
It's the best bookstore in the city because of their wide variety of 'zines and fantastic author readings. Last night, my mission of inspiration was Joe Meno. He read from his newest book, "The Great Beyond." He was engaging, funny and real - all the things I like in an author. Plus, he had Charles Kim play music to emphasize the main points of what he read, which gave the piece a whole new dimension, and gave me some creative ideas on how to make my readings more engaging as well.
Thank you Quimby's Bookstore for always giving me that boost of creative inspiration, especially when I want to lie down and claim defeat. You're always there to remind me of my creative roots and you show me why I should never give up on the passion that keeps burning inside of me to follow my writing dreams.
As an aspiring cartoonist, this is definitely on the top of my list.
They host really great book signings.
They have an amazing selection of mini comics, zines, and interesting/original books.
I love Quimby's for carrying my favorite mini comic: Phase 7 by Alec Longstreth.
I love Quimby's for being the best store ever.
I'd like to thank every person who has recommended that I stop by Quimby's. You were all right, Quimby's is awesome!
A plethora of independently published zines, comics, books and other ephemera as well as sometimes hard to find magazines (niche interests: art, being a chick, marxism, etc.), exhibition catalogs, etc.
Be sure to browse, there are lots of delightful discoveries to be made! And, unlike some indie shops...the clerks don't watch over you like vultures circling carrion, so you can browse long and peacefully.
Quimby's is the best underground comic shop I've ever visited. They don't have monthly single issues of mainstream comics, which is good in my opinion, as I haven't bought single issues since I was a kid. They do have a good selection of "good" mainstream graphic novels (your taste may vary, but they were pretty spot on for me).
Quimby's biggest draw is obviously its gigantic selection of underground comics, books, magazines and 'zines. I could have spent hours browsing (I'm now questioning why I didn't) and still barely scratch the surface.
In some book I read a while ago, the author suggested that to keep the mind nimble, you should visit a bookstore once a month and buy several magazines you have never read before. No better place to do that than Quimby's. It's the only place I know to find "Found" magazine (one of my favs). But I always find many other books and mags to stretch (and maybe even offend) my sensibilities. I always find at least one good selection one the front table (usually more), and even though I am not an aficionado of underground comics and such, I have found several here that appealed to me: on a recent visit I was pleased to find a hardbound collection of "Herbie" comics from the 1960s. I suspect that Quimby's is not well known as a place to endulge in nostalgia, but this volume brought back many many memories of a misspent adolescence.
Go to Quimby's only if you have an hour or two of browsing time ahead of you.
Quimby's Bookstore is like that girl in your freshman creative writing class who has old glasses and wears weird bedazzled sweaters and is a little cross-eyed and takes notes on her forearm: every time you see her you want to wrap her in your arms and propose marriage.
Not to be a commodity fetishist, but if you can't find something you want to buy at Quimby's, you're probably a d-bag.
The best bookstore ever. I always come here when I am in the Chi. You can always find some weird comic, toy or sexy book to purchase.
I had an hour to kill in between appointments and dinner when I was in the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood (or should we say West Lincoln Park?),and I have been meaning to stop in for quite some time.
Quimby's is the sister store of Chicago Comics in Lakeview on Clark - a fact that I know from my splurges at CC - if I buy more than just a comic the bigger bags have the Quimby's logo on it. The differences in the 2 stores may be a reflection of the different neighborhoods. I was expecting a Chicago Comics clone, but is a store all in it's own style. There are tons of books with a smattering of comics (the opposite of CC).
I learned that is my go-to store for the following:
*the evolution of Punk music in hardback books.
*UFO and extra terrestrial books and magazines. You know, for when your bum is feeling sore for no reason in the middle of the night.
*Goth coloring books. Old school Elvira style, not modern day emo hipster.
*Indie publications.
*Robot Porn in comic book form. HOT!
*"Reading is Sexy" bumper sticker. Which I would have totally bought if I had a bumper to put it on. Other than my own bum that is.
*Matches. By the front door. You know, since smoking indoors is now outlawed in Chicago so you need to get your match fix from a bookstore of all places. Wait, I just realized the irony of this - to have a good old fashioned book banning and burning?
*Small selection of comics, but they do have an extensive selection of Neil Gaiman, who I have been meaning to check out for quite some time.
*Oh, and there are Buffy comics in the bound collections. They even had "Tales of the Slayers." YAY!
These guys are great! I dig their selection and definitely dig their dedication to selling self-published comics and zines. They have great events here (Harry Potter erotica? Yes plz!) great toys and a really great atmosphere. Recommended!
As long as there are still independent bookstores like Quimby's existing, the world's not as bad as it often appears. Where else can you clandestinely peruse a morbid but fascinating book on serial killers? Embalming? Pornographic cartoons? King Velveeda (AWESOME talent!!) comics!
I don't get here nearly enough, but have been here quite a few times over the years.
Ahhh, the fabled and storied Quimby's...beware fans of the self-published printed words, for you will be smashing piggy banks, turning over sofa cushions, and forgoing that square meal just to manage this month's selection of "Groovy Basement Ranting"#3 and "It's Like A Blog With Staples" #11. I jaw-dropping wonderland of pulp, with all the local suspects ("Roctober" stands out), as well as zines, magazines, comics, chapbooks, folios, and all manner of print from the angry teen to the accomplished elder. These days the word "institution" is tossed around as a marketing tool, but for those inclined to pass through the front doors...to call it a mecca for this branch of publishing wouldn't be overblown at all. And you know what? They...have...a..photobooth.
If you have visitors in town, no trip is complete without a stop at Quimby's. I love bookstores, especially weird bookstores, and that is definitely Quimby's. Sure, you could probably see something really cool there and then try and find it online for a couple dollars cheaper, but why not spend your hard earned cash at a Chicago landmark? We need places like Quimby's to stay open when there are a glut of Borders and Barnes and Nobles everywhere. I'm getting a hankering for some bizarre magazines right now...
Even though this place is quite small, I could spend hours upon hours looking at the selection of books, local zines, magazines etc. I was especially impressed by their selection of political books, vegan cookbooks, finger puppets and other kitschy wonders.
I almost bought a book on anti-consumerism but was struck with the thought that buying the book would actually be a form of consumption and ended up spending 55 cents on a rubber finger puppet with it's brain exposed. Later on, I bought a pair of shoes--the notion of not consuming sounds so civilized but I don't know that I'm the best candidate for the anti-consumerism movement.
I'm like a goddamn kid in a candy store in this place...
I don't know where to look first. Easily 3 hours spent.
Check this place out.
Chicago's best indy bookstore, hands down. I challenge you to find a better selection of zines anywhere in Chicago. I'd go on, but pretty much everything has already been said about this fine bookstore.
Fine. I might as well get around to writing about my #1, A+, top notch, most favorite, hyperbole-laced-superlative-bound retail locale in the Chicago area. I've been saving this one up for when I'm amply caffeinated and aptly sleep-deprived.
Q: So, uh, I think I'm being followed by aliens and I woke up with a hurt ass. Do you know a place in the city that might have a decent selection on extraterrestrial probes and UFO's?
A: Quimby's. They have an entire shelf dedicated to just that!
Q: I feel bad taking Jack Chick comics from those cross-eyed nutjobs on Michigan Ave. Where can I actually pay for them with a conscience?
A: I know Quimby's sells them for pretty cheap.
Q: I'm looking for this old back issue of Tape-Op magazine where they interview Steve Albini and to the simple question of "What do you think of microphones?" he rattles off a 20,000 word analysis of the nuance of mic recording, with model numbers and source distance and his hatred of the word "warm."
A: Check Quimby's. They might have that issue still in stock.
Q: I've got this fetish.
A: I'm not Dan Savage.
Q: Do you know if a magazine exists for guys who like horny hermaphrodite housewives with dental appliances that pleasure themselves with ambulatory devices stolen from disabled children? I'm looking for a pictoral that involves a walker and a treadmill. You know, the clever irony that transcends it from smut to literary.
A: Try... Quimby's?
This zine/comic/book store specializes in underground print matter ranging from intellectual pop commentary to quirky transgressive vomit on newsprint. No matter what voice, it's well represented here. Brimming with curious odds and ends, it fills a niche where the high meets the low brow, and still feels like an outsider.
The idiosyncratic inventory can't be matched anywhere in the city, which makes for perfectly dysfunctional gift shopping. Get an issue of 'High Times' for Dad and wrap it with three winks and a nudge. Perhaps Mom would love old anthologies of Cerebus? Maybe not. But we know your little sister wants that Hello Kitty vibrator!
For you comic nerds, it's an old Chris Ware (ACME Novelty Library) haunt, back when he used to live in the neighborhood--before success and general wisdom drove him to the pastures of Frank Lloyd Wright Wonderland. Much of the decor is designed and manufactured by him, and the store even displays his miniature models, all cut-out and assembled. Do feel sorry for the clerks, who sometimes double as fanboy jizz-moppers.
Also note that cellphones are not tolerated within the premises, and the clerks relish in great glee to kick patrons out for yakking away on them. Don't take it personally, and realize that the staff is compromised of some of the most knowledgeable miscreants around.
Really, I dare you to walk into this store and not have your curiosity piqued. There's just too much to even fathom.
great selection of unusual and interesting books, zines, magazines, and comics. -1 star for the rather bad smell inside the shop. kinda like bad B.O.
one can spend quite some time in the rather small shop looking through all the stuff they've got. i picked up some interesting magazines and spotted some interesting independent books as well
So, a few months ago I was on my way to Quimby's when I ran into a mentally damaged sort-of friend of mine on the street. He's a real nice guy who shops where I work (although he clearly can't afford it - until recently he was unemployed and semi-homeless) and always wants to talk to me for like a half an hour. He has an unabashed crush on me, even though I've explained that I'm married. But he's really nice, and is obviously a crazy person (albeit high functioning), so I'm happy to talk to him in well-lit public places.
I was going to Quimby's to buy a birthday present, and my friend decided to come along. He'd never been to Quimby's before - he'd never heard of it. When he walked in and saw what kind of books were on display, he was astonished. He'd never heard of a graphic novel. He didn't know there were comic books that didn't involve superheroes. He didn't know that anyone could make a comic - the zine section blew him away. I showed him around and encouraged him to browse while I picked out my present. He did not care about the snooty cashier. He wasn't looking at the books thinking about pretentious hipsters or the store's political tone. He was just amazed to find such a haven of creativity. When we left and I said goodbye to him, he still looked starry-eyed.
My friend is unlikely to become a Quimby's shopper. He doesn't have the money, and doesn't really have the context, either. But he liked knowing that Quimby's was there.
I saw him again a couple of weeks ago. He has a job out west, and is doing better. He held up my line for like a half an hour, and before he left he said, "You remember that time we went to that store?"
I said, "You mean Quimby's? Yes."
"Yeah," he said, "That was cool."
Yes, crazy friend, it certainly was.
Excellent selection of reading material and knick-knacks (bacon flavored mints?! Sounds hilarious, I know - but do not try them).
A little snooty/unfriendly the times I've been there.
I, too, appreciate the cell phone rule (having worked retail and hospitality, I find them incredibly rude), however when I QUIETLY phoned a friend to find the name of another friend's zine, I was shushed in an equally as rude manner. That didn't make me feel very nice. *pout*
I've been going to Quimby's for ages but I should stop because it's got so much good stuff that I always end up having to thin out my stack of books/magazines/oddities by 50% before I approach the counter.
Want band aids that look like bacon strips?
Hanukkah stickers? A zine dedicated to almost every taste or fetish?
Old school zines that you often can't even buy in mail order any more?
Plus it's got the same owners I think as Chicago Comics, so a great selection of indie comics of the Chris Ware/Dan Clowes/Ariel Schrag/ Dan Brown variety. Plus the store front was designed by Chris Ware! Yay.
Recently I was shopping for a book on Goth Beauties who knit, have crazy tattoos, worship Ra and produce their own horror movies with 100s of cute kitties and bunnies and puppies. And sure enough, there the title was...although broken up into 6 titles in 6 different sections of the store.
I came here for a friend's book reading. I had purposely avoided the store as I know what places like Quimby's do to me...I start shaking, perusing every book in the shop (especially the huge and wonderful selection of Indie and mostly 'genre-free' -- read, superhero-free -- comics) and am soon separated from my filthy lucre. Alas, I couldn't say no to my friend and showed up, wallet in tow, for his reading. I should have known better. When the reading was over and it was time to go home, my bag was much heavier and my wallet appreciably lighter.
I have a mortgage to pay, I just can't do that.
If you are interested in US and international subcultures, as captured in the written word or in photographs, Quimby's is a great place to get your feet wet or take a deeper dive into your area of interest. If you aren't interested, and you just want to understand what people who aren't like you are fascinated by, Quimby's is a place to get your 'freak' on...and even a bit of the freak on if you like comics about dirty dirty bored housewives. There's a COMIXXX section for you, too. For fans of the illustrated and not-so-illustrated word, there's lots of hard-to-find zines, mini-comics, boutique press editions and limited editions here too.
Quimby's is paradise for geeks and the people who love them. Yes it is.
QUIMBY'S IS THE AWESOME.
God, the selection! all the random books you didn't know had been published! fun magazines like Found! lots and lots of Drawn & Quarterly! fun gifts like bacon band-aids! it's so much better than Chicago Comix.
and they have great readings.
and I love it.
and that is all.
OH MY GOD.
DO NOT BRING YOUR REPUBLICAN, STRAIGHT LACED, PRUDISH FRIENDS HERE.
Now that I've told you that, I love this place. Quimby's has a varied and extensive collection of alternative, independent magazines and books. You can get a photo book on Japanese sex hotels, check out the latest Butt magazine, http://www.buttmagazin... manga, drug mags, transgender/gay/bi wedding mags, hentai, political mags, macabre mags, and lots of magazines that look like they were printed and stapled together at your local copy store. That is what makes this place special and I could spend hours here just perusing the shelves.
As for what I bought? I bought one of the least conspicious magazines I could take on the plane ride home, Bitch. http://www.bitchmagazi...
If Quimby's doesn't have it, you don't need it.
No, I take that back, you might need it, but it's probably boring.
This little store is definitely a piece of my Chicago heart. It's always a good time, and it's the only bookstore I know of with a photobooth AND a jackalope. Or, either, really.
I love this place and always will.
whenever i need to get my independent
read on, this is the place.
some of my more conventional friends
get bored in this place, so
if you're looking for a barnes and noble, this
is not for you.
but if you like art, erotica, music, and whatnot,
stop by.
Brett's prerequisites for a non-food related five star review on Yelp are as follows:
1. Have the Rockin' Bones box set, the greatest discovery of Brett's music appreciating life, playing over the store PA when he walks in.
2. Have an entire section of your shop devoted specifically to DC's Vertigo comic line, Alan Moore titles, and books by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.
3. Sell good comic books, including but not limited to; anything published by Vertigo, underground and independent comics that are difficult to find, works by prolific artist/writers such as E. Gorey and R. Crumb, and sex comix on the sales floor, not hidden away under lock and key behind the register.
4. Have an entire section of your store devoted specifically to the sale and display of books on carnival freaks, traveling magicians, musicians, artists, photographers, or tattooed beauties.
5. Have a fucking photobooth.
People, I can't express to you how seriously awesome this is, but Quimby's Bookstore, it has ALL of these things. So by that rationale, it actually gets, like, 25 STARS!
I didn't actually leave you know. Somewhere in my head, it's Quimby's all the time.
I trailed a very attractive man into this store. As I pretended to look around while gazing at this man out of the corner of my eye, it dawned on me...this is a pretty cool place I could probably spend a good hour browsing around in for real. At least they have attractive clientele. I decided I would come back when I was less distracted.
------------
well I've been back since and I purchased three books: "Banksy: Wall and Piece, "What your Poo is Telling You", and "Homemade Tattoos Rule". I spent a pretty penny.
Among my favored bookstores in the city. The selection is terrific, and I find I can never leave without picking up something or other.
I spent the past year catching up on all the leisure reading I didn't have time for while in college. This primarily included comics and various sci-fi staples. Once I started moving beyond the Big Two comic publishers, I found Quimby's had an expansive selection for me to peruse and find many a treasure. The DC Vertigo line has also helped me finish some essential reading in the literature of Moore and Morrison.
The table with their newest offerings also makes a fun trip. I've found many delightful purchases I'm not sure I would have found quite so readily by myself just by perusing the store (a book of Kara Walker's art and critical essays concerning her career, African Psycho, Notable American Women, and other such lovelies). It is also quite frequently updated.
The novelty books are also a fantastic find. In fact, I've found Quimby's to be a wonderful place to look for a gift that you probably wouldn't find anywhere else just browsing in person.
The zine and magazine selection is also quite extensive, though I frequent these less often. Whenever I have gone to look I have found something to suit my interests, however.
The staff can be somewhat aloof, but as I've become more a regular I have found that I can often have conversations on whatever items I may have just purchased, or just generally have a conversation concerning some topic or other. I've also seen them put up with some rather rude customers (unprovoked), so I can probably somewhat see why some level of aloofness is required.
My favorite bookstore in all of Chicago. Fantastic selections of self published artists and writers. Subversive as hell. Great posters. Bizarre subjects. Hours of fun for any dysfunctional family, except the maybe the Republican kind.
If you are looking for an alternative viewpoint, an obscure book on the notes 5th graders pass to each other, lots of sex comix, or just things to occupy your eyes and mind at the same time, this is the book store for you.
This place is awesome to go if yr looking for quirky books or presents when Borders cant fill the order. I got my boyfriend's Vday gift from this place. We are both really into music && they have a great selection of Lester Bangs stuff here. yes...exciting!
the staff is typical JEsus cHRiStiKeRs-what-do-you-NEED-LEAve-me-ALONEish. but hell, yr in Wicker Park. What do you expect?
Man. Been shopping at this place for almost a decade. It's still my preferred underground bookstore, even if the number of actual books has dipped in favor of comics over the last few years. No matter. Things have improved in other ways. Like, way back in 2001 or thereabouts, I recall they had an employee, this bespectacled and chubby character, who pretended to be a poet of some kind and treated the customers like shit.
Thankfully, the kids working there now just seem like typical Wicker Park store clerks - you know, bored art students. But I can handle bored art types. They ring up your goods, slide them across the counter, and resume staring blankly into space or mumbling about Pitchfork.
Anyway, this store is the only one that stocks Shock Cinema magazine on a consistent and timely basis. That alone gives it 5 stars. They probably have the widest selection of small-press comics you'll find within the city, and the Geek/Rapist factor is pleasantly low because they don't really stock much Marvel or DC shit. Good for you, Quimby's.
Even though I tend to get nervous asking the quiet guy who is behind the desk and deep in thought about where my friend's zines are located (the layout can be confusing), I really have no reason to get nervous and soon get lost in the brightly colored zines, great decorations, and books on specialized cultural topics. It's a great place to get lost in thought and think about all of the zines and books I want to buy, even though I can never go home with everything I would want.
The staff is helpful, too.
I want to put this place inside of a Binny's and call it my home. If you've been in there more than 60 seconds and haven't found something interesting there's something wrong with you.
I love zines. There's such a great tactile pleasure to holding a handmade, creatively laid out or constructed zine in your hand. To me it's an uplifting humanized form of personal expression that is just so much better than the blogosphere. Quimby's has an awesome zine selection, prominently featured (not hidden off in a corner, or with a few by the counter), and cool comics, graphic novels, etc. Even though it's a bookstore, there aren't that many books per se, so don't count on going to grab a zine or comic and a bestseller a friend suggested. You'll have to make a special trip.
Speaking of special trips, if you are an artsy geek and are either curious about zines, or you already know that you like them, Quimby's is worth a special trip.
This is an interesting bookstore, more catered to independent authors. It's a fun place to stop in and browse through their selections - some are humorous, some are pretty graphic, and others are just plain unique. There are some good handful of cards made by local artists that were fun to look through. Staff aren't too bothersome and they let you to roam around freely. The only problem I have is that there aren't cozy couches where you can sit and sift through a book.
I hit this funky book shop every time I'm in the neighborhood because there's always going to be something fun to read. They have all manner of mags, zines, comics, graphic novels and books on specialty topics by small or unusual publishers. This is also the place to get yer free papers and other oddball handbills and the like; they're cluttering up the entryway.
My one issue with this place has been the "hipper than thou" vibe that emanates from the staff. I've been in a number of times; it's always been the same guy on the desk and he always had the same slightly aloof & superior attitude, no matter what. Maybe I've been in enough times now to prove my worth, or I asked the right question, or the stars were aligned in the proper house, because I actually got a smile out of the guy yesterday.
I think it's fun that they have giveaway items; since I'm a matchbook collector, I love the big bowl of multi-colored matchbooks with their logo on them at the front desk, plus stickers and buttons etc. More places should do this!
So next time you're on North Ave. and have some time to spare, turn off your cell phone (they have a rule, in case you haven't heard) and head into Quimby's...and try not to have a heart attack when you round the back corner and run into the customized devil girl mannequin.
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Bookstores
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