57th Street Bookcase and Cabinets is also 57st Design, where they sell other home furniture. I can't speak to the 57th Street Bookcase and Cabinets business, but I can very strongly say I do NOT recommend 57st Design. This is a difficult review to write, as the dresser I ended up ordering and receiving from 57st Design is BEAUTIFUL and exactly what I wanted. However, the customer service is SORELY lacking and the journey to receiving this dresser was unpleasant. I recently endeavored to buy American-made solid wood furniture, and 57st Design was one of the three places I ordered from to get new furniture. The other two places I purchased from had totally accurate lead times on their websites, my furniture arrived on time and communication was regular and consistent. I am used to the long wait times for this kind of furniture and have been extremely pleased with the previous two places I ordered from. I ordered a dresser from 57st Design on Sept 15, 2025. The lead time on the website was 12-15 weeks which, unfortunately, put it right in the middle of the holiday season. In the middle of December, I asked what the order status was. I was told promptly that my dresser would be shipping the last week of December or the first week of January. Cue a week-long saga starting December 30th where I try to get anyone to answer me on what the status is now. First week of Jan comes and go with no response. It takes 8 days into the new year for an answer and I strongly feel like I only got an answer because my previous email had acknowledged the possibility of production delays. All in all, my dresser, which is still quoted as 12-15 weeks on their website, took 19 weeks to be delivered to my door. Even allowing for 2 more weeks due to the holiday season, it still took another 2 weeks after that. On top of that, I was given a 2-4pm delivery window and my delivery didn't occur until 6pm. The delivery workers themselves were wonderful and did a great job getting it inside, but being 2 hours late is a bit difficult to accept with a smile. The dresser itself is beautiful and exactly what I needed--I just wish the journey to receiving it went much more smoothly. It seems I'm not alone in experiencing issues with communication. Delays need to be communicated to customers proactively. There needs to be more ways to reach someone besides an email address (that can go unanswered). read more

57th Street Bookcase & Cabinets just finished installing their beautiful cabinets and book shelves in my Chicago home. The team has been a pleasure to work with from start to finish. The designs are thoughtful, the workmanship is old world high quality, and the installation was on time and meticulous. I am very pleased with my new built in furniture. read more

57th Street Bookcase & Cabinets - Furniture Stores Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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My experience might be an outlier. I had an awful experience with 57st. Design. I do not recommend them for the following reasons: 1. Terrible communication about delayed production and delivery. They estimated 13-15 weeks of lead time and it took 20+ weeks. A whole month went by with no response from them when I asked about completion. 2. Poor craftsmanship. My dresser arrived with a stuck/broken drawer and slide, two visible blemishes, ragged and sawdust-laden interiors and corners, and unfinished edges. 3. The stuck/broken drawer slide was the most painful/frustrating issue. I emailed with them for over 5 weeks about getting it repaired. They said they would send someone to my house to fix it and then had the gall to suggest I find a "handyman" and they would cover the cost. I will never order from this company again. I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to problem-solve with little to no assistance. read more

Based upon my experience with this company, I would advise you to avoid doing business with them. I ordered two custom made bookcases that were delivered with three blemishes. Ragen, my contact, set up an appointment to come to the house to see the damage. He did not show up on the specified day, claiming later that he had a flat tire. We set up another appointment which he also missed, later claiming that he had to go to the hospital. We set up a third appointment and he was, again, a no-show. At no time did Ragen inform me in advance of his inability to make any of our 3 meetings. In retrospect, after the three missed meetings, it appears that there was no intent to evaluate and repair the unacceptible work that came from his shop. I'm left with furniture that is not satisfactory and no recourse. read more

Practical, efficient and typically wooden bookcases of all shapes and sizes are sold here. Prices are reasonable. But it's a small, stuffy store. read more

57th Street Bookcase & Cabinets - Furniture Stores Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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After years of nothing but Ikea particleboard and veneer, I was ready for some real shelves. Everything at 57th Street Bookcase is built to order with any style, wood, finish, or extra customization. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. I bought two full bookcases, four matching loose shelves, and two storage cubes. Everything was delivered to my building. They even helped me carry it inside, up the elevator, down the hall, down the other hall, and right into my office. read more

I have bought bookshelves from 57th Street several times over the last 20 years. I recently purchased new birch plywood shelves and two record shelves. I was so happy with the results after delivery and installation that I decided to go ahead and ask them to build kitchen cabinets. read more

I had been dreaming of a bench for my kitchen that offered storage solutions for over ten years. When we got covid stimulus money we thought it was important to invest in locally owned business and it also provided the opportunity to build out the long awaited bench. We worked with Ragen to design our plan, and he was extremely detail oriented, and also shared our enthusiasm about the potential of our project. He visited our home more than one time to ensure measurements, figure out how to deal with electrical outlets, ensure other design needs were being met, and other important details. Once we agreed upon the blueprints the build took exactly the amount of time we were quoted. There were a few wrinkles in the process such as delivery date (delayed by a few days) and custom color matching (which can be challenging with various woods in a single space and lighting issues). HOWEVER, what impressed me most was the desire this company had (and Ragen) to ensure that complete satisfaction was achieved. Today this is a rare thing, and I do think that custom work is a very collaborative process that this company is clearly dedicated to. I would gladly recommend this company, and also want to add that the gentlemen who came to perform the final install were very polite and professional. On a final note, a neighbor also used this company for built in bookshelves that were really lovely and that is how I found them....So two jobs well done. read more

As a PhD Student, theologian, and clergywoman, I was super excited to get custom bookcases. I have a hodge podge of cases. Living in Evanston, I knew I could just add on as needed, and I was prepared to begin with an $1000+ investment. The person that sold me the books told me it would take 6 wks. While I stood in the store, I marked the date he gave me on my calendar. Six weeks came and went and I called the store and the owner answered and was nice and told me things were really busy. He said, "They will be ready next week." I received a call on Friday from the delivery person. 8 weeks after the order date. He told me I had a balance plus the delivery was $90. I did not recall the delivery being that high, for some reason I recalled $40 and I said I would call the store. The owner, Chip, left me a message before I had a chance to call him. He told me that my bookcase could not be delivered until I contacted him. After I finished what I was doing, I called Chip back. He was very upset. I explained that I was frustrated because I had anticipated that the bookcases would be ready around April 11th. (The actual date the first gentlemen gave me.) And that the delivery charge was higher than I expected. He said he called the guy who sold me the bookcases that he indicated that he told me that the delivery was $90. Chip said, "But I am willing to overlook that." Chip was so upset and confrontational that I was in shock. I was trying to calmly explain what was bothersome to me, and he wouldn't let me finish a sentence. At one point he said, "I can refund your deposit." At that point, I summoned the calm that I use as a hospital chaplain when trying to defuse tense situations. I was very much taken aback that I was the customer, and he was the owner of a retail establishment. I asked him why he was confrontational. I am not sure that he ever answered the question because of all the yelling. So I finally said, "I will take the refund and I will see you shortly" and I hung up. He called back and apologized and said he was sorry for being confrontational and getting angry. A couple of times in the second conversation he said, "I am sorry but..." He indicated that he had a check that he would mail to me or he could still have the bookcases delivered for $40 delivery fee. I told him I needed to think about it and I would get back to him. After spending some time thinking about it and talking with others, so I was not making any rash decisions, I decided to go into the store to receive my refund. Chip gave me a check without hesitation. If I was only buying those bookcases, I might have had them delivered. But because I wanted to have the option of adding on in the future, I could not abide by that verbal abuse and give the store that amount of money. I recognize that everyone has bad days, but most successful people in retail are better equipped to calmly interact with a customer. Chip is not. I will not purchase bookcases from them, and I will tell my friends the story, but I figure people can make their own choices. The one thing I will say without question is that this is not an establishment with the motto "the customer is always right." read more

57th Street Bookcase (http://57thstreetbookcases.com) was started by a U of C prof, which is why it is called 57th Street even though their store is in Evanston--though I just noticed they opened up another location at the Bermuda triangle of all that is retail hell, North and Clybourn. Say hey to my uncle julio if you're over that way. But I digress---if you love books, there is no other place in the midwest to purchase quality bookshelves. These shelves are specially designed for books, and so are quite a bit more narrow than shelves you might get at Ikea or some other such place. Also, they are designed to lean up against the wall--I can't really describe it, but you will see if you go to their store. Because all of their work is custom, you can order your own finish and kind of wood, and make them as fancy or as basic as you want. They even have a lower end line for folks who are on a budget. I have had my cases for four years, and I've gotten tons of compliments on them. These might be a bit of an investment, but you will have them for life, and can keep adding on as your collection increases. read more

We had such a terrible experience with these guys which made us really depressed. Sam, the owner's son, came over and we had long meetings with him to design built in shelves for our tv room and our kitchen, we went back and forth on the design, and paid a huge deposit. He seemed so nice and responsible. The week after the shelves were due for delivery he wrote to say they oversanded the shelves and everything would be delayed three weeks. When we responded saying that we were concerned about the delay and had negotiated the building time very carefully he suddenly wrote back saying they were cancelling the project completely. He refused to even talk to us about the reason, to have a phone call or a meeting, and then we never heard from them again. Terrible terrible service and we lost months of time waiting for nothing :( Such a weird place, I'd avoid if you don't want your time wasted. read more

Chip was wonderful to deal with. He made a home visit, took measurements, made his recommendations, thoroughly discussed the work, how he would proceed, what he would do and wrote it up. Chip noticed the floor was not level and recommended shims at one end. Chip did not do the install. His installer was a very hostile, arrogant and disagreeable man who argued with me over the phone about the installation date and time. Rather than giving me a different date and time, he argued with me. We went around in circles. I should've hung up on him. He was also not familiar with what I had paid for. When he showed up, he refused to use the back stairs. This is the first time I've had a tradesman refuse to use the back stairs. He used the front entrance to bring up the very long wood shelves, his tools and his supplies, risking damage to the hallway (which I would've been responsible for and a risk I was taking but I wanted him out as quickly as possible). While installing the bookcase (his assistant did most of the work), he said it was level. Chip had already determined it was not level and would need shims. After the installation was completed, he noticed the bookcase was not level. He took some $$ off his tab. After he left, I noticed several gouges in the wall. I really did not want to write this but this was one of the most abysmal experiences of customer service I have ever received. I reported his behavior to Chip. I think you should know: use Chip and get a different installer. Note: This review was written earlier this year and had not been posted. Hopefully, Chip is using a different installer. If not, hire your own handyman. read more

After 25 years of marriage, my husband and I had accumulated so many books and magazines that we had to make a decision: either 1) move, 2) toss many of our beloved books, or 3) find other partners with less literary tendencies. Instead, we found the perfect solution: 57th Street Bookcase & Cabinets. Our neighbors are professors and told us about the shop (we went to the Evanston locale, where we're from). They raved about the design and how the bookcases are slender enough not to take up too much room in smaller houses like ours. I had an idea of what I wanted (just a wall-o-shelves) but I figured custom cases were for the rich and mighty. I poured over catalogs and websites (Pottery Barn and IKEA) but found nothing reasonable and perfect for my space. When I stopped by the Evanston showroom, I was slightly overwhelmed by all the choices I might have to make: height, finish, type of wood...but Andy was incredibly kind and knowing. He did a quick drawing of what I might want to consider, then we made an appt for him to come see the space. Once he did, he took detailed measurements and asked a number of thoughtful questions. He drew up a plan and, after a few emails, we determined the set. I never felt rushed or pressured. My cases were built offsite (took about 7 weeks) and installed in about 4 hours. The installers were the ones who'd built the cases in the shop, so they took extra care to make sure everything was perfect. The owners called to make sure I was happy with the end product and the service, and the bookcases are absolutely better than expected. I cannot wait to fill the shelves with all my books. read more