What can I say that hasn't been said already? Oh yeah... it's great for kids too!!! I am definitely a reader and want my kids to enjoy reading as much as I do so we went to check it out. The kids section was hard to find (I took the long way around- go straight from the counter not to the left) but when we got there my boys sat down (they have little red chairs for them) and started picking up books. It was amazing. When we go to other bookstores they run to the toys & don't want to leave that area. This time they ran to the books & insisted on reading. I went there to "check it out" but ended up leaving with 7 kids books. It's an amazing place but you have to set aside a couple hours to go there. Stop pondering & go check it out already... good luck! read more

The manager at this location was very rude to me when I tried to get him to resolve an issue arising from his mistake. I was taken aback and I could tell from the looks on his coworkers' faces that they were surprised by his rudeness as well. I cashed out my credit and don't plan to go back. I demand to be treated with basic courtesy in order to spend money. read more

Yes, everyone above is right. You will get lost, be overwhelmed, and fall in love with the place. The trick is to go again and again. In the unlikely event you don't find the book you're looking for, come back in a few months and try again. Then repeat. Eventually, the one you can't find WILL show up. It's like a treasure hunt. And, apparently, at some point, every book ever published does find its way to Chamblin's. It is weird and wonderful. read more

Been going to chamblins for years and love hunting for treasures. For the first time today I was very frustrated. We dropped off 2 bags of books and looked around while they sorted through them. Came to the register and they quoted us our credit for our bag of books. I said we had 2 bags. They couldn't find the second ticket and said they must have given our credit to another customer. That's it someone else has our credit, nothing we can do about it. Don't know what I expected, but I guess something else. read more

What a great book store just over the RR tracks near Ortega they have rows and rows and more rows of books, but once you find the section you're looking for there's tons of choices if you are browsing. Good luck finding something specific. They are all half the regular price unless the price is written inside the cover. It's got the really old book store feel. I got 2 poetry collections for 13$ read more

My lady wanted a couple of books and she called this place to check and see if they were available. Well, they had her request and told her they would be waiting at the checkout. I've never been here but passed it many times. It's not much to look at on the outside, or inside for that matter but man...was it packed with books.. Rows and rows of books to the ceiling. I was impressed. The place was pretty crowded but she was able to check out rather quickly. Also, she got an extremely good deal. She got 2 books, used, although they looked brand new for less than the price of one new. Check them out. read more

This is probably the largest used-book store I've ever visited. I was duly warned to pack a lunch and bring a sleeping bag if I intended to explore the whole place. It's a bit out of the way for a casual stop-by, which is okay by me because I have never left without a bag full of books, DVD's, etc. read more

I love this place so much, I've been coming here for years and I almost always spend several hours just coming through all the shelves. It's such a comfortable atmosphere. If you've never been before just be prepared to get lost. read more

I've been going to Chamblin for 30-odd years, through three locations. He has to keep moving to larger quarters because he buys everything and he doesn't sell much of it. I've been in the used book trade myself for many years, and I gotta tell you, the stuff I've sold to Chamblin I would turn away at my store. On the other hand, I would price a beat-up 1979 paperback (cover price $1.50) at $1.00 maximum, not the $3.50 Chamblin wanted. That's why his store is so full. He's a hoarder, God bless him. read more

I absolutely love getting lost in the maze of books. There's something for everyone and you can spend hours and hours browsing the shelves looking for your next vacation getaway through the pages. I absolutely love Chamblin's, no other used book store can even come close to it's atmosphere and the friendly staff! read more

Awesome place to get new and used books! Could get lost in here for hours, service was great, and prices were very reasonable.

I stop here whenever I am in Jacksonville. Never leave empty handed and I always see something I'm looking for even if I didn't know I was looking for it. read more

The other yelpers are right. This place is so disorganized you almost wonder if was set up IAW an alien Dewey Decimal system! Make sure you have plenty of time for browsing. Although they have the largest selection I've seen, I haven't had much luck finding books for my collection. They also have a large Internet catalogue. read more

Wonderful place to escape reality for a few hours. The first time so ever went to this place I was over whelmed the all the books! It's just rows and rows stacked to the ceiling of books!!! It's wonderful! I took my rebellious 3 year old daughter with me to look at kids books and I now have to invest in one of those kiddie leases because if you take your eyes off a crazed 3 year old for 2 sec and they book it... Well they are gone forever lost in the mines.... Ok ok I found her quickly but it's not a place for younger kids I learned. Just my personal opinion. The kids section is fantastic! It's just the winding isles to the very back of the book store getting there is nerve racking. We love this place! Great prices! They find what you are looking for and will have it ready for you if you call them or go online. Great place! Will continue to use this as my book store! They will buy back book from you. Store credit is the way to go! Out with the old in with the brand new adventure! read more

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This is every bit of what I expect a book store to be. In fact, if they had a cat wandering the place, I have a sneaking suspicion the entire building would implode and form a singularity of awesomeness that would suck all of Jacksonville into it, annihilating much of Northeast Florida. I take utter delight in becoming hopelessly lost in the many aisles, and have literally had to use a GPS unit to make my way back to the checkout line. Prices are reasonable, to call the books in stock diverse is like calling the Sun kind of bright, and the staff is helpful. Just go, already. read more

The best used bookstore for hundreds of miles or at least the largest. I've been going to Chamblin's for about 30 years, from his earlier locations on Herschel St to his big one on Roosevelt Blvd. Chamblin acquires books faster than he sells them, so he has to keep growing his space. You can get lost in there. When you look at the prices it's easy to see why. They price the books here at about half or more of retail for new books, and if you visit the place regularly,often enough, over time you are going to start recognizing books that have been on the shelf for years. I give Chamblin 5 stars on stock, two and a half stars on price, one star on parking and six stars for the owner. Very nice guy. read more

How have I not written about Chamblin's yet? I've been going to this bookstore for at least 10 years, if not longer. The collection of books is incredible and overwhelming at times. This is definitely not a place that you can just drop in for a few minutes, then leave. Yes it is a bit chaotic and the ventilation could use some improvement. But it is the best damn used bookstore in Jax, hands down. If you consider yourself a bibliophile, you need to get to Chamblin's immediately. read more

I was overwhelmed by the number of books in this place. I need to come back when I have more time to spend.

Well for starters I will warn you this place is difficult to find even when using a GPS but once you are there, I mean YOU ARE THERE. It's the mecca of bookstore. You walk in and immediately are greeted by a first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" something I can't help but gawk at every time I see it. The isles at first can be confusing and you most certainly can get lost but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You can always ask for help finding things but I prefer to roam around, and allow fate to guide me to a new book. They have a wonderful selection of new and used books and the prices are always fair. Honestly I can spend every last penny at their two stores if it wasn't for bills and such. Any true bookworm would call this delightful store home, and nestle into it's shelves to find a good story to bring home. read more

Somehow, this place is incredibly huge!! The selection is vast as the space is well packed. It is very easy to get lost and lose hours in this place! It's a booknerd's dream come true. Absolutely the best book store in town!!! read more

LOVE this place. Old and new books, all over. The place is massive and very chaotic with how it's organized. Plan to wander the aisles forever and leave carrying as many books as possible. read more

I love how huge this place is. I've been going here on and off for years. Every time I go, I wonder how they can keep so many books around. There's so many things to find that it's mind boggling. Something for everyone. read more

Love this bookstore. Could get lost in there for hours. There are comfy seats in quiet corners so you can peruse a book before buying and the sheer magnitude of selection is mind-blowing. And not just paper books...they have movies and audiobooks as well. read more

This place is incredible. As soon as I walked in, i immediately got stressed out (tiny aisles because of SO many books). However, the staff was great. They were busy yet still took the time to help me find anything I needed. Chamblins is a bit overwhelming at first because it's a tiny place with so many books, but it's every reader's dream. Very cheap, used books. Make sure you get a basket - you will need it! Fill the basket up and it will probably total under 30$ at checkout! =] read more

I love going to this bookstore when I have some real time to spend. Can find just about anything. Out of print, antique, modern, all genres... Where do they get all these books?? read more

I love to get lost in this bookstore! Wow this place is awesome. You can turn books in for credits for other books they have. I have found lots of books needed during my kids school years here. The staff is great and know their stuff! read more

Love this place! We have been going there forever and have never left without finding what we were looking for and MORE! Totally thrilled that they also buy back books - that is probably one of the top things about this shop. Always have great customer service and unlike at the large big box stores you can tell that the associates are actual avid readers. read more

Wicked lot of books over there 10/10 would recommend. Smells like books, too. Easy to get lost in, so be careful out there.

I have loved Chamblins until an incident in mid-June, 2017. My friend and I perused the aisles for books. She set her cell phone down in the Sci-fi section and inadvertently walked away without it. We realized that within a minute or so, walked back. A young man nearby said he found the phone in that exact spot and turned it in. The front desk denied a phone was turned in. The young man came to the desk with us and described the phone, pointed to one of the employees (wore a sort of Irish type cap). Again, they all denied it. We left the store and called her husband who was able to locate it and send that info to my husband's phone and we saw that it was moving around within Chamblins. We went back and pointed that out to the manager and they just denied everything. The short of it is, her husband was prepared to ping it about 30 minutes later as we all walked around the store. We saw an open side door and actually witnessed the two suspect employees throwing books into the dumpster. One glanced up and saw us staring. Walking around to that area, Stephanie had her husband ping. The one guy disappeared (the guilty one), and the manager who was outside walked up to Stephanie and said "I found your phone, it was in the dumpster". No one said sorry or anything near an apology ... just handed her the phone and walked away. I think this is just sad. It will be a long time before I go into the Roosevelt Chamblins...and I have spent a ton of money there buying and returning audio books regularly. read more

When traveling from Sofia, Bulgaria to Istanbul, Turkey on a train I was discussing my favorite book shop with my 3 travel partners. Across the aisle a stranger piped into our conversation about Jacksonville, Florida after I started raving about Chamblin Bookmine to my travel partners who are all from the northeastern US. Every time I go back to Jacksonville it is a must-see place to pick up another stack of books. For 10 years I have been going back, returning books for credit getting more books out. Now, my favorite section is in the back where I can find loads of business and journalism/media books to further my studies. read more

It is one on the Jewels of Jacksonville. What an amazing place!! Book Lovers Paradise. It's one of the biggest bookstores in North America, with millions of titles. They buy books, CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, Vinyl, unopened puzzles and Board Games that are complete and in good shape. They won't take everything you bring in due to stock and condition, but they will do their best to make a good offer. You can get trade credit to use in store or cash. They are open M-T 10-6 and F-S 10-9pm. The staff is great, it's amazing how you can name a book and they know where it is! (have I mentioned how big the place is) If they don't know the book, they will go find it. You can call and ask them to search for a book, a lot of the time they have it but if they can't find it, they'll call their other store (Chamblins Uptown) to see if they have a copy. And they are able to order books at a discounted price. You get called back the same day, or the next if you call right before closing. It's a local business, owned by Ron Chamblin and has been servicing the community for over 40 years. It is a must see if you are coming to Jacksonville. read more

I love Chamblin's and it is always the first place I venture when searching for a book or just wanting to browse. The place is absolutely unfathomably ridiculously overwhelmingly huge; it's the Louvre of bookstores. I seldom visit 1/5 of the sections so I have to be very discriminate as to where I'll even browse or I just end up wandering for a very long time. I have acquired excellent foreign language books, classic novels, plays, philosophy, the most obscure books imaginable, art, art history, etc etc! There is no limit to the multitude of books in Chamblin's. My one complaint: pricing is kind of vague until you check out. I've stopped trying to figure out the system, as sometimes a book with the Chamblin's stamp will still be sold at a terribly high price (in comparison to "your average used book" because a random price has been scribbled in a corner. The staff tends to appear impossibly hipster or sanctimoniously pretentious but are usually moderately friendly. I of course recommend Chamblin's but wish they were more straightforward about pricing. read more

If you are a collector - don't bother. The hardbacks are over priced and the selection is abysmal. If you're trading books for store credit, prepare to be disappointed. Just made my last trip. read more

i've lived in several major u.s. cities and never seen a book store of this size... you WILL get lost in here. if you go with someone bring a walkie-talkie so you can locate each other as you may not get cell phone reception. read more

This is an awesome place. Huge selection of books and also they have antique (old) books!!! Would definitely come back here!!!

This is the best book store I have ever been to by far! It truly is a place that you can get lost in. Honestly, I've spent hours here and lost track of time on numerous accounts. With such a large selection, great prices, and the opportunity to sell back books for credit, this place is a must-see! Go right now!! read more

Excellent bookstore for buying and selling. Worth the trip for any book need.

Insane amount of books. Half off full price is about the best bargain you'll get. The rare stuff was pretty highly priced. Still highly recommended. read more

One of the best, if not THE best, Secondhand Bookstores I have ever been in. I have rarely had any trouble finding whatever I am looking for in the twenty years I have been a returning customer. More often I have found myself trying to leave with far more books than I came in for. read more

I visited Chamblin Bookmine for the first time 2 years ago because everyone was always telling me I had to go that it was a must see. Well I wish I didn't delay so long in going because it's an amazing bookstore!! The atmosphere is very cozy and they have a HUGE selection of books. I always find what I'm looking for there and if they don't have it they offer to order it for you so that's nice. They are very organized for the amount of books that they have I'm amazed they can keep it as organized as they do with all of the nice labels and categories. I have been to other bookstores a fraction of the size of Chamblin's and they were not nearly as organized. The prices are very reasonable they even discount their new books too. The employees are so helpful and friendly. I say customer service is the key to me returning to a store and they have great customer service and are very knowledgeable. I highly recommend this bookstore to everyone!! They have me hooked that's for sure! read more