This is a great place to look for book and cd that bring back memories! I was going to order from the small place attached to the book store but the workers were busy cursing at each other I never got noticed. Guess I can't comment on the food but they have a lot of homeless people wondering in & out asking for money. On the flip side it was also lots of people there who look like locals. read more

So happy to have found this gem. Jacksonville is a strange place but Chamblin's Uptown was a like an oasis with good food and veggie/vegan options, great coffee, good prices, friendly and welcoming staff and there are also books!! Whether you are vegan or not, try the Sexy Grits. SO good. Will come back for sure next time I am in Jax and will try the cajun tofu wrap or jerk tempeh wrap. And maybe the lavender Italian soda. I really regret not having that last one but I had an iced coffee refill, so... Next time. read more

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Great bookstore, definitely a place to visit if you have time to explore. This store carries used and rare books as well as any new book in print- if you don't see what you need, be sure to ask the folks at the front counter if they have your book or if they can order it. Usually they can get a book in a day or two, and in my experience their prices beat the chain store book prices! Chamblin's has become my go-to book dealer. In addition to the great service and selection, this book store is in a great location downtown and is bike-parking friendly- lots of secure places to lock up right out front in plain sight. The cafe is great too, with a wonderful vegan and vegetarian selection. read more

In my opinion this is the best bookstore/coffee shop in the city. This place has a very intimate feel despite the fact it is a decent size. All the food is prepared fresh by the very able and friendly staff. The bookstore has enough stacks to keep any bookworm busy for years. It is in a central location right in the middle of downtown, which makes it a center of attraction for many types of people. You must visit this place and try the Italian soda. You will not be disappointed. read more

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I absolutely LOVE this place. I am am avid book reader and am a regular at this location. I use book credits so I always have books to turn in and if they don't have the books you're looking for they'll order it- JUST ASK! read more

I try and try to have a pleasant experience at the cafe. After a year of trying, today will be my last attempt. I am nice, I say hello, I order promptly, I tip well - all met with blank faces and zero positive in return. The sandwiches are good, but they aren't that good. Based on my typical experience - they won't be sad to see me go. Glad the bookstore side is so much more accommodating and friendly. read more

One of my all time favorite book stores (I have many). Great atmosphere, huge store, and kind staff. I get lost every time I go, but in a fun way. The cafe/coffee is excellent as well. Great way to spend an afternoon or even just to pop in. read more

During this pandemic, shopping has been a challenge. I miss strolling down the aisles of this bookstore. I needed a children's book for a baby shower. I gave a list of books from an author. They searched for it. Had a few of the books I was interested in (and let me know of other books that they had in stock by the same author), had it shipped in from the Roosevelt location within 90 minutes on the SAME DAY I had called. Payment options were either by phone or upon pick up. I called when I was in front of the store and they brought it to me at my car window. WHAT AMAZING SERVICE!!!! read more

This is the heartbeat of downtown Jacksonville. Nice, cozy little shop that has EVERYTHING, there's something for everyone here. If you can't find what your looking for, the staff is amazing at recommendations! Little cafe within the store has good, healthy lunch choices and the coffee is pretty darn tasty! read more

Chamblins Uptown is the type of 'third place' (somewhere you spend time outside of home or work) that every good neighborhood needs. Residents and visitors of Downtown Jax can enjoy a cup of joe, a bite to eat, free wifi and an incredible new and used book selection all while enjoying great views of Hemming Plaza. Chamblins Uptown has even increased their seating options with the recent addition of sidewalk seating in addition to the already popular patio seating and indoor café seating. On any given day, a spontaneous musical interlude may complement your experience as the outdoor patio contains a piano painted by famed artist Lee Harvey that is open to be played by anyone that may fancy themselves a disciple of Beethoven (or at least a master of chopsticks). The Huffington Post named Chamblins as one of the top 12 bookstores in America. It's easy to understand why once you begin to venture past the vibrant café and into the sarcophagus of this literary beast. The bookstore is a two story shrine to wordsmiths that initially looks as though your hoarder grandfather who used to dumpster dive behind the library married a schizophrenic carpenter. One might feel as though you will be crushed at any time by an avalanche of words when shelves of books stacked 8 feet high finally give way and bury you alive. Your only hope of survival would be that the sound of books crashing would awaken the grandfather asleep atop a stack of Tostoy who gets up to find out what went wrong. But this quirkiness just adds to Chamblins' charm. This isn't a cookie cutter Barnes and Noble, and when you get beyond the aesthetics... you'll quickly realize that Chamblins Uptown is much more substance than style. For a local history nerd like myself, Chamblins Uptown offers a great selection of rare and out of print books about North Florida. If you are looking for a great gift, you could also browse through a fantastic selection of leatherbound classics. Need an inexpensive book about electrical circuits, the history of Playboy, designing a football playbook, cooking clams or acing your SAT? That's all there too, just ask Jennifer or Ron at the front desk and they can recite the exact location of the book you are looking for within inches of its location (I once moved a book one shelf over during a weekend experiment and they noticed upon my return visit on Monday). Too A.D.D. to finish an entire book? Chamblins also has a vast selection of CDs, cassette tapes, VHS tapes and DVDs. They even have a 'banned section' which boasts a new CD and book every week that has been tossed out from some community of puritans. I can personally attest that the weekly CD selection in this stack is always a great buy. If you are low on funds or perhaps have a plethora of books collecting dust at home, Chamblins has a great resale program where you can get cash or store credit for turning in old books. All in all, Jacksonville is very lucky to have such a place. If I could just find that cot in the back where gramps sleeps, I'd probably never leave. read more

If the constant alluring smell of freshly brewed Coffee isn't enough to make you want to visit them than I don't know what is. To be able to enjoy a fresh cup of warm coffee at anytime within a gallery of books at your finger tips is like watching a sunrise at the beach with your lover its amazing they have food to fill you up and VEGAN options that have changed the way I eat. THEY'RE what Starbucks Fail to live up to. read more

Popped in for a quick lunch last week, the cashier was less than bored by taking our order (heavy sigh & eye roll complementary to each order?) and the tuna wrap was as equally bland as the service. read more

I had the lentil soup that was so salty it was inedible, luckily I also ordered the jerk tempeh wrap. The wrap was very tasty and filling. Nothing special about this place, it doesn't look very clean. I like trying new restaurants but probably won't bother with a second visit. read more

A really cool old book store with lousy downtown parking problems.

This used book store has a very diverse and surprisingly well-organized collection of books. It's also very large, as used book stores go. There are two floors of books, also some music and movies. They range from old hardcovers of vintage children's books (Tom Swift, etc.) to Chicken Soup of the ... to walls and walls of biography. There are new titles sometimes slid in with the rest that are sold 10% off retail. I have eclectic book tastes (aviation, Japanese fiction, knitting, true adventure, etc) and I found a good selection in all areas except knitting. You mean to tell me that there's no market for books of patterns for fishermen sweaters made of Icelandic wool in Florida? Who knew? There were lots and lots of quilting and crafting books. Apparently Floridians still quilt ;)! There's a small food place here as well. They brew locally sourced coffee (the one I tried was from a Gainesville roaster and was outstanding). I also had a very tasty tuna salad sandwich on gluten-free bread with a thick slice of cheese and some painfully fresh tomato slices. They have both outdoor and indoor seating. The outdoor seats are nicely labeled to prevent all-day loitering. I think if you can't eat your sandwich in 2 hours, well...This is a great find, and as soon as I read the Zeppelin (as in the airships, the dirigibles, not the band) and Murakami books I purchased, I'll be back. read more

Chamblin's Uptown - Tuna salad on Gluten-Free bread. - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

While it's not a destination place for me, whenever I'm downtown, I try to come up with an excuse to treat myself to something at Chamblin's. Nevermind that the entire staff is a revolving door of skinny white girls. I'm a fan of this place because it combines two of my favorite things under one roof while also being situated in a busy and bustling part of downtown. This place has the flavored syrups I like for my mochas, like peach, strawberry and pear. Also, when you're done eating, you can walk next door and get lost in the labyrinth that is the attached used book store. Now, someone looking for higher standards would balk at Chamblin's Uptown because the menu is very limited, but you have to think of this place more like a cafe instead of a restaurant. In other words, think of a more localized Starbucks with a bigger menu. I mentioned how much I love where Chamblin's is located. Right next to the main library and kitty corner from City Hall. A museum is 100 paces away and down the street is the Jacksonville Landing. This is a great local coffee shop. read more

Chamblin's Uptown - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Awesome little divey store that you can get lost in. Completely unassuming building located in downtown Jax. I think there is also another location somewhere else from what I've heard. They've also got some decent food. Stop in for lunch someday you won't be disappointed! read more

I'm thirty something and I've lived here and visited Chamblin's all my life and they have always been the rudest people ever. None of the people working there (either location) have any customer service skills at all and they specialize in talking down to people and make you feel like a bother. They need to be reminded (or told) that without the customer they wouldn't exist. I don't go there anymore and the only reason I ever would again is if they were the last place on earth to find the exact book I needed and even that would be a long shot. read more

This bookstore is my favorite in town! If you're a fan of getting lost in the aisles with an endless supply of books then this is the place for you! The people who work there are so sweet and always willing to help! If you're not sure if they have a book you can call and have them look and they'll hold it for you or if they don't have it they can order it to the store for you! Both locations are fantastic but this one has a cafe so what better way to spend the day than with some good food and lots of books? In addition to that they buy back your used books! You can get cash or a store credit! I've found that they give you the best buck for your books! (Lol see what I did there?) read more

We must have been here on an off day. Mainly came in for a coffee and a break from the heat. Asked for a decaf cappuccino and was told they only had decaf in carafes (prompting the question of what substance they used to make that?) and so I asked just for a regular cappuccino. They said they could make it half-caff which confused me, because if you don't have decaf espresso you can't make a half caff either. The drink that arrived had no foam, which suggested they didn't know what a cappuccino actually was, and had simply poured decaf from the carafe on top of an espresso. We also waited a long time for for the rest of our order to come out, which was just water and pastries from a display cabinet, so we ended up having to go back to the counter and ask for everything over again. They said they had "changed systems" but it looked to me like the cappuccino flustered them and they forgot. Waste of money. read more

I got dropped off at the Landing and the only place serving coffee (on Sunday) was Coastal Cookies. It was quite possibly the worst coffee I've ever had, so I took a walk up Laura Street and found Chamblin's. Seems like a cool hip place. But I was surprised to find that the coffee was only a step up from Coastal Cookies. It was comparable to the crap they sell at 7-11. I'm not a fan of Starbucks, by any means, but I would take a Starbucks coffee over Chamblin's any day. Bookstore seems decent, but I would never recommend the coffee. read more

It was a great place for the person looking for a cool place for passing their time with books, you will find all types of book here

I love this place. It's great for used books and cds. I used to go here every day to get a chai tea latte, but recently they made it without the sugar. Needless to say, it didn't taste so great. If you're going to order a drink from them, I recommend you check it before you leave the coffee-shop area. Street parking is rarely a hassle, as there are normally open parking spaces on the street surrounding this location. read more

This is a great place to find books. There's thousands upon thousands here. Since the sheer number of books can be intimidating, the staff are friendly enough to help you find whatever book you need. The only drawback is that they have horrible hours. Open until 5pm?! A place like that would do even better if they were opened until 9 or 10! read more

Such a fantastic bookstore with a huge selection of never ending books, movies, and CDs. 2 floors packed full of books with good prices. Great little cafe downstairs with plenty of options including vegan and gluten free options. Love this place. read more

I hadn't heard of this place before, but stumbled upon it after walking around at the MOCA. Love the hip, productive yet laid back vibe in here! Local coffee, many delicious vegan and nonvegan options, and donuts made daily! read more

This place is book heaven! You can get lost in here for hours and even trade in your own books.

Really cool place. Im only in jax twice a month for work at heming plaza. Love seeing the vegan options. Props to the dj feelin it outside in the rain. read more

Typical city style cafe and I say that with compliments. Great selection of Vegan and Vegetarian offerings. The granola I had was very fresh and tasty and I was surprised to see they offered both soy and almond milk. Multiple, unique tea selections allowed for a fresh change from a normal coffee house and the outdoor seating is great for smokers and those like me who just wanted to have an urban vibe surrond me while reading. read more

I'd only ever been to the Bookmine, and it's probably my favorite bookstore ever, but I finally came here to go to the cafe and the bookstore. I assumed this location would be a lot smaller than the Bookmine but holy crap! It's huge! Yes, not as big as the other one, but I about 5x larger than I expected. It's two stories and has tons of books. Obviously, I was totally impressed. Fantastic place. My sandwich at the cafe was good and the cafe had nice ambiance. I didn't appreciate the tip jar notes about fascists/terrorists/other bad people not tipping. It makes the staff seem like entitled brats, when they otherwise were nice and helpful. read more

Lots of books old and new. I was particularly impressed by their collection of leather bound tomes. The staff is also very friendly. The coffee is yum too! read more

Really chill atmosphere. The food and coffee are both tasty. Nice staff. Nice little outdoor patio area as well.

I love all sorts of bookstores and this was my first book store that is not bookasmillion and Barnes and Noble. I love their vast collection of books that range from bibliographies, childrens book, comics, strategy and travel guides, etc. You name it! The connecting coffee shop is also cool, I only wish that they have frappes. read more

Nicely place to have breakfast, the Cafe Au Lait is just delicious and they serve fresh food

Great cafe in the heart of downtown JAX. Also attached to a pretty awesome bookstore. Cafe is vegan and vegetarian friendly, and has tons of options. Feels like everything is made fresh in house. And coffee is awesome. read more

The bookstore was good with useful second hand books.

I'm a big "buy local" person and I like to give local businesses my money. I'm a big fan of the bookshop piece, BUT-- the service is getting so terrible at Chamblin's Uptown coffee shop I'm done going there. The last 4 times I went they forgot significant parts of my order- for example Chai tea and a bagel I had to go up and ask for the chai when I realized it wasn't coming after waiting 15 minutes in an empty shop. Today, ordered soup and a wrap- took 10 minutes for a bowl of soup (no one else in line) and they forgot my wrap. Just asked for a refund- I'm over this place. Yes, it's local and yes it's vegan friendly but so is Burrito Gallery and they always have great service. The service is good in the bookshop but the cafe needs to step it up or they are going to ruin the reputation of this place. read more

A vegan oasis in the heart of DT Jax. I truly love this place. Great wraps, soup, and coffees, it is one of my weekly lunch stops. Try the jerk tempeh or BBQ tofu you won't be disappointed. And I totally appreciate their Eco-conscious selection of disposable cups and plastics too! read more

I absolutely loved the bookmine. However when I became wheelchair bound I became unable to enjoy one of my favorite places. On a whim my husband and I stopped at this location and to my surprise I could move down the rows of books easily. Since this place has two stories it also had an elevator. Happy hour staff was nothing short of AMAZING!!!! I will be back read more

This place is a gem. Massive selection, wonderful prices. You never know what you'll find here, but chances are it's good. The DVD collection is a gold mine as well! read more