I never had a problem with the old owner, but I only interacted with him twice, and he was professional. I'm happy there's a huge used bookstore in Burlington since the two stores on Church Street carry mostly overpriced new books, and there are some other issues I have with these two stores, so I don't shop at either. I have already found some great used books at Speaking Volumes, and hope to find more in future. The Fiction/Literature section is voluminous, and I'm hoping that eventually the Sci-Fi is separated from the Fantasy--that's an old categorization that was already outdated in the 80s. The Mystery section is pretty nice with Christie, Hammett, Chandler, and others. Overall, this place is a reader's dream. read more

SPEAKING VOLUMES IS UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP! if you are reading this review AFTER may 2026, disregard all the previous reviews that talk about the awful old owner. the vibes are completely different and the new folks are trying really hard to make it a great, positive place. i already found the selection to be better&pricing more fair. give the new speaking volumes a chance--i am already looking forward to going back. read more

I brought my turntable to Speaking Volumes for turntable speed adjustment. Spoke with a very nice young man. Came back when it was finished. Brought it home and found the tone arm lifter had a part broken off. They replace it with a cheap piece that doesn't work. So I phoned Speaking Volumes. The store owner got on the phone and started yelling at me. I was stunned. He told me to go to hell if I didn't like what he did. Nice. He told me to never come back. My advice is to go anywhere else to have your audio equipment repaired. You'll be glad you did. read more

Speaking Volumes - Bookstores Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Rude & careless staff and management every step of the way. Incompetent. Burlington deserves better.

The bookshop owner chose to go out of his way to speak so unnecessarily rude to us when we walked in the store to shop. There was no signage outside of the store or even near the front of the store stating no drinks (we entered the store with our coffees) or-else we would have happily obliged by not bringing them in. Instead of asking nicely to set our drinks down, the owner chose to accuse us of not knowing how to read and said that his no food or drink sign was for "people like you" (whatever that meant). When I willingly and apologetically placed my drink down he then made up a rule that I wasn't allowed to be on my phone sending a text message. It was at that point I realized he clearly was unwell and was going out of his way to be rude. I love supporting local shops but not when someone chooses to go out of their way to treat genuinely friendly customers like this. A note for the owner (assuming he won't read this): I recommend he rethinks keeping the "no food or drink" sign covered in a pile of papers on the cash register table that is more than halfway inside the store. Expecting patrons to see this upon walking in is like looking for a needle in a haystack. read more

Elder bookshop owner was rude for no reason. He berated one of us for having a phone out and silently texting. Are you kidding me? There's other reviews noting how rude the owner is. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere. read more

I don't understand the comments saying the owner is rude, I came in and he was very helpful - let me keep my backpack behind the counter while I browsed, let me look around for awhile, gave me recommendations and helped me find a portable casette player that I was looking for. The place has a huge collection of records, all different genres, lots of record players too. read more

Speaking Volumes - Bookstores Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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I LOVE Speaking Volumes. It's somewhere I have to avoid walking by sometimes just in case I can't help going in there and buying more books. The staff are wonderful people! They work hard to get every genre and category possible to the crowded shelves. The diversity of the book collection impresses me every time I visit. Some are surprisingly recent books. Most are well-preserved vintage books in either paperback or hardback. It's a readers' paradise. Definitely a place to go to if you love books. read more

Excellent store. Large selection. If you go browsing you will easily find records you want to buy.

Speaking Volumes is my favorite spot for used books & vinyl. Until recently I had only been to the bookstore location next to Myer's Bagels, which I visit quite frequently. I always leave with a stack of books (completing my LOTR collection with a matching set, more recent memoirs, historical fiction, etc), they've got it all, and in a quirky little spot with super tight bookshelves and stacks of books on every possible surface. It's awesome. I've been wanting to pull the trigger on a vinyl setup for years and finally visited the vinyl location of Speaking Volumes (literally directly across the street), and met the owner (Nortbert I think?). He is amazing. Seriously. Just an absolute library of knowledge and was super genuine and helpful for a newbie like me. He set me up with an Akai AP-B20 turntable and a Denon PMA-520. We hooked everything up in the store and gave it a run. He also gave me a record cleaning kit and Cat Stevens' Teaser and the Firecat on the house. Since getting my setup, I've visited some of the other record shops in the area (Pure Pop, Burlington, Autumn Records). They're all great and have different vibes / advantages but Speaking Volumes is definitely my favorite. read more

Speaking Volumes - Bookstores Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

Should not list itself as a used book store. It is a record store that has a few books.

I love speaking volumes!! You can always find something special there, and consistently surprises me with great books and artwork. Also very reasonably priced read more

Okay, so I've never actually bought anything here, but looking around at all of the used vinyl, books, and other vintage-y stuff is fulfilling enough for an afternoon! From cameras to postcards, you can get all sorts of cool antiques here, although they do come at a cost. And getting my photo taken in the vintage black-and-white photo booth (ten bucks a pop) is on my bucket list of things to do before I graduate from college. This place is the definition of the arty quirkiness that is Burlington's South End. read more

Superb, immense collection of wonderful books and music from centuries ago to the recent past. I grabbed three treasures: a complete Cezanne Catalogue Raisonne in near-perfect condition, and two sets of un-findable aria recordings by Caruso, and by Melchior, from 1900-1920. Terrific time looking through Speaking Volumes' vast array of unique, out-of-print, historical, hard-to-find, and/or signed editions of fiction and nonfiction books. Worth a special trip to Burlington just to browse Speaking Volumes. read more

Speaking Volumes - Bookstores Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

This record store is probably the single most underrated store in Burlington. For most shoppers the owner can seem intimidating or not as welcoming as some would hope. I wish for everyone to disregard the negative words about my good friend Norbert. He is one of the most honest and caring record curators in town. So what if he doesn't want dogs in his store? He wants to make sure that his records and equipment are at the highest level they can be. He's specific in how he likes his records organized (as a store owner should be) and it shocks me that there are reviews here that are saying that he was rude to ask for things to be put away correctly! That's just typical record store knowledge! In all honesty I have shopped here for years and plan to continue to shop here for years. From a massive, unbelievably high quality collection of records that astounds in its size and categorization, to a huge selection of vintage and new age equipment that has all been tested, cleaned and repaired so that you can be sure of the quality of the product that you are purchasing. I've had repairs done here as well, and for anyone on the fence about the repair services I would love for you to know that these individuals care so much about your experience and treat all equipment with care and passion. I hope that those reading this can look past the negative words surrounding my dear friend, and see the high quality store that is here. read more

Very poor customer service from the man I assume to be the owner. I felt unwelcome from the moment I entered, and was treated with highly unwarranted pretension. In order for the art of vinyl collection to be passed on to a younger generation, the knowledgeable elders must pass on their wisdom in a respectful manner. I felt anything but that upon entering, which was highly disappointing considering my great interest in record collection/upkeep. If the hobby and industry is to thrive outside of a small circle of purists, a more inclusive environment must be catered. read more

With my primary goal of old hardback books in mind, I was pleased; however, if I had wanted to thoroughly investigated all available potential books, I would have to assume hands & knees position-alas-couldn't, wouldn't & didn't. Otherwise, I enjoyed the eclectic atmosphere & environment. Good value /decent price point too. read more

Really adorable and reliable sound and record store. The owner is great and is very personable and ready to chat with customers about equipment and sounds. Great selection and very accurate grading system. One of the best parts about this store is how many different pieces of equipment that they have, everything from reel to reel, cassette decks, speakers, and amplifiers for days. This store is by far my favorite audio establishment as well as my favorite analog audio store. I have always felt cared for and well informed when shopping here. Norbert is always willing to cut a good deal as well!!! 10/10 plan on shopping here time and time again as I have for years. read more

Incredibly overpriced. Quite honestly it's comical as the records are subpar to begin with, then it's as if their priced according to what some private seller on Discogs is asking for and hopes to get lucky. 160.00 for a Dicks record..... read more

I bought a belt-drive table and a receiver/tuner a week back. Last night was the first time I put everything together and the left speaker channel is not working. Going to bring it back to them today to address the issue - will report back on what happened. read more

The owner was utterly condescending and uptight. Made a point to go out of his way to be rude. Clearly has left the planet on his own neurotic spacecraft. It was my first experience and will definitely be my last. read more

Some interesting records, and well sorted/graded, but the prices were incredibly perplexing. Very common alt/indie/punk records were $19.50 (a frequent and odd price point) in VG condition despite them being solid $5-8 records in near mint. Anything slightly obscure shot through to roof. Bought a dollar bin 80s pop record for $3.50 but wasn't going to bite. Not sure I'll ever go back except out of boredom. read more

Great staff, good selection, but like other reviewers have said WAY overpriced. Like I go to the other two record stores in Burlington weekly but here only every few months overpriced. Like it makes more sense to buy online with shipping from Europe overpriced. I've found a few great, reasonably priced, albeit obscure classical albums here - but it isn't worth the constant head-scratching shock to make it worth visiting regularly. read more

Every time we are in Vermont we make it a point to stop by. You can get lost for a long time in there, find a few gems, and have a chat with the owner. read more

Neat place!! Lots of used books, priced very well. Some were expensive but for a vintage book it was not too much. I had a great time browsing and wished I wasn't flying home so I could purchase more. read more

Besides the amazing vinyl selection, the owner really knows books, appreciates quality, and has a very open floor plan to explore; you don't have to shift tumbling piles of slush for a worthwhile find-- the store is chock full of them at great prices. read more