A cute independent bookstore nestled in the heart of Victoria, MN!…read more This was my first stop on the 2024 Indie Bookstore Passport and it was a great way to start the day! Victoria is a cute little town and Chapter One is a lovely addition. There is a large section for younger readers and the adult section has many of the newest popular reads. The service was friendly and welcoming, making this a great stop if you're looking for a friendly bookstore!

The cutest bookstore I've ever been to! Great book selection, great book related gifts, and great…read morevibes. i highly recommend checking this place out! Thank you for a great experience :)

I visited here twice so far and was able to enjoy the wonderful patio they have overlooking Lake…read moreBuffalo. The bookstore has a fun collection to look over with personal recommendations. They are even dog friendly (leashed)! The coffee selection is vast, creative, tasty and reasonable priced. It's a great place to stop in for a quick visit, chat and catch up, or even work. The staff was very friendly and extremely accommodating. The outside patio has two levels, I stayed on first level since it was super sunny that day. I look forward to stopping in when I can!

Cozy coffee shop with a bookstore! Great drinks and love the outdoor seating and view of the lake!…read more Friendly people and good prices!

Great local bookstore with so many options. Not only do they sell books but they have some other…read moreadjacent items which can make great gifts and they hold a lot of nice events. Staff was so friendly. It's great to come here! Plenty of Street parking.

Love independent book stores, so no surprise I found this spot quaint and refreshing. The building…read moreit's located in is over hundred years old and you can feel it in the low ceilings and incredible library ladders and stairs. The store is deep and keeps going too the further you explore inward. An impressive selection of topics are available. It's an old bookstore but it's got contemporary finds. I was especially pleased with their LGBTQ+ and gender studies sections-- I could read forever and never get through all the books they had! Prices seem to be reliably a hair off MSRP, which is nice considering today's economy. It can be expensive to stay educated! The employees were all quite friendly and eager to assist in helping me find what I was looking for. They also have things like puzzles, journals, planners, calendars, greeting cards, stickers, postcards, and more, along with their own merch of T-shirts, sweatshirts, book bags, mugs, etc.

I just happened to be walking by with a little time on my hands, and have always wanted to stop in…read morehere, and finally had the chance. What a gem. The space is small but the selection in the areas I looked (sci-fi and horror) was strong. The space is very comfortable, and the staff were amazing. I didn't interact directly but overheard them and wow, top notch service. Support this incredible bookstore! I know I will be the next time I am buying a book as a gift or for myself!

I recently discovered this bookstore after I received a giftcard and I absolutely fell in love!…read moreThis bookstore is bigger than it looks and even has some space to sit and read. It is cozy and you can tell that the community here loves this store. The owners and staff are so friendly and welcoming and treat customers like friends and family! Their prices are pretty typical of other bookstores, but they also have bargain books/used books that are very reasonable priced! They have a great selection of genres and books for all ages as well. This is an awesome spot that feels warm and cozy.

Such a gem! I recently stayed in downtown Minneapolis for a work trip and I always check for…read morebookstores in the area whenever I travel. I was so excited to learn of a black woman owned indie bookstore just a short walk from my hotel! Located in the Skyway, you can access via the Skyway or the street. It can be tricky to find using Google/Apple Maps from inside the Skyway. The app doesn't get a good signal inside, so it's easier to find from the street if you're unfamiliar with the Skyway. I got lost and asked the security guards in the mall for directions and they told me that all the bookstores downtown closed after the pandemic. I'm so glad I didn't listen to them and set off outside to find my way. Once I arrived after a 5 minute walk from the Marquette Hotel, I was in a book lovers dream! The bookstore is filled with an array of inventory, including local books, classics, new releases, children & teen books, accessories like bookmarks and stickers and even things for the home like candles and sage bundles. The owner, Miss Mary is just delightful. She introduced herself and we chatted for a while and let me know she was available if I needed help, I also noticed that she gave me space to browse freely and take in everything the store had to offer. If you are local, or visiting the area, please do yourself a favor and stop in to check out Strive Bookstore. We need to support our indie bookstores now more than ever!

Ashamed to say that I paid this store my first visit this past week especially with how long…read morethey've been open. I needed to escape my home and walked downtown. Popped in here for a totally unplanned visit and if they weren't closing in an hour it would have been really hard for me to leave. What a comforting corner in what can sometimes be gloomy downtown Minneapolis. Solid book collection. Found out they host book clubs and you can even start your own and host it there. There's tons of comfy seating. Bonus points that it's black owned! Will be back!

Comma is a retail bookstore in Minneapolis occupying a footprint of, I don't know, maybe 800 square…read morefeet. While the local narrative often emphasizes the importance of supporting independent shops, my recent visit suggests that this ideal may come at a significant cost to the consumer in terms of utility, comfort, and value. Logistics and Facilities The physical experience of visiting Comma is just abrasive. Parking in the immediate vicinity is difficult, which sets a frustrating tone before one even enters the building. Once inside, the limitations of the tiny floorspace become apparent. The selection is, by necessity, terribly limited. If you are searching for a specific title or a deep dive into a particular genre, this is statistically the last place you should look. Furthermore, the store offers no public restroom, a lack of basic facility that limits the duration and comfort of any visit. Atmosphere and Price The retail environment lacks any auditory masking. There is no background music, resulting in a deafening silence that feels more awkward than contemplative. Every book in the inventory is sold at full retail price. This raises a fundamental question regarding the "buy local" movement: what is the point of a business that offers less selection and higher prices than its competitors? We often speak of a duty to support small bookstores, but we must ask if that duty outweighs the consumer's right to find what they need at a competitive price. Service and Philosophy During my visit, I purchased several books at full price, yet the employee on duty was rude. This interaction highlights the core issue: a business is a business, regardless of its size. If a shop cannot provide a pleasant environment, a robust inventory, or even basic courtesy, its status as "local" should not exempt it from criticism. Conclusion The romanticized ideal of the small neighborhood bookstore needs to be re-examined when the reality is a lack of selection and poor service. I am officially putting a "comma" on my support of this specific model of local commerce. I spent my money here this time, but I will not be returning to this particular business. Ever. Consider that a "period." For those who prioritize finding the books they actually want without unnecessary hurdles, there are better options available.

Lovely little bookshop with an impeccable vibe--wish I lived nearby to check out the many book…read moreclubs! The collection is small but representative, and they have a fun collection of cards, stickers, and other merch. Also just a nice place to be--everyone who came in seemed friendly and thoughtful and got excellent, individualized service.

Very well curated selection. All the other positives in the other reviews here are true!read more

Weird and wonderful, eclectic selection of used books in a pocket-sized space. The first book that…read morecaught my eye was a book in French about China. My husband saw a book about making soymilk and a graphic introduction to Derrida directly opposite. How many bookstores can give you that kind of experience? It's the kind of store where you will find your college reading list (words of one fellow customer). Or that old cookbook that your Mom used to have. That random book your college friend told you about but you never bothered to pick up. A classic graphic novel that your art class peers recommended. You won't find everything you ever wanted to read, but there's a good chance you will find something that you didn't know you wanted to read. The store is a real community effort. One of the owner's friends happened to be there, and said that the owner had another store-full of books in his house. He had been collecting books over 15-20 years, carefully curating them for just this time. The shelves were made with brackets from a local department store that was closing. The owner's brother made the beautiful book cases on the floor. We found this place by chance looking for something to do Christmas day. In the spirit of the bookstore name, they had Jewish trivia, bagels, and mimosas. Some other people trickled in for the trivia, others did kind of float in and browse the books. We gathered around a small table toward the front and had a blast. The store was closing up soon after our trivia game ended, so I'll be back at some other time when it's warmer. A great addition to the neighborhood!

I just found a book I had bought here while I was visiting out of town and realized I never…read morereviewed this place. This quaint store has quite a large selection of books from every genre you can think of. If you look hard enough they have recent books. I ended up buying at the time a somewhat recent World War II book for cheap. The original price was about 20 something dollars but I paid about $9.00. Support your local used book store!

Awful, awful business practices. Recently I went into this dirty and dusty USED bookstore with 3…read morehardcover "FINE" or otherwise known as mint condition first edition Stephen King novels, Mitch Albrom, and a hardcover of "Cursed Daughters." Alll in all I sold over 20 books to them, for a total of $12. The owner went through the books and told me to take them somewhere else or take the $12 he offered. I am in a wheelchair and pretty tiny.... It felt just like being treated awful because I'm in a wheelchair and small. Go online to World of Books to sell your books for at least double the profit.

This location is less busy than my normal half price books, but the people there are nice. The used…read morebook prices are solid, especially as I'm building my library and their online store makes it so you can find basically anything you are looking for. They have legos, board games, vinyl records, notebooks, tarot cards, and so much more. They even have super cheap totes that are cute to boot.

There's always a deal and an amazing book waiting for you in this store... it can get crowded…read morequick, the staff are friendly. They have music and gifts as well. Personally I love this place for RPG and paranormal books. Prices are usually fair... but sometimes something's are a bit over priced...

i've ordered online and in person, such fast shipping got it in less than 2 days! had lots of…read morerecords to choose from and very organized.

PHENOMENAL! I love this place!!! It has the most coolest stuff from toys, Funko Pops to CDs to…read moreclothing to gifts! Its like a hybrid of Spencer's gifts, vinyl shop and head shop. Tons of random of random goodies and love their music books. The staff is uber friendly and knowledgeable! You won't be disappointed!!!