No. Keep walking. I love books but its not worth all the rules. Put your backpack down turn off your phone; Im surprised he didnt take a mugshot of me and fingerprint me. When I walked in I heard this voice behind the counter Have you been here before? there are rules... the guy should not be in business. Theyre less restrictions at the Art Institute.

First of all, if youre highly sensitive about customer service, this will not be the place for you (and I dont mean that negatively). Yes, he has a few rules that are meant to make the experience of a vintage bookstore be pleasant but some may find them restrictive. The no pictures policy Im sure its to prevent other stores from gleaming the hard work hes done to source the vast quantity of rare finds and Im totally gone with people having to mute their phones and not use them inside for calls. I wish more establishments enacted this policy. The selection of rare books is stellar. The proprietors knowledge is on par with that as well and the pricing is fair to the point of being underpriced often.

Very small and no parking but has ALOT of 📚

The owner is experienced and a real reader. Thanks for showing me more good books!

Small but packed full of interesting finds. Owner is very knowledgeable. Please ignore all the one star haters (cell phones are asked to be turned down or off) I imagine that has a negative impact on the sad souls that cant go more than 30 seconds without glancing at it!

The store contains a bit of must and tons of character, all added by the owner and proprietor. Bucket list store. Make sure your phone is off before entering.

I never post reviews, but the owner was so unnecessarily rude. You’re not that important, man. Decided before I even got past the entrance that I wouldn’t spend any money in that place.

Racist and xenophobic undertones. Went here on a whim. Like everyone else we were told of the no bag and no drink policy - no problem. After placing our stuff down, we were immediately asked if we speak english. It was unprompted and unnecessary, but such are racists. We left immediately. We werent in there for more than a minute.

Cute little store with lots of old books. I wish I had more time to just dig through the. The owner is always there and ready to help so if youre looking for something specific better ask.

Love this place. Wonderful selection of vintage Analog, Asimov, If etc SF magazines. You have to leave your bag on the floor before youre allowed near the books but the owner has an impressive knowledge of his stock & is an interesting man to chat to.

Clerk makes you feel completely unwelcome when you enter. Claustrophobic and cramped, smells bad. Not the lovely old book smell, just musty and moldy.

Owner is cool, every book you can think of & its all labeled so if you know what youre looking for it shouldnt be to hard to find.

Great book store with great options. Has the feel you want of an older book store, with the book collector to go along with it. If you need anything this is the place to look.

I thought the owner was fun to talk to and he was very knowledgeable. There was a large selection. Great book store!

Great place to get lost in for an hour, there is such a variety of books. Yes, the shop owner does not like you to be on your phone but he is is very helpful if you are looking for something specific or if you need a suggestion. I recommend going there a lazy afternoon and checking it out!

His rules are fine and books are SUPER organised for a used shop. Could smell better and not sure the smells are the books

One 9f the many awesome book stores in Chicago. Had a nice chat with the owner.

Going inside was a bit of a venture for me given the sheer volume of anti-Islamic, inflammatory, and generally racist books in the window. The owner, a sort of stuffy and grumpy fellow, has a strict no-phone policy in the store and has no qualms with repeating himself. He was otherwise out of the way for the rest of the experience. The floors and walls are moldy and creaky, going beyond what is acceptable for hipster or vintage credit. The history section, which was of the most personal interest to me, was full of excellent and rare books. The rest of the store consisted primarily of erotica and occult stuff, and the rest of the selection was weak. Unfortunately, the owners personal politics are on full display inside the store. I garnered a sense of nostalgic libertarianism from the place, which presented a certain sort of charm, but only the special kind that you can appreciate best as a straight White man. I wish more could be said for such an historic place, but at best, the Gallery is an oddity this side of Lakeview, and at worst, its a reprehensible relic that ought to be replaced by something with more tact, responsibility, and care, both in the walls and between them.

I walked in and was immediately asked what I wanted. I asked if it was ok to browse. The clerk said maybe, so I left.

Very friendly and well organized

I went in with a friend and the guy working there was hidden behind the counter ON HIS PHONE. Normally, I would love to look around a bookstore but it was so crammed that I just decided to wait while my friend looked for the book she came in for. On the way out, he told me to take my nose out of my phone as if he hadnt just been on his when I walked in the door? Extremely rude staff. Impossible to navigate store. Dont waste your time giving this place any business since theyre not even going to put in the time to clean it up. Clean up their attitude while theyre at it.

This is my favorite used bookstore after the sad passing of Aspidistra Books many years ago. Its intimate and cozy, and has a great selection of horror and sci-fi. Any used bookstore that has original editions of Arthur Machen is ok with me. This is a bookstore for book lovers.

Decent selection but the owner is as Islamophobic as they come. Prefer to spend my time and money elsewhere. :(

Rude and unwelcoming demeanor upon entry. Owner needs a nap.

Super rude. Didnt even make it through the entrance

This guy literally kicked my friend and me out of the store. He asked me if it was my first time there and I said. I was taking a picture and he told me that I was a criminal, proceeded to force me to delete it and kicked us out. Never going there again.

Great selection of nonfiction and the owner is a delight to talk to and is very knowledgeable.

Its crammed, but its crammed with books. The owner is eccentric, but he can name and find every book in that shop. And really, get off your damn phone. Just be with the books

Handsome staff, great music, this is THE place to go for first editions.

Dont come to this place! The owner is racist. He asked me if I speak English because of my skin color. He also asked me to put my phone on silent while he was watching TV loudly. This place is a joke.

Really fun

The man in the store is very rude and unfriendly. The books are not well organized. And the store smells really bad.

The owner is fun to talk to and he has a great selection.

The owner Bill is an amazing fountain of knowledge.

Great stuff, some cheap, some rare.

I love this place!

My favorite bookstore in Chicago

Fascists