Every April, independent bookstores celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with festivities, readings, and, for Chicago area book fans, a bookstore crawl that allows participants to get a percentage off their next year’s book buying, up to 15% off depending on how many bookstores you visit in a day.
This year, we stopped by a nearby bookstore and found it refreshingly swarmed with excited readers, browsing, buying, and getting their passports stamped. We mostly talk about old books and dead authors here on Penny Magic, but we thought we’d mix it up in honor of last month’s Independent Bookstore Day, and highlight five of our favorite Chicago bookstores. If you live here or you’re in town for the weekend, here are a few of our favorites, and there are many many more we haven’t listed. We should all be so lucky to live in a neighborhood with a great bookstore!
Chicago Bookstores Downtown:
Open Books
For great deals on used books, with profits going toward great causes, check out Open Books on Lake Street. Open Books carries a small selection of new books and generous rows of used books, stretching satisfyingly back into the store. We love Open Books for impulse buys and buying big quantities of children’s books to give to our book-devouring nieces and nephews. Buy from Open Books online
Location: 651 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661
Sandmeyer’s Bookstore
Sandmeyer’s Bookstore has been a fixture in Printers Row, a small neighborhood just south of the Loop, since 1982. This is where we stopped last month for Independent Bookstore Day and where we love to stop and browse whenever we’re nearby. Located right next to Printers Row Park where the farmers’ market takes place in the summer and Printers Row Lit Fest takes place each fall, make sure to read some of the title recommendations from the staff as you browse. Or don’t, if you’ve reached the end of your book budget for the month and you don’t want to be tempted to buy more. Buy from Sandmeyer’s online
Location: 714 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605
Exile in Bookville
Exile in Bookville is right in the heart of downtown and yet somehow feels like a secret world away. Located on the second floor of the Fine Arts Building, Exile in Bookville feels like you’re being invited to an exclusive club, one where the booksellers know what’s going to be hot next and have a deep love and appreciation for the books that have been in the world for a while. Plus, you can tell as you browse that they have married their love for books with their love for music (in case you couldn’t tell from the Liz Phair-inspired store name!), a combo that will never get old. Buy from Exile in Bookville online
Location: Fine Arts Building, 410 S Michigan Ave Suite 210, Chicago, IL 60605
Chicago North Side Bookstore: The Book Cellar
At the center of the cozy neighborhood of Lincoln Square, you can spend a sunny spring morning eating pastries or brunch and then browsing at the Book Cellar. Another shop with great staff recommendations, this store also has an attached cafe, so if you need even more fuel for your book-finding, you can load up on coffee as you browse. If you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to check out their calendar of events and readings. Buy from The Book Cellar online
Location: 4736-38 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Chicago South Side Bookstore: Powell’s Books Chicago
One short express bus ride south of the Loop (or a quick drive down Lake Shore Drive) will take you to Hyde Park, where one of our other favorite bookstores sits on 57th Street, just west of Jackson Park.
Powell’s Books Chicago is a great spot for obscure finds and fan favorites. Located near the University of Chicago, you can tell that the academic world is not far away from their selection of used books. We keep a list of used books we are on the hunt for, and Powell’s Books Chicago has been the spot where we’ve been able to check off from our list. Buy from Powell’s online
Location: 1501 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637