Great selection and atmosphere. I love a bookstore where the air smells heavy with books. The staff was super friendly and helpful. We popped in not to long before closing and were able to score some good books

The store is neat! When you first walk in youll be greated gracefully and its very welcoming. The staff were amazing with helping me find the books I wanted. Overall I would definitely recommend it if you have some cash and are a reader, youll definitely leave with a few books in hand.

Great locally-owned book store in heart of shopping district. Most books in basement so do not be fooled by looking in windows as main floor is small. There are many well done displays and staff very helpful if your looking for anything specific. Also found very cool writing journal.

The minute we saw it we had to go in this bookstore. If you enjoy reading this a great place to walk through. Books were display well, it was inviting to walk in.

It was a nice little privately owned bookstore to find nestled between so many big box stores which have taken over the area. The owner was friendly and helpful and the store carried both new and used books which were marked down.It seemed to carry most well known authors and classic titles of fiction. I would have easily bought more than the one that I had, if I wasnt traveling through via train and had tried to pack as light as possible. Ill definitely revisit next time in town.

After-words was a lovely bookstore with a good selection of used material. The organizational ideas were nice, and I really liked the specifically organized endcaps. Nice place!

Talk to the people working here. They have a lot to say about Chicago and its books. Of course they have more suggestions and inspiration beyond Chicago. Missing star is for the lgbt approach: they are under the gender studies category...in Chicago, the most progressive metropole on earth...come on....

Amazing! We stumbled on this golden nugget walking around after a dinner out. I’ve been looking for a good book to take me away but have been unsuccessful. The woman at the register (?owner) asked if I wanted a recommendation and asked me for a couple of books I had recently read and enjoyed. She then proceeded to give me 2 perfectly curated recommendations with author and a 5 minute plot summary (off the top of her head!). I left with two brand new books for my vacation. Perfect!

A wonderful curated selection of books. Staff and owner are knowledgeable and attentive if you choose to engage them, otherwise you can browse undisturbed for hours.

Kind of expensive. Second hand and new books mixed, kind of confusing. Although the place and the staff are very nice.

Cool place to look around and exploring

Guy at the front was super helpful and knowledgeable. Thank you!

Cozy and safe from the virus. The staff is helpful and the books smell like books! What more could you need? Wide selection ✔ bestsellers ✔ excellent layout ✔ book-filled basement to get lost in ✔

Always excellent finds and the staff are enthusiastic about books.

Local, independently owned bookstore with a nice selection of both new and used books. There were a few newer titles I was looking for that they did not have, but overall it had a wide array and even had a few autographed copies.

Great store atmosphere and a large selection of books

Excellent bookstore in the heart of downtown/River North. Giant selection. Helpful staff. Good prices on new & used books. A gem!

Bigger bookstore than expected. The selection seemed broad. They are currently still very sensitive to Covid protocols.

Great place for a kids book or your next novel.

This bookstore is quite and well kept and absolutely no traffic 😁 if youre an introvert and like to take your time browsing for the perfect book than this is the Library for you🤗

Fantastic selection of both new and used books spanning two floors. Great children and graphic novel/arts section. Well organized inventory in a beautiful space.

Nice book store in north loop area. Support them!

Everyone that Ive encountered from this establishment were very proficient and very friendly, a 5 star experience for me...keep up the good work.

This is a wonderful little bookshop. I wandered around for a couple of hours just enjoying it. The staff was quite helpful and knowledgeable. If you have a backpack or a bag they will store it behind the counter for you. There is a local interest section that has a great variety of Chicago history. Their history section is pretty extensive as well. I found a copy of The Dream and the Tomb. It is a brief history of the crusades. I lost my copy many years ago and found it here for $12. Score. Stop by and enjoy this little bookshop if you have the time.

The woman working the counter gives an attitude that she really doesnt want to be there and doesnt want anyone else to be there either. Theres nothing particularly special about this bookstore. In a time when bookstores are struggling it hurts to see one like this operate as though the customer is lucky to be allowed to grace their doors.

Still closed to in store shopping! Really? The whole U of C area is still living in deadly fear of Covid. C’mon people get on with life and accept the minimal risks we now face. Do you plan to stay closed forever?

A great local book store

Nice selection.

Amazing bookstore with a wide selection of titles. If youre visiting Chicago, set aside a couple of hours for this gem

Great bookstore, good atmosphere, lots of books, didnt find many second hand books, but definitely will be back again. Thanks

Large selection of Islamic books and the owner is friendly. Sanitizer provided at the door!

Had a large number of books, mostly fiction, but also many biographies, essays, etc.

Lovelly

Cute! nice store!

Great independent bookstore!

Great place for book lovers. Well definitely be back.

So glad we found After-Words Bookstore and stopped in. Make sure you look, as the store sign is in the window, not on the building so we almost missed it. Aftet-words is worth the search! I could spend hours there. Something for everyone, including comfy seating. The owner is very friendly and helpful. Look forward to many visits on future trips to Chicago.

Really good bookstore with great selection

What a beautiful wonder! Enter to wooden book shelves and wooden seats for your leisure with a spectacular view out of floor to ceiling windows of the city. Or climb down well trodden upon sturdy wooden stairs with steel pipes to the basement/ bottom floor that houses rows upon rows of book shelves and a rocking chair to recline upon to test read your very next purchase. :)also, the gray stone wall and exposed pipping is such a cool concept. Visually pleasing. The selection are wide and well organized

I like the idea of having an independent book store downtown, but this isnt a great one. I called to order a book three weeks ago and they said they would call me when it was ready, so I called to check on its status today and the woman on the phone said her manager MIGHT be putting in an order in a few weeks. That would have been helpful information when I initially put in the order since its for a book club. Ive also been in the store a few times and have gotten weird attitude from the people who work there. Luckily I have another independent book store near my house which Ill be going to from now on, but this place definitely does not encourage people to shop local vs. going straight to Amazon.

Good local bookstore option within walking distance of Michigan Ave.

My daughter was looking for a book that she enjoyed reading in school. We could not find it easily online and started hunting at bookstores. After-words was recommended to us by another store, and it is definitely worth the trip! The staff could not have been more helpful and knowledgeable. The selection was fantastic, we found our original book and picked up two more!

Sweet little independent. Helpful staff. Good selection for its size. New and used books intershelved, which I like. Accessibility issue, see below. I dont care for music, especially something with a thumping beat, in a bookstore, but theyre not alone in this. Upstairs is mostly kids books and poetry, according to the staffer on duty. Everything else is downstairs. I would give five stars, but no handicapped access. If you cant use stairs, you dont get to see everything else.

New and old books

Love it such a cute little store

Very cute store! very well organized and a really nice variety of new and used.

Feel like it keeps getting harder to find good bookstores with great prices. Found this gem on our last day in Chicago and probably spent an hour browsing the shelves. They had just about every book I was after and the prices were pretty good. I’d recommend this place to any book worm out there.

They buy your used books and give store credit only, but then they cannot fulfill your requests to order books in any kind of remotely timely fashion. So if you dont want what they are currently selling, probably think twice about selling your books. They are likely to turn into a donation.

If you love books, this bookstore is a must visit. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. I love the managers/owners, who love to chat about books.Seriously. Take the time to drop in. You wont regret it.

Nice bookstore and open. Social distance and hand sanitizer/gloves available at the front.

Every time I’m in Chicago I visit this bookstore at least a couple of times. I always end up leaving with a new treasure! Love that it’s located right in the heart of the city which is where I usually stay, walking distance from every hotel I stay at.

So happy I found this lovely bookstore. The selection of books is amazing. They have new releases but also the classics everyone loves. The staff was friendly and patient. I will definitely be returning in the near future.

What a fun place to get lost in. Great selection of new and used books in their basement area. Great place to browse and find something to read which you might otherwise not think of. Highly recommend stopping in if youre visiting Chicago and enjoy books.

Very cute bookstore with laid-back, welcoming employees.

I have been a customer since 1997. This 2 level store has new and used books blended together. I love to sell my books here for credit. They can order books I want and I frequently find must have books while browsing. Beverly is so knowledgeable and I can donate books they do not buy to a local charity. If you are downtown and want a great browsing bookstore, go here.

Very good bookstore. The main place is in the basement. Its full of books, for every customer I guess. It was nice to be there. I spent an hour or so walking around, reading, taking this or that book. There are old titles, even out of print, that you can get or ask for. Highly recommended.

Best card selection ever. A nice mix of clever, artful and original. Sometimes all in the same card.Worth going out of my way and braving the dodgy parking lot.

Lovely little used book store. Such a friendly staff member who helped us find a few books we wanted. Had a nice look around and a lovely chat. Great book store with some really cool rare books.

This is a clean, uncluttered, well-stocked bookstore. I visited with my four children, ages 4-13, and each of us found something in the topic area that most interested us. The staff person was helpful and pleasant. I loved that there wasnt a lot of music or distracting visual clutter. I tend to get way overstimulated in most public places, but this actually felt like a respite from the noise outside. I would definitely recommend it.

This place was a really neat book store we just stumbled upon during a visit to Chicago. Fair prices and the staff was amazing. Very genuine store that I was happy to support and would recommend.

The person running this establishment has an excellent knowledge of all ages and reading levels. She knows her store and selections she doesnt have in stock. Makes excellent recommendations and has insightful conversations

Very nice. Very large selection underground and very nice staff member working there.

I found this little gem when I was walking by. My kids love to read and I thought this was going to be a book store with no childrens books but I was wrong. The selection isnt as large as Barnes and Noble but it is still a great place to visit.

Was able to find the book I was looking for. Then during checkout the owner introduced me to other like minded works. Deffiently going back here.

Lovely discovery! Prices are good and the reading areas are cozy.

Come for the books, stay for the books

Found excellent books here. Lots of options

My daughter loved the after-words bookstore. It had a very good selection of new and used books at very good prices.

Very thoughtful selection of titles - new & used. Pleasant service. Recommended.

Excellent organized bookstore with new and classic books. This store doesnt have many used books though.

This is a cool store. Lots to choose from. Much better selection of cooking/culinary related books than I expected. Found a few gems there, but some were a bit pricey.

I stopped by one day to ask for directions, not even buy a book, because I am not that well familiar with the area. Whoever was working in front that night was super rude. I didnt get her name but she looked at me like I should know my way around the city and was not sincere at all. I know where Im not going next time for a book. Maybe hire cheerful people.

Upper level has a nice selection of Chicago themed books, lower level has a bookcase or two for each of the usual genres. Last few times Ive been in, the staff has been crusty and unpleasant. Too bad, this bookstore has a ton of potential but Im not in a hurry to go back.

Excellent selection of used and new books, I loved the Award Winners table, some really fun ideas! And the childrens books were delightful!

A decent selection. Sometimes you find a good pick, but often you dont. This is strange for its size; for being so large you should be able to find something good every time.Unfortunately the staff is beyond rude. Its always from the same woman, said her name was Angie, at the front counter and it has happened the last three times I have been there.You dont have much interaction with a bookstore clerk. Usually its just asking where a book is or keep the receipt or something similar. Somehow she manages to inject nastiness into these ephemeral interactions. Whether its making faces, putting that little bit of stank into her tone of voice or acting like youre bothering her when asking where a book is, she is habitually mean and nasty.I tried to rectify it with the manager the last time it happened, said his name was J.C., and he said, and I quote: What do you want me to do about it?Afterwords, I have been a loyal customer of yours for many years. I have brought friends to your store. I went in with cash to buy books today. But if something isnt done about the way your employees talk to loyal customers, I am out for good.

Awesome bookstore with lots of variety! Lots of books by feminist authors and books about different subjects like history, fiction, food, and more. Made for a perfect date night with my Girlfriend during our visit to IL.

Glad to see its still here!

I was glad that i came across this bookstore. I was really impressed with how many books that they had for sale. I spent more money than i wanted too but since it was for books i was ok with that. :) Glad that i stopped there while i was visiting Chicago.

Absolutely love this store. Visited from Canada and the storefront caught our eye. We talked with the owner for almost an hour after finding a few very interesting used books. Their book selection is always rotating which makes for a really quality library. When we return to Chicago im sure we will be returning for another longer visit

Convenient location and good selection of books but pricey.

Great bookstore with old and new books. Hard to browse through fiction as there is so much though. But definitely worth the visit!!

Great bookstore ! I typically dont like used-books bookstores but this is so organized with great selection. Id definitely return !

The selection in here seems small until you walk downstairs and have rows upon rows of different sections of books. I found some very wonderful old time childrens books on top of a newbie for myself. It was honestly hard to not pick more due to the mini sale prices around the shop.

Downtown location means parking is a hindrance. Good variety of topics. Some specialization. Helpful staff (I called ahead for info). Few reading spots.

Nice little shop. Walking directions from Google are in error. Not the stores fault. But you might have to call them for help getting there on foot.

Great place to browse new and old! Don’t look for specific things, instead discover!

Great full srrvice bookstore. Carries both new & used bold in a very wide variety of subject areas. Author reading events. Whats not to love?

The staff are always lovely and there is a large selection of books, wonderfully arranged. I did not find what I was looking for but walked away happily with 4 other books :). I believe they also have programs for children, worth checking out if youre in the area.

This is a good store for browsing, although it has its quirks. At least its clean and quiet. Prices are high, but Im sure the rent isnt cheap this close to the Magnificent Mile. Most of the books are downstairs, so theres a lot more than what you see looking through the window.

Tucked in the middle of imposing skyscrapers this cozy space is a wonderful respite from the bustle of the city. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Good selection of books.

Excellent variety of hard to find titles and genres. Older rustic vibe bookstore.

A fairly large selection from a multitude of genres. New and used mixed together, but otherwise a very well organized book shop.

These guys are great, I needed to pick up a book for my moms bday and couldnt find it anywhere else in the city/also didnt have time to wait buying online. They were super friendly and helpful on the phone, then offered to stay open late so that I could pick up the book after work, luckily I made it in time for their 10 pm closing anyway but found the gesture and smiling faces upon arrival, with book set aside for me to be very helpful and appreciated.

Love this local bookshop; fantastic selection of books and great atmosphere! Recommend!

Great bookstore. Fav one in Chicago. Recommended

Great bookstore just off the mag mile. Wonderful hidden gem!

Great selection, pretty easy layout, lots of low prices. Would love to just spend hours in there

I walked in with leftover pizza in a bag and every aisle smelled like pizza afterward. Sorry about that. Great bookstore.

Loved this bookstore. Great selection at good prices

This is my favorite bookstore in Chicago. The staff members are friendly but let you browse in peace. And, oh my goodness, that huge basement level of books! I could wander around down there for hours.