I could easily spend hours in this store, a fantastic selection with an enthusiastic crowd of avid readers. Their COVID-19 precautions are so thoughtful and organized as well. Very much appreciated.

Excellent and valuable resource for the area and anyone who likes to read. They deserve and will get my continued support. I only wish I lived closer.

I absolutely loved the sheer selection of books here! They had things organized so well. The childrens section was fabulous with lots of options that arent easy to find. Staff was friendly. Very good atmosphere and super cute. Loved it and will definitely go again.

An amazing atmosphere and very welcoming. I actually went in there for the first time to share my book, and the owner was so friendly and welcoming. They have an amazing collection of books and bookish gift ideas. Absolutely amazing!!!!!

I’ve been there at least 30 times over the course of 15 years and it is by far the best bookstore I have been to. They have an amazing and special collection of books and a friendly and helpful staff. I highly recommend visiting this wonderful shop.

Best bookstore ever! I always buy a book there that I do my best finished

Women & Children First combines the charms and personal customer service of a local bookstore with the resources and influence of a major store, hosting influential authors like Isabelle Allende and Chelsea Clinton. One of my favorite parts is reading the handwritten recommendation cards by different employees. I literally had a second date here.

Carefully curated selection. Helpful staff. I love their selection of cards as well as their books.

Love supporting local book stores and this one is one of my favorites. Their stuff is very kind and theg hace a really good selection of books. I also love their commitment in social issues. They really contribute a lot to our community. Keep the great job!!!

I really want to like this store but every time I go in there I have a very negative experience.The store is cool, well organized, cozy and easy to browse. It’s also very clean.But for some reason the staff is just absolutely RUDE and condescending towards me every time I go in. They seem to pick and chose who they treat nicely and who they don’t in there. I literally never spoken a word to them besides some small talk at the checkout but even then it’s always so unpleasant. I would never go back there again and that being said I’ve been there at least a dozen times.If you’re in that area just walk 2 min down the street to Uncharted books. They are much friendlier and would not have the same sort of attitude!

Wide selection of contemporary books and LGBTQ+ literature! I happened upon this place today and was pleasantly surprised.

Always an excellent selection of the most current and unique books. The staff are great.

Ordering my annual WeMoon calendars was a breeze. Conveniently, one was shipped to my sister in California for me. I safely picked up my copy using their very easy curbside service. Thank you!

One of the most positive and safe retail experiences Ive had recently. Always loved this place but seeing the precautions they put in place to make it COVID safe were amazing. They regulated how many people were in the store at a time, made where everyone was wearing masks properly and required hand sanitizer.Not only that, when I ordered online they were so quick and effective with putting together my order, despite the food of orders theyve had.Support local, especially them!

Phenomenal Bookstore with attentive staffAnd great selection of queer authors.

Great selection. I browsed past a nice mix of commercial stuff and less common titles. The location and ambience are also very enjoyable.

I love this place. An Andersonville classic. Great selection, might be a little more expensive but its worth it to support independent writers, publishers and community bookstores.

Always a great experience even with the covid adjustments

The best bookstore in Chicago

This is such a cool bookstore. I love how the staff have little notecard reviews that are handwritten for the books they have read. I take the time to read these notecards. There are so many appealing books here, the organization is simple and beautiful, its like being in a candy store but of books. Its called Women and Children First, but I think this a great bookstore for anyone. I also love hearing the intellectual conversations of people discussing books, and why they did not like them. I will be coming back. Great neighborhood gem.

Love this bookstore, its a great atmosphere and very interesting to browse around the aisles, and the staff always have great and unique recommendations! During the COVID-19 shutdown, I ordered from them online and got my books in 2 days! I would urge everyone whos buying books right now to consider ordering from your local bookstore so that places like this can continue to thrive.

Owned by a woman, friendly staff, liberal environment, pro-lgbtq+! Theres a wide selection of books and a whole section dedicated to lgbtq literature! They have a 12 person limit and they disinfect the store regularly. Overall, its a great place to look for books and shop during covid.

Great local bookstore with a solid selection

Love their staff recommendations. I always feel so at home here

Ive been to Chicago many times over the years, and had never known about this bookstore until tonight. I came here for a book talk that a friend of mine was giving on her recently published book. Wow, was I missing out all those previous years visiting this city. I cant wait to come back to Chicago and visit this bookstore againThis establishment is 1 of 10 Feminist bookstores still operating America. They have a wonderful selection of books and gifts. The staff and owners are amazing and hold numerous community events thought out the year. I could spend hours here looking for new books and chatting with local people. Please, if youre in the area, stop in and enjoy this gem of Chicago. You will not be disappointed

My favorite bookstore. Got a great selection - including cookbooks and kids books and lots of novels and interesting nonfiction. Super friendly staff and my favorite place to sell books too. Love this spot.

Cashier was rude about having to order a book they had in stock but was damaged. Other than that, supporting local is awesome. 🤘

This book store is one of the best kept secrets in the world. The staff is amazing and knowledgeable, the events are amazing and inclusive-- and this is the best of small, independent business.

Wonderful bookstore that does a great job supporting local artists and authors.

Family friendly, woman-centered (but not only women) book store where staff is friendly, eager to help you find the perfect book for yourself or as a gift. Lots of programs for kids and adults.A fun place to stop in and browse and hopefully find something to buy.

Independent, queer centric, feminist, local. All the best things with an amazing selection of books!

This place is heaven.The book selection is interesting, well curated, and full of staff pics and reviews on the shelves, which I love. (Does any bookstore lover *not* love seeing lots of staff pics and handwritten review tags?!) On top of the great book selection they have such a great card collection. I love sending mail and collect cards everywhere I go to send out later, I found many here Id never seen before. Cant wait to go back!

Always a wonderful safe place and local staple of Andersonville. So glad I dropped in when I moved back after 6 years away

Great selection, helpful staff, really an amazing place.

Always have an amazingly curated selection of books on varied and interesting topics and genres. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Besides just the display tables at the front which are always kept with fresh releases and monthly themes, shelves have staff recommendation cards to highlight other books.This is a great spot to stop in and browse for something new and phenomenal. My friends from out of town still talk about the amazing books selection here.

Love this small feminist bookstore. They have great books, staff and special events. A true gem in the city!

Great first Puzzlefest!

I love this place. Their story time for children on Wednesdays is wonderful, and the employees are always friendly and provide great recommendations. Its a neighborhood gem!

Has to be the most intersectional bookstore in the country, as well as a true neighborhood gem. Plan to spend plenty of time because there is so much goodness to see. Love that there are reminders for non-binary behavior.

My favorite bookstore! Personal service. Books from large and small presses. Strong selection of childrens books and LGBT books, as well as lots of books by women. Helpful staff. Nice gift items.

Extremely knowledgeable and helpful staff! The holiday gift wrapping was such a big help and done beautifully. Ive been going to the store for many years and will continue being an enthusiastic customer.

The wrong volume was ordered by the clerk. No care was given to inform prior to ordering that refunds were not allowed. This book was needed for class for our child. In an attempt to shop local we unfortunately lost funds and time. The lack of willingness to both educate and inform shoppers of policy prior to them spending money makes all the difference in the world. As first time shoppers here we’ve learned brick and mortar isn’t always best. This was a disappointing experience. Now we’re scrambling to both get this in time for our kiddo and chalk up funds wasted. Not a pleasant experience at all.

I love everything about Women and Children First! They have a great variety of books and so many genres and authors to learn about and discover. I love wandering around this place!

Fabulous bookstore, one of very few feminist bookstores remaining in the US... And the best one Ive ever visited, by far! Books, magazines, and an outstanding childrens and YA section, focusing on positive female role models for girls, and overlooked women in history. There is also a strong LGBT and general leftist political representation among the books. And its a FUN place, bright and inviting and invigorating to explore. Jokes and barbs about humourless, dour feminists should not prevent anyone from visiting, the people here seem wonderful and passionate, and the store welcomes patrons of ALL genders and sexualities.

I have always loved this store for its heart, for its extraordinarily diverse collections, and for its commitment to the community and its patrons. It is a bright and well-ordered space with a kind and helpful staff, and the displays always hold both the familiar and the unexpected.

Great childrens section with comfy places to sit and read undisturbed. a no-pressure, progressive environment, quiet, laid-back with lots of light.many cool events, author readings, book clubs...wish I lived closer--would be here all the time.

Love love loved the huge selection of feminist books. Something for everybody for sure!

It has a wide selection of thoughtful choices to pick from. Staff is lovely. Go whenever I get the chance.

We love to bring our family here, the selection and atmosphere are great. They also have a really good weekly storytime for little ones. Also celebrated female authors visit regularly! A great cornerstone of the neighborhood, this is the place to go for books.

Love this book store! Got great gifts here for kids, and they had a decent Sci-fi section Ill be coming back for.

Adorable book store in Andersonville! They have a large selection of books. The staff is also super friendly and helpful in finding books throughout the store. I especially love their selection of LGBTQ+ books and zines (self published books and comics).

Great selection of curated titles. Really liked the magazine and periodical selections. Friendly and helpful staff.

This is a great local bookstore. I visited this past weekend with my 10 month old daughter. I was very impressed with the childrens book selection. If you are looking for something special to read too or with your little one this is a great place to go. The staff was very helpful and knowledgeable of the texts. I over heard one of the employees helping a customer and I was amazing at how knowledgeable she was on the texts they offer in store and the recommendations she was giving. I purchased a couple books and we sat on one of the comfy couches and enjoyed our time together. Forget the major bookstores. Im coming here from now on.

Great place and people

Feminist bookselling legends keep the neighborbood alive with activist energy and an incredible selection of diverse titles including those of local Chicago authors, some of them featured live in exciting readings!

Great service and atmosphere. Warm, friendly

I love this bookstore. I always come out with something interesting, whether its a new notebook, a novel, or a nonfiction book. Lately theyve had a couple cool pins and magnets too.

We have loved this bookstore for many years. Great selection of books, terrific atmosphere and friendly knowledgable staff.

Support local bookstores!

Support your local book store!! Great programming for kids and adults. Some of the best and most thoughtful reviews which make me want to read everything and always discover something new.

Women & Childrens First is an iconic bookstore, a feminist institution, and a city treasure. It is also a delightful place to shop with excellent selection of books on a wide range of subjects, friendly, informed staff, regular readings and events, cute gifts, and more. I try to buy all my books from them. We need Women & Children First.

My book club met here yesterday so I liked there was a meeting space for these type of events. Staff was friendly and made us feel welcomed.

Whenever Im in Andersonville, I make it a point to stop into this bookstore. The recommendations are always great reads and the staff are super helpful in my experience. Its a welcoming and diverse atmosphere.

My experience here was amazing with many feminist books. I really liked the staff showing me the newest, hottest takes on feminism. I did however have one problem. I was SHOCKED when I noticed there was no Kill all men books. I also did not see any books on sperm mines for men. However feminism rules and men can die. A great place indeed except for the man working there.

The staff is friendly and the selection incredible! I can always trust that Ill find something excellent. A staple of the neighborhood & a necessary stop for book lovers.

Every time I go here, I want to buy everything. It’s a dangerous store to go into :D They have a great selection and really support POC, LGBTQIA community, and people of all abilities via their book and author selections.And their kids books! I think my view of the world would have been much different if I had such supportive and world-opening books when I was young. If I had kids I would shop here for them all the time.Support this store!!

Great book shop. Service and selection are top-notch.

Fantastic selection of books you cant get anywhere else!

Wonderful!One of the Great independent book stores still surviving.. so nice to have a community business engaged w the community they do business in.

Personal service from knowledgeable staff. Great selection of adult and childrens fiction and non-fiction. Accessible to public transportation, limited parking in back.

I dont even want to rate this one star I went for a book signing and I had to wait over and hour and I was in the middle of the line and there was only about 50 people. The employee went to help and take pictures and she took forever. It felt like she was doing 100 pictures for every person. Just a little advice if your going to a book signing bring a lawn chair. And prepare to wait forever in a line that moves one step every 20 mins.

Love this place :)

Consistently excellent, staff always helpful no matter how busy or how esoteric the request

Legend!

Hands down one of my favorite spaces to be. love the staff recommendations, selection of books, and everything else they have here! #shoplocal

Lots of variety of books nicely laid out in a clean quaint bookstore. The staff is very helpful with any questions you may have.

Awesome selection of books and events. So glad to be back in a city that celebrates books.

I love this place. I love what it stands for. I love what it does. Amazing local bookstore. A must-see for any Chicago dweller.

Lovely bookstore; fun merchandise; sad they didnt have any of the four books I was looking to purchase. I will try again.

GREAT selection of books and a wonderful atmosphere

I love this bookstore for its friendly staff and amazing book collection. Great childrens section! And cookbooks too! They also have great readings and other community events.

It is a great stop and resource for the community. I was happy to see they have a wide selection. Also, the space is warm and inviting.

Wonderful independent, feminist-oriented neighborhood bookstore with large kids section.

I cant rave enough about this bookstore! Its an absolute gem of a shop with terrific gift items, interesting events, a welcoming atmosphere, and spot on staff book recommendations. Seriously, every single book recommended to me from one of the staff members of WCF has been stellar! What are you waiting for? JUST GO!

This is a great place I wish I had time to stop in for some of their events.

Always wonderful and knowledgeable folks that work there.i always end up walking out with a treasure!

Great feminist book store. Good selection of books tailored to racial, gender, and social justice. Ive been to a number of really interesting author talks here. They have a feminist book club.

Lovely selection of important and need to read items. So nice to see somethings not on the mass media push.

As a woman & mother I always feel welcome here.

Full of great books especially for parents who want to raise conscientious children. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. A great experience!

Charming shop with a thoughtful collection, and friendly and insightful staff. I could live here

Owners and staff (all women, contrary to another reviewers assertion) will give you the best recommendations for mind-expanding, inclusive literature. Tons of community events in the evening encouraging thoughtful discourse.Oh, and this store did not jump off the set of Portlandia; it predates that show by decades! Could be the other way around, though.

Awesome variety of eclectic reading.

One of the most colorful, charming places I have ever been. Incredible community of women supporting women.

Women & Children First is a classic Chicago bookstore with an excellent selection of books by and/or for feminists, and its absolutely a shop that everyone should visit and support. Very friendly staff, a great atmosphere to the place, and situated in a cool neighborhood.

My favorite bookstore in Chicago. The owner is awesome, the employees are amazing. Their book selection is superior to all other bookstore Ive been to so far.

The selection may be politically focused, but you can order in any book to the store for pick up! The staff is great and the atmosphere is welcoming.

One of my all-time favorite bookstores. Cozy spaces, knowledgeable staff, and a wonderful selection.

One of my favorite bookstores in Chicago. Love supporting my local book vendor!

This is one of those local businesses you really want to support. Tons of great books, they are upfront about what they care about, and they offer gift wrapping.