The Bookstore

This place is great! I was looking for some hiking books I saw at Barnes and Noble. I thought they probably won’t have such books here, but I checked anyways, and they did. In fact, they had a lot of the same books Barnes and Noble has for way cheaper. Wish the travel section was a bit bigger, but I bought a hiking book and fat atlas of France for just $ 17.00. Only recommendation, I wish they would put a price sticker on the outside. I saw the original $ 20.00 price tag on the atlas, and thought it cost $ 20.00, so I was surprised when the girl only charged $ 17.00 for everything. I didn’t notice until afterwards, that the store’s price was written on the inside. They should write it somewhere where it’s more visible. Other than that, I have no complaints. I will probably come back to this place a few more times to see if they have anything else I like. I should’ve asked them if they BUY books.

Chico’s own local used bookstore that carries a surprising variety of subjects and titles for its size. The owners and staff are delightful people. Not only do they sell books, yes, but they also host cultural art events at the store as well including modern dance, fashion, readings, etc. What a gem.

One of my favorite places (not just bookstores) in all of Chico. Used to walk by it everyday on my way home from work and couldn’t help but stop. I love the musty, used book store smell and the creaky wooden floors. Their kid’s section is huge. My four year old always has the hardest time deciding which book/​s he wants with so many options but that’s fine by me as it allows me more time to browse the labyrinth of shelves throughout the store. I don’t go there as often as I used to but still make a point of going at least once a month. I would recommend others do the same. Especially parents.

I love The Bookstore! A great selection of art books — many bestsellers for much less than new.

Super helpful. Spent six months tracking down a book, low and behold The Bookstore had it. Seeing as I was 2500 miles away in NY, they did everything in their power to make me a satisfied customer over the phone. Great customer service and the book that was shipped to me arrived in perfect condition.

Yes, It’s still on my «must do» list but I must retract what I said about it being disorganized. Now the fellow at the desk can take you to the clearly labeled section and the books are alphabetical by author… wow. Please read my previous review, you gotta love those squeaky wooden floors. Get a pastry and coffee at the Upper Crust next door and you’re ready for a great day.

I have to say it’s a very cool bookstore, but I’m pretty bummed out with there service. I am a local college student and was looking to buy an art book, I was 1 dollar short. I asked if they did a college discount or could help work with me because that’s all the money I had, and they told me no they don’t do that. Was trying to support local but guess I’ll just turn to amazon where it’s cheaper anyways…

I love coming here with the kids to pick up cheap used books. They have a large kids section and I love that it’s separated by reading level. Every time we go we get about 10 books for around 20 bucks. Great deal!
I have yet to explore the adult sections but the place is pretty big.
Good luck parking on the weekends. Street only. Ride your bike!

I have been coming here for about six years now, since I started school in Chico. Overall I like this bookstore and would recommend visiting when you feel like perusing a used bookstore. The only other place I go in chico for books are the thrift shops. If they had a clearance section I would probably give it 5 stars.
Some positives:
–The customer service has always been good, they have even looked on the shelves for specific books for me over the phone
–They have a considerable selection
–Sometimes the books here are cheaper than amazon/​ebay
–They take into account condition, so you can find multiple copies of the same book at different prices, so check them all if you care to.
–The organization seems to be getting better over time
Some negatives:
–I like it when used bookstores have a clearance section, and this bookstore never has.
–sometimes the books here are more expensive than they would be on amazon, including shipping. It is rare that the books seem like a really good deal for used, instead they seem like «fair» prices. (but hey, it’s nice to support them over amazon if the price difference is minimal)

I sort of collect bookstores, and this one is pretty! It’s pretty well curated, but the lady working there (I think there was only one) didn’t seem super interested in any of the customers who were in the store. I wish I’d hand longer to peruse — I could probably stay in there for hours. Books are a little pricier than you typically see in a dingy sort of used bookstore, but not outrageous.

Update: Now the guy who really did run it all this time, does own it with his wife, because the of arc of history bends towards justice. The Bookstore just keeps getting better.

This is a great shop. The store is packed full of amazing books and organized and clean. The old owner was a bit rude, but I hear he’s retired and some new young people have taken over – more power to them! The prices are really not bad. Every time I have gone in, I’ve come out with a bunch of gems. Check this place out!

I have only been here 2 times but this place is a book lovers dream!!! GREAT place and amazing selection. All of the books are reasonable priced and they even have a great selection for kids. I will definitely be back here in the near future. :)

Great selection, especially of kids books. Almost makes me wish I had kids so I could take them here… almost. Employees are friendly and knowledgeable.

This place is a treasure! For a used bookstore its very large and has an incredible selection. I hardly ever buy new because I know that I can almost certainly find what I’m looking for there. Although, most of the time I’m not looking for something, and I just browse until I find something awesome or just stop to read for awhile…
To the people feeling screwed on trade-​ins, or complaining that prices aren’t garage sale cheap… how do you expect them to make any money at all if they didn’t have a profit margin on these types of things? Keeping in mind that they’re a downtown business with an incredible selection, their prices are remarkably fair.
I love the Bookstore, and I’ll definitely keep going back.

The Bookstore is the best used bookstore in Northern California. I have been shopping there since I went to Chico State. And now that I live in Southern CA, I ALWAYS stop buy when I’m visiting to scoop up a stack of used books! They have an amazing selection. Don’t believe most of the people that complain about the prices. They’re great because the books are almost always in great condition.
With that said, the place is a disorganized mess. None of the books are organized and you won’t get any help from the staff. In all the years I lived in Chico the employee behind the desk never helped me find a particular book I was looking for. In fact, I don’t think I ever saw him re shelve any books.
Overall, The Bookstore is the only game in town. They’ve lasted the test of time. And the owner of the store has a few other used shops in the bay area, so the stock at Chico store is constantly being replaced with great rare and hard to find books.
It’s a great treasure hunt!

Today I spent almost two hours at this bookstore going through over 100 different DragonLance books. This is the largest selection I’ve ever come across and I am very thankful there just happened to be a stool right there for me to sit on while going through the books.
I’ve read some of the reviews on this place and I agree with the positive comments and disagree with the negative ones for the most part. The one exception was that while the prices weren’t that bad, it would have been nice if they had some kind of book sale or promotion going on because I walked out with a rather large number of books and would have doubled the books I bought had I been able to save on a bulk purchase.
I have enough of these books to last me half a year or longer now. I hope I get to make another trip back up this way before then to pick up another batch.

Awesome college bookstore. I would give it 5 stars if they had a porn section.

I come to Chico once a year and this bookstore is my favorite spot. It has the best stocked children’s section I have ever seen. As an elementary school teacher, I often have a hard time replacing books that are worn out in my classroom library. Bookstore has many series books and tons of early reader books. Their non-​fiction selection is rivaled only by the San Leandro branch of Lakeshore Learning.
The only drawback is that nothing is alphabetized and the staff do not have time to help you (or seem interested). So if you have lots of time on your hands, this place is a treasure trove.

Frankly they have an ass-​kickin’ selection of (barely) used books. It really is a wonder in today’s era to wander through room and after room of second-​hand books. It really takes me back.
The books are sorted by style and you can often find multiple unused copies of books. It is nearly impossible not to find/​buy something of interest.
The prices are higher than I would suspect, but that might be my used Amazon calculations at work. The conditions of the books, though, are higher than you will get from an on-​line dealer.
Hell, the guy always rings your total up on an adding machine.
A most stop for a book lover.