Open Books

Open Books is a book lover’s paradise, especially if you’re a fan of used books. This charming bookstore has an incredible selection of both new and used titles, with a little something for everyone. From classic novels to contemporary bestsellers, the variety is unmatched, and the staff is always friendly and helpful. I was lucky enough to find a first edition of My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, which was an absolute gem! The thrill of discovering rare and unique books like that makes this place so special. If you’re hunting for hidden treasures or just looking for your next great read, Open Books is definitely worth the visit. A cozy, well-curated spot that never disappoints! 📚❤️🧚‍♀️

Books stores in Chicago seem to have this thing where they hike up their prices on used books with almost no justification, but not Open Books. Their selections seems to have everything someone would typically need and their pricing was extremely fair. The vibe of the store is proper and there is just the right amount of mixture amongst the books to keep you finding cool stuff on every shelf.

Great selection of books and it is a spacious setting.

Hidden gem 💎 Amazing used book shop with all kinds of interesting books. A great service to the local community! Definitely for all book lovers and adventurers

I absolutely fell in love with this bookstore! Had visited the one in Pilsen a few weeks ago, but this one is even better. Such a large selection of both new and used books for super reasonable prices. And I love the purpose behind the shop of giving back to the community. I left with a few too many books than I probably should have!

Beautiful store with surprisingly fair prices. Great atmosphere and kind staff. Great selection too - I picked up 6 books. Highly recommend.

I stop here a lot after work and I’ve found many awesome books here that I would’ve never even thought of before. There’s something here for all audiences. The staff are great and their mission (non profit helping literacy programs) is fantastic. One of my favorite places in all of Chicago.

Hard to say anything negative about a non-profit bookstore, and luckily I have nothing but good things to say. The place is cozy and I was very, very impressed by the variety. The closest thing to grievance is that it’s difficult to find certain sections. Pricing is all over the place - plenty of great finds at $6.50 and under, but more than once I was surprised to see stickers shoot well over $20, and couldn’t tell why. Overall very happy with this place and will certainly be back next time I’m around.

Love this book store. You can easily get lost for hours browsing through the aisles. The sections are nicely labeled and easy to find whatever genre you are looking for. There is a great collection of records and kids books. They do also sell currently popular books that are trending like Fourth Wing. We found a few fun cocktail and astrology books that we ended up buying for a cheap price! I highly recommend this place for any book lovers.

I saw this place on Instagram and decided to give it a try. First you walk in and you can leave strolls and umbrellas. The place looked little at first but it was pretty big. They had a lot of new books. Their selection was pretty good all types of books. Prices were very reasonable. The kids section was pretty big with a lot of comfort sitting places. We purchased 3 books for under $20. Highly recommend this place we had a great experience.

This is our favorite book store in Chicago. There's a wonderful collection of books, so inspiring! Something for the whole family. Old and new books. Good value. Friendly service. Love this place!

This is a fantastic concept: a huge warehouse full of books, with a focus on getting books to the public for lower prices and community service. The existence of such a place makes the world a better place. There is a huge selection and I could spend a lot of time exploring the many colorful aisles.

This place is such a GEM. This store has a wide selection of new and used books, and it's so much larger than it looks!! I could spend hours in here, and it's just so fun to hunt for books. You really also can't beat the prices, and you can find such like-new used books starting at $5! Absolutely can't wait to spend hours on end here!

I've been bringing my daughter to Open Books since she was 4 years old (she's 16 years old now) and they were located on Franklin by the brown line. We absolutely adore this store and their mission. We buy and donate books all the time, their customer service is top notch and the books are extremely reasonable. We can't wait to to visit their other locations.

One of my favorite bookstores! What a gem. I can probably get lost in this store for hours if I lived nearby... there's a great selection and a wide variety of used books, ranging from old cookbooks to new fiction to foreign/translated work. Also enjoyed the music. Ended up stepping away with approx 10 books for $75.

This is my all time favorite book store here in the city, so much so that I'll trek through these freezing 20 degree temps to get here. They have every book possible here: used books, new books, fiction, non-fiction. you name it, it's here. The prices are way cheaper than what you'll find online, trust me, I've compared. They even had the Rebecca Yarros Empyrean series which I've been dying to get a hold of and i even looked on Amazon and the prices here were cheaper. You can get a brand new book for $15-$30 and used books are as cheap as $3. It doesn't get better than that. I will say, the organization of the books does get a little confusing but if you ask someone who works there for help in finding a book, they're more than happy to help. They have brown paper bags up front to put everything in and they'll throw in a couple of bookmarks to go as well. Honestly, I cannot get enough of this store and am always looking forward to the next time I'll be back!

I found out about this place by chance when I drove by and saw one of their vans parked out front. The other Yelp reviews mentions they have a great kids section so I figured I'd check it out. The store itself is much larger than it appears from the outside. The books are in excellent condition and well organized by ages and type of book (board book, paperback, hard cover etc.) they even have a section with French and Spanish. Everything is alphabetized so it's easy to look and see what they have by a favorite author. It was fun to hunt for familiar books along with ones I had never seen before. They were all around $3-6 dollars. I'm going to check out the other locations to see what they have in stock!

Open Books is heaven on earth! I'm going on vacation and wanted to stock up on a few books to read by the beach, but I didn't want to break the bank. Open Books saved the day! This bookstore is much bigger than it appears. I could have spent hours wandering through the stacks. Everything is well organized, so finding something that interests you is easy. Pricing is great too. The used books will run you about $4-$6 each, so it's easy to leave with a decent haul on a budget. Open Books will become a regular stop for me!

Open Books is a fantastic used bookstore nestled between the western side of the Loop and West Loop. Being located right under the L tracks on Lake you cannot get more of a Chicago feel to the place. Upon stepping inside you are greeted by a HUGE selection of used books that are nicely organized and displayed. In fact, at first, it's a bit overwhelming... where to even start!? Once you get your bearings, however, I dare you to NOT finding something you'd like to take home. Tending to this massive collection is a helpful staff who are ready and willing to help you find anything you're looking for that day. They are also constantly tending to the shelves and reorganizing to make room for new (donated) stock. The prices of the books are right where you'd expect them too. And given that all items are in near-like new shape you really couldn't find a better deal. Forget shopping for brand-new books when you can probably find exactly what you're looking for in near-new shape right here at Open Books.

I purchase a lot of books because I read a lot. In the past (pre-2020), on several occasions I donated several boxes of books to Open Books and bought books there (mostly the downtown location). This year (2024) I planned to donate books and called called before loading the car and driving to Open Books with boxes of books. I'm glad that I called first, because on each occasion the person I talked with (at the Pilsen location) was unfriendly and vague about whether large book donations would be accepted. My advice is to call before planning to donate.

One of my two favorite Chicago bookstores. A great selection of used books and a short walk from downtown. I shop here a few times a year and always get at least four books at every visit

I love this bookstore! It always has the best used books at such a fair price. Profits go to such a great cause as well! There is a huge selection to choose from and you can truly stay in there four hours at a time! Parking is rough, but hey, you are in a city. Can't wait to return and fill up my library with some more books!

I don't have anything positive to add that hasn't already been acknowledged. This is simply a place you must stop at and experience yourself! The reason for the minus 1 star is that the cashier at the checkout was a little rude to our family as we purchased over $100 in books. All I asked for was a receipt and they responded as if offended at the request. After making excuses like, "I can't pull it up" and "People usually don't ask for their receipts," they breathed a labored sigh and said, why don't you give me your email and we'll try to send it to you later today. I was handed one of those 1/4 sized post-it notes, barely enough to fit my email, and I knew instantly that this was all for show. Since the money goes to a good cause, I didn't pursue anything further, but I don't believe that we deserved to be treated with such disrespect. Still love the place and will continue to support!

Stopped in for the first time and I absolutely loved this local book store! Their used books range from $5-$9 on average and they offer 10% off of their new books. It's a pretty big space when you walk in, with sections going far back into the store. I could definitely spend hours here browsing the shelves. I'll definitely be supporting this local book store more!

I live close by and although the shop is pretty hidden, it is not to be missed! I stop by occasionally to read some poetry, look at cookbooks I might want to purchase, and revel in the smell of both secondhand and new books. There isn't a lot of seating to read but I usually sit down in the children's section if I want to read a few chapters. In a world where books are becoming more obsolete and ebooks the norm, it's nice to see a bookstore filled to the brim with so many literary works!

Love this place!This place sells new and used books. Great place with a great and vast selection. They have a whole basement as well you don't want to miss. I also love that they are involved in the community as well. Added bonus that they have a nice bathroom as well.

They have a large section where they sell books for only 5 dollars. The store is pretty sizable with a wide selection, and you can definitely browse the store for hours on end. The staff at checkout was so kind and helpful! Would definitely recommend coming here for your next book find!

Being new to the city of Chicago, I knew I needed a place to escape with paper and words. As soon as I walked in, the sounds of the city disappeared and the presence of great books emerged. Every section is clearly labeled and organized, and several employees helped me find the areas and authors I was looking for. The prices were extremely reasonable, and if I wasn't a struggling college student, I would've gone home with a full arms worth instead of three. Which means I will definitely be returning. What a wonderland!

Buy your books here instead of Amazon. (1) it's cheaper, (2) all profits support literacy programs in Chicago. The West Loop location is so well organized with a vast collection, you can easily stroll through the shelves and find something that piques your interest. Also, the staff are avid readers who can suggest great reads that broaden your horizons.

Give yourself a couple hours to browse this gem. Spacious, well organized, friendly, and inviting. I'm confident you'll leave with a book or six.

This spot has a wide range of used books - both fiction and non fiction. It's a great spot to spend a few hours just browsing for books. In the far corner of the store, there's some seating where you can spend some time skimming through the books before buying.

best bookstore in the loop area HANDS DOWN. the store features new and used books for amazing prices-- used books usually go for $3-$8, and most are $5. awesome and expansive selection too, i can truly spend HOURS in here, and seems like the selection is constantly and frequently being updated! and despite the huge selection of books, the interior layout is cute, accessible, and organized.

I absolutely love Open Books! It's too bad I don't live in the area or else I would be here frequently! I found so many great finds that are recently-published and are so cheap ($3-8). I wish I had a used bookstore in my area as good as Open Books!

Definitely my favorite bookstore in Chicago! The prices are great (I spent between $3-$9 here per book) and the quality of the books is quite high. I was able to find some PG Wodehouse books I hadn't read before in perfect condition and less than $10. They have a pretty good selection of newer and popular releases too although their romance section was definitely light and hard to find (just a couple of shelves).

This bookstore is one of my favorite bookstores I've found in Chicago!! Majority of the books are used and therefore very fairly priced! I usually leave with 3-4 books and spend $30 or less. They have a section of fiction and non fiction best sellers for $5. The staff has been very helpful & kind when I've gone. I love it here!

I'm a huge fan of Open Books and happy to have them in the neighborhood. I hadn't even heard about Open Books when I got their flyer in the mail, we dropped in that weekend to restock our bookshelves and donate some books that we had recently finished. Open Books runs city wide literacy programs funded by their used book store. Staff is helpful and will help you find the book that you're looking for and it will only run you a few bucks. That day I got eight books for maybe thirty bucks (and have already read six of them)! Beyond the bookstore, this is an excellent place to volunteer. I've had the pleasure of working with some great people in writing workshops. Everyone has a blast and it is such a joy to see the talented kids that we work with write and perform poems in front of the class. It is a truly rewarding experience that I'm thrilled to be a part of.

Unbelievably happy I stopped in here. Very large, organized used bookstore, very friendly and helpful staff, great selection ( really not kidding here!)and they do a lot of work supporting schools and non profits with various programs. There was a book club meeting there when I was in, and they have various clubs meet there. Not only did I find books that were perfect that I never would have found in a new book store, but I felt good about buying them here :) Highly, highly recommended!!!

Okay...I went in here once and this is absolutely where I'm going to buy any and all books from now on. This book store is extensive!! Their store stretches so far back and has so many little reading books and crannies it could honestly be a library. But it's not a library, it's a book store. And it's not just any book store... It's a used book store! And even better is that when you buy books it goes towards various programming designed to increase literacy in Chicago. What an important and meaningful purpose! How could you not support that mission? Books range from $5-$30 (but the higher end books look to be new condition/are extremely current & popular/are hard-cover). The store is organized extremely well and it was very easy to find books i was interested in. I like that they have special shelves designated for classics, best sellers, new releases, etc. they also have an extensive children's book selection and a stage for storytelling. There are lots of opportunities for volunteering -- their website shares more information. I also learned at the store that you can look up books online to see if they have them in stock! So cool! I just moved to Chicago, and this will be my go-to bookstore for sure. Keep up the great work!

Been here a couple times and every time I step in, I'm amazed at how huge this place is! I love it, and they even have a map on the wall to help you navigate all the bookshelves. I like that they have both new and used books, and the prices are so affordable. Plus, I love how they support local literacy programs; it really is such a sustainable bookstore. I also love that they have an online catalog. I can only drop by when I'm in the city, and if I'm looking for a certain book in particular, I like knowing if they have it on their shelves before going. Even if they don't have a certain book in store, you can submit a watchlist request and they'll email you when/if they get any copies. The employees are super friendly, and they're happy to help you look up any books if you can't find them inside the store.

This is the best bookstore out there, hands down!! I'm a niche reader, and every time I stop by they always have something that I can't help but buy -- usually 10 or 15 things. They have mainly used books, but so many of them are in like-new condition, and the prices are incredible. Like better than what you would pay to get the cheapest used book on eBay. And, it is such a cute space and so well-curated and organized. And, the staff have always been super helpful. And, it's a nonprofit that supports literacy initiatives in Chicago schools. They also have their entire stock online for you to shop, and you can pick up in store (fast) for free, just walk in, get your book off the shelf, and leave (or, stay for 5 minutes and browse to find another book!). Please, support this bookstore -- it's a real gem to the community.

Only went here once, but it seemed like a really nice little bookstore. I love that they support children's literacy. Kudos also to the excellent booksellers.

absolutely love this book store just everything you could want and more. it's super organized and big inside. it's mostly used books which is interesting and i've had some great finds. they also have a selection of new books which is nice. i love the inside it feels like a book store from a book. definitely check it out you won't regret it!

Open Books is a tidy used bookstore in the West Loop. The big draw is the discount prices on hard cover and paperback books with proceeds going to instructional programs for kids. There is an excellent in-house literacy program for youth that includes storytime, reading buddies, field trips, and publishing workshops. One of my own high school students completed the one-year Publishing Academy program and raved about the individualized attention and empowering experience. If you work in public service or schools, you can apply for the Book Grant and receive free texts! The shopping experience: The tables and bookshelves were easy to navigate and clearly labeled by genre. There's tons of variety, from newly inked bestsellers to the classics. Nearly all books are $5 and up. There are no deep discounts at this location, with the exception of $1 science fiction magazines and other older materials. Some popular and newer books are in the $10-$25 range. If you were going to buy the full price book anyway, you might as well shop here and rest easy knowing that your cash is going towards a great cause supporting students here in Chicago. Better yet, donate your own books! There are even t-shirts for sale so you can rep Open Books and spread the word! Support their mission and read more on their website: https://www.open-books.org.

My husband has a nose for book stores, like some kind of paper-sniffing hound, so he was shocked when he found out I was a newbie to Open Books. Newbie no longer, I make it a point to stop in whenever I arrive too early for a happy hour at Moneygun, which happens a lot. I also know exactly where my husband is when he's "running late" to meet me for drinks... Open Books is well organized, has great prices and a great selection of both used books and newer titles. The staff are very helpful and they have an online inventory if you're looking for something specific. The really great thing is the wealth of literacy programming they offer. If you're in the midst of Kon-Mari mayhem, they'll gladly accept your donations!

While I am a Barnes and Noble member and do what I can to support their stores, I also make an intentional effort to support Open Books any way I can. This is an amazing bookstore, fellow Chicagoans. It is full of numerous great books that are (largely) in great shape and you can buy them for wonderfully affordable prices. The best part is their profits are put back into our communities and supporting literacy causes for the children of our schools. I think what I like most about this store is that you can see the environment they create when you decide to stop in. I actually went this past Saturday morning, and I found myself so much happier as I shopped to see young kids listening and reading stories, having such a wonderful time, and getting excited to read. The work they do is meaningful, and I truly believe it makes a difference. If you don't care about the kids, at least check out the store for the great inventory. Every random topic my heart cares to learn about, there is a book, new or old, that is able to fulfill what I'm trying to learn more about. This is not an experience you can get in many retail bookstores that have to move product to make space for the newest published books. Please, spread the word and help support them!

BOOK HEAVEN. The staff was very friendly, the prices are amazing, the books are in great condition, and the selection is vast. I will DEFINITELY be back to support this awesome bookstore!

Hands down the best bookstore- used or new- that I have ever been to. Chicago has so many wonderful bookstore but open books is absolutely amazing. Love the selection, staff and the fact they are so supportive in the community. You can essentially "sponsor" a child for $25 and they get free books sent to them. Huge huge huge fan!

Great selection, books in good shape and reasonably priced, clean bathroom, and friendly staff. I made out with a huge stack of books and signed up for the membership. This place is a delight and I feel good about supporting them.

This is one of my favorite places in Chicago. I can spend hours and hours here. Friendly staff, great selection of books, what else would you need? :)

An email from Yelp about book stores brought Open Books to my attention. It sounds like a nice bookstore with a great mission and the best part is that you can help that mission by donating your books - - and make some space in your home at the same time! The best part is that they pickup your donation. It can take about 7 weeks for them to make the pickup, so keep this in mind when scheduling a book pickup. You can easily make your pickup by email and they will notify you with donation guidelines: items they accept, like cds, books they do not accept and size and weight of boxes or bags. They will notify you a week before the pickup and again the day before. They will email you a donation receipt for taxes, if you want one. If you don't want to wait for a pickup, there are locations where you can drop off your donation. The pickup time was between 10 AM and 3 PM. It was nice not to have to get up too early to put those boxes out :)

I've been business neighbors with Open Books since the location opened, and drop in a couple times a month to pick up something new. This place is a gem. Combined with its literacy mission, it's a must-visit location. The front desk staff is friendly and helpful. They have a great display of rare books, new arrivals, and popular paperbacks right out front for easy impulse buys. Moving back we enter a well-curated collection of used books from every genre. I often see lots of books about Chicago, so stop by to learn more about our city. Every now and then, expect a big group of students visiting the store. It's a reminder that Open Books is more than a used books store. Shop local and support this awesome nonprofit.

Great selection of books, comics & LPs on and open seven days a week. Easy street parking and helpful staff!

I came across Open books while visiting a coffee shop in the neighborhood. For someone who loves to read and is always looking out for local Bookshops , I was surprised on how did I miss this place for so long . Open books is amazing, they have an extensive collection of books from all the genres at a fantastic rate. The staff is super super helpful and this is my go to place for books shopping now.

Such a wonderful bookstore. I used to come here all the time just to sit and read. They have a wonderful collection of books, and the music isn't very loud or obnoxious. It's a super chill place to have a quiet minute (or 3 hours lol) to yourself. Plus the staff is very friendly!

Went here to kill time before a flight. Ended up buying five books. A brilliant book store, new and used books, for a good cause. Loved it.

This bookstore has a story time that my nanny and son attend. One time my son forgot his shoes there and I called the store and they were kind enough to set the shoes aside for me to pick up. I stopped by here to get the shoes and also picked up a couple used board books that my son is now obsessed with. Great spot!

My all time favorite used bookstore. It may look small but they literally have everything. Great deals on used books ($5!) I asked if they had a specific book, thinking they wouldn't because it was sold out everywhere else, and they had it! So yeah I'm a huge fan of this cute lil shop & I now have a fully stocked bookshelf with things I never would have found at a Barnes & Noble.