Sandmeyer’s Bookstore

The staff here are very rude. They have a kids section but are super irritable when kids take books off the shelves. My daughter was picking out books and we had about four books on the floor. The staff person came by and asked us not to put books on the floor because they could be ruined. We were very nice and picked the books up. She stood there until all books were off the floor and then walked away annoyed. I want to support local business but I really don’t like rude service. Go to the Hyde Park book stores instead!

Beautiful building with helpful staff. The wood floors creek when you walk, which is lovely. There is normally only one copy of a book out so there is a ton to look at!

This is my local bookstore around the corner from me. I can’t say I have always been fair to them and tried to buy local, so yesterday I was in need of some new reading materials and I decided to go to Sandmeyer.
I walk in and an older man was at the desk. He did not greet me. I asked for help with a book. He got it for me but did not engage in any conversation with me. I paid for my books and I got a paltry «thanks».
If you want locals to get up and come to your store when Amazon will deliver a book to my door in an hour maybe you should try a little harder to be nice and engaging.

As previous reviews have stated, the guy working there (who may have been the owner) is not the friendliest, but he is certainly not rude and I found a great book in the sale section at half price which I will be taking home to New York with me as a lovely souvenir! (My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss).

The staff is kind. The store is adorable. Their selection of children’s books is incredible. The creaky wood floors make it feel like the coziest little place on the map. The only reason I couldn’t give it 5 stars is that their philosophy section is a bit smaller than I’d like. However, they have tons of books elsewhere.

Really lovely bookstore, friendly owner and great array of books! Books are priced by the regular price on the back. Love that’s it’s on Printer’s Row which is down the street from where I live! Love the vintage feel of it with the creeky hardwood floors. A great local business to support. Will come back!

Lucky to live close to here, the 10% off member card for $ 10 is a nice touch. Friendly staff. the discount card works for families/​couples/​etc, which is also nice.

This is such a great bookstore. Lovely, quaint, and tucked away in a little section of the South Loop. They have excellent taste in books, all of which fall under a huge range and are very well organized on the shelves. Never have I been in here and not had my questions adequately answered, ranging from «where is… [insert name of a book]?» to «do you have anything on… [insert subject]?» to «Please help. I need something and I don’t know what to get.» The one and only issue I have with this place is slight, which is that the books are a little more expensive than you would find elsewhere. The reasons for this are obvious: rent in the Loop must be rather high, and it is an independent bookstore after all. Still, if you can, try not to let that deter you. This place is really wonderful, and it’s good to support a brick and mortar store where you can reach out and smell the books in front of you.

It’s so sad that bookstores are becoming a thing of the past with the advent of the Internet and technology. This is a really cool bookstore; it’s on the first floor in a historic loft building and still has the original creaky hardwood floors and radiators. I live in the neighborhood and whenever I pass by the store is usually empty. It’s too bad they don’t allow dogs, otherwise I would visit more often.

I absolutely love this store. The service is great but most of all it’s in my neighborhood. Having a bookstore in your neighborhood today is rare, and to have one as great as Sandmeyers feels like a luxury. They have a great selection of cards for any occasion and fantastic books. The key to this place is that the volume is low, quality is high.

My husband is not happy that I discovered this awesome bookstore where I will be spending a lot of our money from now on. I, however, am thrilled. I love supporting independent bookstores and that’s hard to do as there are so few left. But Sandmeyers has been in business for over 30 years and seems (i hope) to be thriving.
The store has an elegant urban décor and a well curated selection of books in a broad range of subjects. There is a surprisingly strong selection of kid’s books. I’m looking forward to taking my little nieces here to pick out some favorites.
Let’s keep this place going for another 30 years!!! Check out Sandmeyers Bookstore.

I live right down the street and come here often, especially to buy birthday and holiday cards at the last minute. The store is pretty with lots of light and the book selection is fairly good, though they are limitted by small size. The shop could do with a couple of spots to sit and read and I wish that they sponsored more cultural events like public readings and signings. But overall, it’s a good independent bookstore.

Great local, old school bookstore with classic wood floors and good variety for such a small space.

Nice small independent bookstore. They have a good selection of local flavor books and authors, the remainder of the selection is interesting and diverse, if a little limited. Great Printer’s Row loft/​storefront atmosphere. The owner is not terribly talkative, so don’t expect a lengthy conversation with him, he’s pleasant enough, though.

There is so much to love about Sandmeyer’s.
This quiet, well-​organized independent book store has all the things you like from the chain stores, and none of the things you don’t.
Excellent selection? Check. You can find novels, literary journals, nonfiction, children’s titles, and the usual categories you’d look for at Border’s or B&N. Unlike those places, however, Sandmeyer’s has an excellent selection of local history books. Whether you want a pictorial guide to the suburbs or historical fiction set in Chicago, you’ll find it here.
A discount program? Check. Sandmeyer’s has one, just like the big chain stores, but they won’t send you a million emails every day if you sign up for it.
Helpful staff? Check. The guy at the register was happy to chat with me about their selection of literary journals, what they normally stock, when they get new ones in, etc. They’re also happy to order things for you in many cases.
Here are some things Sandmeyer’s has that your typical chain store does not: location in a beautiful building in Chicago’s historic Printer’s Row, proximity to numerous places to grab lunch and read your new book, and excellent displays of the new Penguin books with the beautiful covers, including the great ideas series. The publishing industry as well as bricks and mortar book stores are allegedly in crisis, but Sandmeyer’s reminds me of all the reasons I walk into a real store and buy a book instead of downloading something onto an e-​reader. The tactile experience of holding one of those new Penguin editions, a «curated» selection of books rather than a few suggestions generated by an algorithm, a staff member to recommend something if you can only buy one thing today but have your eye on three different titles, and yes, that wonderful paper and ink aroma. Plus, if you’re like me and you sometimes drop your reading material while perusing it in the bathtub, you’re only out $ 10, not $ 150+.
Did I mention that Sandmeyer’s is also convenient to public transit? It is! You can walk to this lovely building from the red, blue, brown, orange, and green lines, and if you don’t mind a little walk, it’s totally doable from the metra as well.
In short, go to Sandmeyer’s. Buy a book. Read the book. Repeat as necessary.

It’s everything I want a book store to be. So quiet and peaceful. The historical building is probably why I fell in love initially — the friendly owners make it perfect. They won’t have every single book you’re looking for but they’ll happily order it for you. Join their club and you can get 10% off everything for a year. I love it here.

This is how a bookstore should be. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. It’s not a huge store, but big enough. A great store to «have a look.» Very comfortable atmosphere, good vibe, quiet.

I work in the neighborhood and have been to Sandmeyer’s more than a few times. Usually to pick up a gift or a unique card.
I bought a book for a gift recently. They didn’t have the exact book I wanted in stock but the salesperson was friendly and showed me some other items from the same author. We did find the exact book from another bookstore which was more appropriate for the receiver so I never gave them the book. I was not able to return the book within their 2 week return policy so the «not so friendly» gentleman put the book back in the bag and said I couldn’t return it. No store credit, nothing. I left very disappointed. It gave me that «I’m not going to shop there ever again» feeling.

This bookstore is so great. It’s beautiful inside and out, and I love the old smell, look and feel of it. The staff is extremely friendly and they have a great selection of books. It’s very cozy and welcoming, unlike some OTHER bookstores in the neighborhood.

I love Sandmeyer’s! Not a massive selection being that they have limited space but I dig the aesthetic and can usually find a worthy book at Sandmeyer’s. They have the Penguin ‘Great Ideas’ series which rocks my world. I recently became a VIP meaning I get 10% off all books here. Yayer!