Barnes & Noble, The Ohio State University Bookstore

Giant two story book store that also serves as OSU’s book store. You can get anything you can at a normal B&N plus things for college and grad school.
Nice small café where you can study. There are also some tables upstairs that I have used to study at before which are nice.
The biggest problem are when there are crowds. First week of a semester, don’t even bother. Game day when people are visiting campus, don’t bother.

I like this Barnes and Noble. I like its prominent location on the corner of High St, and I like that it has two floors worth of product.
There is an expansive selection of Ohio State gear on the first floor, and tons of office and school supplies on the second floor. I’m a sucker for office supplies. Textbooks are also housed upstairs.
Their fiction and nonfiction sections are far from expansive; the B&N at Lennox has a bigger stock. However, I understand that this location serves multiple purposes. The coffee shop on the first floor is better than average for an in-​store.
Don’t come when school is just starting; it gets outrageously busy.

I can imagine that this location is crazy anytime people are trying to buy books but thankfully I have never experienced that. The coffee shop inside is a nice touch and they sell nicer than average baked goods and desserts.
Good selection of books and gifts, like themed journals, calendars, planners, notes of different kinds, and of course tons and tons of OSU merchandise.
No, seriously. Tons of it.
Def. worth a visit just because it’s kind of becoming a landmark in the gateway and around OSU in general.

I’ve been here with my boyfriend a couple of times when law school classes are starting/​ending to get books. Each time, I look forward to going.
When we come to pick up his books at the beginning of the semester, things are usually pretty crazy. The line is really long and things feel pretty hectic. I would say that the staff does the best job they can, though; they have the process pretty much down to a science. When we returned the rentals today, things were the complete opposite; we were the only people returning books. There was a duct tape line on the ground that you can follow to find the rental counter, which is kind of nice/​funny.
I enjoy this store because it has SO much more than the standard Barnes & Noble. There is basically a whole floor of OSU paraphernalia, along with tons of miscellaneous items; need a backpack? Mugs? Posters? Rain boots? Purses? They have it! It’s SO big. I feel like this is one of those stores where you might be hard-​pressed to find what you’re looking for if you’re seeking out a certain item, but you’ll leave with several that you had no intention of getting if you give yourself the time to look. Today I noticed they had a whole section of Kate Spade notebooks, cards, and planners; I either already have or have no use for most of these items, but it was tempting!
I haven’t purchased a book here, but I’ve wanted to; they have many of them grouped by subject and there are some psychology books that are calling my name! I could spend a whole day here looking at the sections that interest me.
If you’re bored and have some time to kill on the OSU campus, this Barnes & Noble might be a good stop! Is it the cheapest bookstore you can go to? Definitely not. It’s probably better for perusing when it comes to books. But you can definitely find some cool stuff there. Worth a visit!

Outside the South Campus B&N hangs an abomination: the art deco marquee of Longs Bookstore. Pilfered from its rightful place on 15^th and High, it hangs as symbol of corporate dominance; they came, they conquered, they savagely beat down my dear local textbook depository. It is as if B&N was Edward Longshanks and the sign is the quartered, beheaded, gutted remains of William Wallace, hoisted on the London Bridge as a warning to anyone with indy dreams of rebellion. Or B&G is a redneck hunter out in the sticks, heaving his fresh kill up for bragging rights — B&N is more barn here than it is noble.
I have come here in search of the poetry book that has so far alluded by grasp. Yet I am in a daze. As a walk through the standard sections of literature, fiction, nonfic, and reference hard and paperbacks, I understand, in a much less important way, the pains of Native Americans. They see condos built on sacred burial grounds; here is a big box built on my sacred drinking grounds. This is the plot that once held Mean Mr. Mustards. (and no kiddos, Scully’s little retro-​parties are not the same.)
And so it is like other vanquished south campus spots, falling to the drab corporate plague, that B&G here is part of the prefab sterile clique that has replaced the free-​spirited Bacchanal of what once was the grungy glamor of south campus, and I hate. It is enough to make me sick.
Oh I suppose this place isn’t that bad. I’ve always enjoyed many B&Gs for its selection, its chairs, its quietness. Here they have gutted the CD/​DVD antiques for racks of Ohio State gear, but nothing you can’t get at 100 other places. A double level store, upstairs are textbooks and school supplies, an aspect they gained from Longs. I believe they are now the Ohio State official bookstore to boot.
Strangely, they have a kiddies section. Absurd in two ways: 1.) being that the average age for the neighborhood can’t be more than 24. 2.) it seems that sweet innocent children read in the very place I once threw-​up, felt-​up, made-​out, or had a psychedelic freak out – those dayglow demons near Mustards restrooms could really jump out at you.
I really couldn’t shop here so I left. Emotionally I want to give this place a 2 –revenge for history and stuff. But to give deference to the staff – who I’m sure do wonderful things as they do at other B&Gs – I’ll give it an A-​ok.
But for the spirit of the area – it certainly has gotten worse.

It’s good for a university book store. Hard to find what I was looking for but it was more accessible being on OSU grounds.

This is one of the bigger Barnes and Noble stores I’ve seen.
One part university store, selling campus books and OSU apparel, trinkets, and other items to show your team spirit for the Bucks, and they also carry some campus essentials you might have forgotten, like a hamper, lamp, etc for the dorm or studying.
The rest of the store is the typical dedicated bookstore. Books and books and more books. I’ve picked up each of my copies of A Song of Ice and Fire here as I get to them, and have perused on occasion other times as well. Nice book store, even if a bit pricey for some items.

Number of visit: ~8
I’m not a huge fan of this place, definitely not as a place for getting books. It is true it carries textbooks for Ohio State students, but first of all who buys textbooks at a store anymore these days? Doesn’t everyone get them online. Second the prices on the textbooks are even more expensive than some of the other campus bookstores. The selection of other books other than textbooks at this location is pretty lackluster for a Barnes and Noble, definitely fewer to choose from than your average Barnes and Noble. The one saving grace of the store is that it carries a good amount of Buckeye stuff. However, the vast majority of it is wildly overpriced. The one exception I know of is football jerseys, which are $ 60, the price they are everywhere around campus. They do have a good selection of Ohio State football jerseys, and occasionally you might find a sale on jerseys of players who just graduated, but I’m not sure if they still do that anymore.

I’m a big fan of B&N no doubt about it and I wrote some reviews about it already but this one is slightly different.
Being close to the OSU campus of course they sell everything you need as an OSU-​student.
Besides books you need to study they have all kind of fan articles;-)
The store is huge and fun to explore.

I would not recommend this Barnes & Noble to anyone buying textbooks. There are many other shops along high street that offer books for much cheaper than the campus book store.
I would recommend this place to anyone looking for Ohio State apparel or gifts. They have a large amount of Ohio State products — everything from shot glasses to baby clothes.
I hate that parking is so inconvenient, but that is not exclusive to this store. Any place on High Street does not have good parking options. There is a South Campus Gateway parking garage by the bookstore that is $ 1 an hour. If you live on campus or near campus, it is best to walk.
If you are in the area, it is worth stopping in and seeing what Ohio State products they have.

Those who have mentioned that this bookstore is half OSU/​dorm store and half a bookstore are spot-​on. This is a giant, two-​level store that includes some of the usual books one would find at a Barnes & Nobles, plus textbooks, school supplies, OSU memorabilia, and dorm supplies. This make it a perfect one-​shop stop for students who need a little bit of everything near campus. It also makes it a nice place to browse if you arrive early and are waiting on people or an event/​movie time at the Gateway.

I like this place mainly as a hangout. At the end of every academic term, I always seem to end up here just to browse around, even though I’ve recently been preferring to sell my soon-​to-​be-​useless textbooks elsewhere. My favorite sections of the store at which to pass the time are the humor and magazine ones. I also check out the Buckeye paraphernalia, but I tend to prefer to buy at College Traditions or Conrads. I lounge around Sloopy’s Café too, and of course, it sells (that overrated) Starbucks Coffee.
Whereas the lower level serves the general reader and OSU souvenir shopper, the upper level caters specifically to students’ needs and holds textbooks, school supplies, dorm supplies, and academic regalia. The second floor also features a very nice open space with armchairs where a person can study or read literature that he or she won’t otherwise purchase.
Unsurprisingly, authors hold book signings at the OSU Bookstore, especially Buckeye-​affiliated ones (e.g., Eddie George, Chris Spielman, and Mark Titus).
So as a general hangout and place to thumb through Columbus Monthly (without ever buying it), the OSU Bookstore off High Street can certainly be a fun way to pass the time while figuring out whether tonight’s a good night to troll the partiers at Charlie Bear or Ugly Tuna.

If books here were a bit lower in price expensive, I’d be a frequent customer! When I do go here, it’s nice to peruse around and make a mental wish list. The layout is nice — room to maneuver around, sit down, read, or chat. This visit was for internet usage purposes, and it held up to that mission. Wall outlets are sporadically placed, throughout the Café, and decent chairs and tables for the long-​hual.
I’m not a coffee drinker, but have had their Iced Chai before — good.

Not only a Barnes & Noble, but if you’re attending OSU and need dorm supplies or any clothing item with the Buckeyes logo, this is your one stop shop.
I always grab a tee shirt if I’m visiting a college town (currently I have shirts from Pitt, WVU, Cornell, Ithaca College, Marshall, Penn, Princeton, CMU, VTech, and Cincinatti) and I needed a Buckeyes shirt. This B&N had a few dozen designs to choose from, with hundreds of other items emblazoned with the OSU logo including hoodies, sweats, socks, and anything you can imagine. It also serves as the OSU bookstore.

Huge selection, the biggest collection of OSU merchandise I have ever seen and textbooks out the wazoo. Parking is difficult to find on the street, just go to the lot off of 11^th. Maybe it’s just me, but they seem to have more things on clearance than other stores.

«Meh. I’ve experienced better.» couldn’t justify enough how I feel about this place! With so many great other Barnes and Noble stores, how could this place even compare? However, instead of giving it that dreaded 2 star review– ‘The Ohio State University Bookstore’ is in it’s title, which means I have to give it props for the memorabilia that it does has.
Students– I would advise not going here to get your books, it’s more expensive and has hardly any used editions. SBX is a safer bet!
Also, course packets are to be picked up HERE. Not at Uni-​Print. You can also find them at WiredOut in Central Classrooms! :)

I mostly only come here for the coffee (not my first choice, but my sister comes here daily and I go with her once in a while), but I do love books so I’m prone to poke around from time to time as well.
The last time I was there I picked up two Klosterman books and the latest from A.J. Jacobs for $ 30, basically buy two get one free. Books still rock, and Barnes and Noble sells them. That works for me.
The café is decent too. The seating is plentiful, although not so cozy, and there is a TV showing terrible music videos that you can make fun of while you sip your drink.

This place makes me miss Long’s.
As a bookstore, its pretty good. It has plenty of books (textbooks and books for pleasure reading) and a huge selection of anything scarlet and gray that you might ever want. It also has a Starbucks, whilst something that Longs never had, it has never seemed that welcoming as a place to hang out and study to me.
What makes me miss Long’s, however, is the art supply section. If you ever went downstairs at Longs you might have seen the huge expanse of everything art related you could think of. Now, all that remains is pretty much the same stuff you could get at an office supply store.
As a college bookstore, its just like any other bookstore, which is A-​OK by me, but nothing that makes me excited to shop here.

First, I know Longs wasn’t the greatest, but dammit — at least it wasn’t a glitzy chain store. Second: um, some people who wear hoodies and t-​shirts are NOT an XXXXXL. Seriously — if you are gonna do this, provide a range of sizes. Third: super classy touch to put the photos of the old Longs by the bathroom. Oh yeah, great location for memorabilia.
Bleh.

You got your Buckeyes memorabilia in my bookshop! No, YOU got your books in my Buckeyes memorabilia shop! Eeeeeargh! Enough with it already! The simple fact is this is more or less a full-​fledged Barnes & Noble bookshop with a generous nod towards its pedigree not only as The Ohio State University Bookstore but also its replacement of campus icon Long’s, which is long gone (get it!).
For certain this Barnes & Noble doesn’t feel like some of the moodier, roomier, bookier examples of the chain, but I could give a horse phooey about that in the long run. Barnes & Noble looks more or less the same everywhere you go, and it’s almost refreshing to step into a unique take on it, something that breaks the pattern of the chain. I’m no Buckeyes fan by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes I take a stroll through, say, the medical student supply aisles– and just look at all the cool crap they sell. Do I recall seeing stethoscopes there? Probably! How many chain bookstores sell medical devices, eh?
This location has also become my destination for selling back textbooks when I take classes. I always seem to walk out with a good chunk of cash and I’ve never had to wait long. It’s slightly more complicated than the ring-​in-​walk-​out at SBX since you have to get a receipt and sign it and hand it to someone else, etc. etc. but there you have it; it keeps me coming back for lunch money at the end of a quarter.
Go in, find a good book, and sit upstairs next to a big window with a good view of High Street. Watch people go by. Take a moment. It’s a nice little spot for spying on the crowds and just taking it easy. And if you don’t want Buckeyes gear, don’t buy it. Seems like a no brainer to me!