After-Words

I like the space and general look of the bookstore. They sell basically every genre, neatly organized with signs above the shelves. If you’re looking for a recently published book, you will probably find it here. The only downside is that there aren’t many used books, and the ones that are used aren’t that much cheaper than the original listed price. If you’re looking for a good deal on used books, you’ll probably be better off elsewhere.

Stopped in to pick up a couple of books while traveling – not far from my hotel. Upstairs and a much larger downstairs. I like the bookish ambiance. They have new and used books and great selections. The woman at the register was kind. Glad I found this little spot.

I wanted to get childrens’ books to finish up my Xmas shopping at lunchtime. I am so glad I found this place! Had a great selection for kids and the woman working was excellent with helping give suggestions for 3 kids of varying ages. I loved the used and new mixed in because honestly, kids below 5 don’t need brand new books! All in it was around $ 25 for three books, two new and one used. I think that’s a great deal for shopping local.
I would take off half a star because I wish the children’s section was more clearly laid out by age group — I had a hard time following the layout before giving up and asking for help. But maybe that’s more about me being used to ordering online and filtering by age?
Overall I am very glad I found the place. When I have a bit more time, I intend to return to look for myself.

This cute little book store is the perfect mash up of new and old. The basement houses tons of used books along side their new counterparts with a sticker system for pricing.
There’s also a great meeting space that General Assembly uses for classes. Staff is friendly and let’s you shop.

Wonderful independent bookstore in the River North area of Chicago! I was in town for a conference and stayed at the nearby Hotel Palomar. Coming back from the Magnificent Mile, I happened to walk by this store, which is next to a jazz record store. They sell new and used books, carefully organized by section in the basement. Very helpful staff! I found a nice used history book («His Excellency» by Joseph Ellis) for the flight home, and it was $ 7.00 (actually $ 5.74 with the «retirement discount» for used books that have been on the shelves for more than a year). They did not have the widest selection, but the overall quality of books is very high. I’m glad this independent bookstore is surviving in «the age of Amazon» and hope it will thrive in the future. If you enjoy reading and are staying in the River North area of Chicago, it’s well worth a visit for browsing!

Its a bookstore. In the middle of the city. And it has good books — curated if you will. It doesn’t look like much from the outside (or even the first floor) but the basement is where the action is at. Reasonable prices and good service make this a place to seek out.

Excellent bookshop in the downtown Chicago area. They have the best hours of any other bookshop that I’m aware of (10am — 11pm on the Friday I dropped by).
The owners were kind and helpful. Their selection is wide. Walk downstairs and on the basement level is a great mix of used (1^st edition through paperbacks) copies and new ones. Will visit again!

Great independent book store with tons of genres and notebooks. I love the venue and the staff is super friendly.
I woul dhave passed it if not walking or if I had prior knowledge.

A bit disappointed by this place. I LOVE used book stores and enjoy visiting different ones when I travel (as was the case today). I found that the majority of the books were new and a bit pricy. Although I did enjoy the selection overall nothing was purchased as there were no used copies of anything that struck my fancy.
Although I do enjoy reading on paper, for me personally, I only do it with used books. And although this is a nice bookstore overall I think calling it a used bookstore is a major stretch of the imagination. If I was reviewing an establishment promoting themselves as a cute, small, neighborhood bookseller then I would give a higher star rating.

So fabulous. If you are in Chicago and need a legitimate bookstore experience, go here. Very friendly and knowledgeable sales staff. I wish they had a larger selection of used books, though.

I poked around here for a little while when I was in Chicago on business and had some time to myself. Nice, smallish used bookstore. I always like when a bookstore has very specific shelf categories for books. Helpful staff and a handful of chairs around the store. Good selection, a nice mix of old and new books.

3 stars for being a bookstore. It’s brutal these days, and I give them props.
The selection just didn’t do it for me. The top floor is all new books, but there wasn’t enough variety in the fiction section, and everything is on the pricey end. If you have different tastes from mine, perhaps you’ll love the selection.
The bottom level is used books. The selection was kind of like my local library’s used book sale — books that are gladly discarded by their previous owners (though in great shape). I went shelf by shelf and couldn’t imagine who’s reading these books. Or who’s writing them. The prices are on the high end for used books.
The browsing’s better at the record store next door.

I stopped in there from walking by. They have plentiful selections with lots of space on two levels. Their employees are on the intelligent and passionate side by researching for you on the spot. They aren’t fully organized yet as books keep piling into store with no price or placement.
I found an original binding of an 17−18^th century historical memoir from a monk in a British monastery, those institutions had their own presses back then. Obviously I found no publisher name on it and I wanted the original historical sentiment of the book, maybe revealing some code thoughts.
The owner/​boss lady had to price and couldn’t find any other digital sale. She wanted to charge $ 30 +. My sister had to talk me out of it and said the store seems too expensive for used books anyway. My only possible competition for that book are academics, intellectuals, and history buffs who may never buy it if they can’t find it! I would’ve at most $ 15 for that based on the condition of the decent bound.
Anyhow, I’m on book treasure hunt rampage so my next visit to downtown I want to stop by and take more time in there.

I found two books before yoga. I only let myself buy one, but it was from downstairs, so it was reasonably priced. Nice place.

Awesome bookstore! Probably my favorite bookstore of all. A huge selection of new and used books, very well organized. The store is also very clean. Customer assistance has always been very friendly. I had a friend from Ireland in town and she found a book she was looking for, and they went and put a new dust cover on the book without being asked. I thought that was pretty cool. Check this place out if you get the chance. If you love finding a good book to read like I do, then I highly recommend this place!

I’ve been to After Words twice, and both times I left without a good find. The selection appears pretty good, but maybe it’s better for fiction than non-​fiction, my preferred genre. I found only a very small sampling of Science/​Nature books, and all of them were about outer space. I did find more interesting books upstairs, but they were new and, thus, cover priced.
Also, the store gets very warm. I went once in the dead of the Polar Vortex, and I had to remove all my layers in the basement because it was supremely hot. Very uncomfortable. This time, in mid-​July, it may have been cooler than in January, possibly because there were more fans. There were more fans than Science books. Maybe there was a hidden section I missed, and I should have asked someone for help. I don’t know. But I got uncomfortable so fast, I didn’t want to stay.
Plus the store is loud. Everything is wood, so anyone walking around on the first floor causes the floorboards to creak above your head. There were a lot of noises either from neighbors being loud or kids I could not need skipping around. Either way, I had to leave before the sounds drove me crazy.
And, here’s a very picky, stupid comment: The music they play in the store is awful. It is hits from yesteryear that get stuck in your head so you leave the store humming it, until you angrily realize four hours later that you’re still singing it, yet you hate that song, who why the hell would you be singing it? Oh, right: because they were playing it for no good reason inside the bookstore! Argh! Alright; rant over. But seriously, play something ambient, instrumental, or just better. Please. And get more science books, or stop hiding the ones you have.

Needed to kill time, and this was nearby.
Obviously if you’re looking for something in particular, Amazon will be infinitely more convenient — search bar, reviews, selection, everything. But there’s something exciting about browsing through a bookstore and seeing something you never know you wanted. I walked out with a cookbook!
They have a good selection for browsing, both used and unused books. I like the «retirement discount» they had for books that came into their store over a year ago, if it’s a permanent thing. And for the most part it’s pretty well organized — clearly labeled sections, the books aren’t out of order or in the wrong places, etc.
But I asked to find a book on a particular subject, and they didn’t have a single book except for things dated 2003 in their system that they never erased. There’s also a huge section of old books they haven’t priced or cataloged that you can browse… Looks like they’re still a little old fashioned in how they do things.
Even if it is an old fashioned cute little brick & mortar bookstore, it would help if they introduce some efficiency into their operations.
If I think back more carefully, I did enjoy browsing the store. But what soured my overall memory of the place was that the service was not particular friendly. One woman in particular was quite accusatory in her tone that made me feel like I was not welcome there, and when I said thank you, she always replied with a flat and annoyed «uh huh.» Sorry I’m supporting your business? Maybe I won’t come back next time then.

Do you want to know how to give a librarian the heebie-​jeebies? Have stacks and stacks of books piled on tables. It makes me want to just pitch in and start shelving, but instead I just moved to another section of the store.
The selection here is great. And I love when spots sell both new and used together. The staff acknowledged my presence but were busy… maybe processing all those acquisitions.
A really solid independent books store. I wish I had more time to browse… next time.

Books books everywhere.
Books for you and me.
New books, Used books.
Check it soon and you will see…
I’m happy to see an independent book store alive and well in this area. It isn’t giant like old B&N, but there is a very nice selection of new books on the ground floor and used books in the basement. Both sections are well laid-​out and clean, and I was glad to see a nice-​sized display of Chicago-​based literature/​Chicago authors.
I ended up purchasing a second-​hand trilogy of stories and was surprised they took off 10%, I must of missed the sign somewhere. But even without the discount, the price was pretty reasonable.
The lower level has some reading chairs and a table if you want to hang out and read. They also have a nice but small selection of greeting cards and postcards. Friendly service. Great place to browse.

After-​Words, I am at a loss for words.
This bookstore is just fantastic and has become a frequent stop whenever I’m in the River North area.
The location is unbeatable as it is sandwiched between the shops on the Mag Mile, the restaurants of the Near North Side, and the bustle of the Loop — making this bookstore an oasis for book lovers or anyone looking for a temporary escape from the both the city’s extreme weather patterns and the shop’s wallet-​busting surroundings. With the plethora of foodie spots and countless shops, the downtown atmosphere becomes dangerous after a while. So, when I’m feelin broke and need to resist the urge to eat and shop, I drop on in to the paradise that is After-​Words Bookstore, where I explore the many aisles and lounge in the basement area to pour over a good book, or, if I’m feeling too lazy — I’ll flip through some cookbooks, scanning the pages for all the pictures of food :)
The shop has any and every genre you could think of and the books are reasonably priced. I’d definitely head down to their lower level, where tons of the books are even more so on sale. And I also love how great their hours are, as they are open until 10 or 11pm almost every night!
This is truly an amazing place and somewhere I plan on going to for years to come when looking for a good book or a space to chill. Check it out.

Excellente librairie, le spirit de Chicago dans un lieu super sympa