Schuler Books & Music

Schuler Books is one of Grand Rapids’ best independent book stores. It’s located on busy 28^th Street and has every book a chain would have from kids books to travel books. They also have a café that serves coffee and lunch. It’s nothing amazing, but it’s food. They also have enough plug ins around the café for people to come and work/​study.

Very pleasant independent bookstore with coffee, CDs and other gifts. My brother-​in-​law and fellow Star Trek fan needed one more present to replicate the birthday presents Captain Kirk got in «The Wrath of Khan.» You’d think the antique reading glasses would have been my biggest problem («For most patients your age I usually prescribe Retinax 5…») but it was the copy of Dickens that didn’t arrive in time («It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… Message Spock?»). This excellent bookstore has the kind of staff that understood what I was looking for and gave me a choice of four different copies of A Tale of Two Cities, perfectly understanding my needs (so they are well read, and culturally competent, not to mention they know their complex stock), I settled on the most appropriate higher quality used copy.
Parking is easy in their lot, and it’s nice to see in this day and age, it’s a pretty busy place.

A local bookstore dedicated to the art of reading. This full service bookstore has an impressive selection of books, magazines, music and gifts. The café is a nice place to enjoy a light fare and cup of coffee.
The children’s section is a wonderful reading room stocked with beautiful books and resources.
The staff is very helpful, knowledgable and eager to help. They have an easy to navigate website, too.

Came here for some programming books to take back home and read and have a nice afternoon in. The place is great and this was my first time in it. I found the 4 foot section on «computers» and tried finding what I needed. 2 books later and a bit of disappointment I left. The books were great and all but I was a bit down with the selection they had laid out. I get it, it’s a book store for all the other sections but the computer section should have been a bit better.

Lovely local bookstore. Wonderful gift selection and café. But I really miss the roasted tomato, goat cheese and eggplant sandwich.

This is my go to place for books when I need them. When you just cant wait for Amazon :)

If I had to live in a store, it would be Schuler Books & Music. :)
My favorite thing about this bookstore is that it never feels too crowded (even when there are over 200 people in the store for a book signing) and neither the customers or the staff ever seem rushed or irritable. Even during the holidays. The stores are overall very cozy. They have a wide range of books and always have interesting displays that include books I never knew existed but totally want to read! They also sell beautiful gift items in addition to books — scarves, stationary, soaps, and miscellaneous home things. Whoever selects this merchandise has fantastic taste… it would be almost impossible to buy me something here that I wouldn’t like. (Hint, hint. Hahaha.)
The Chapbook Café is 1000 times better than any other bookstore café I’ve been in. It feels like a café you would actually visit on its own, not just an afterthought crammed into a back corner of a bookstore. If you know what I mean. It also has a super cozy fireplace. The last time I was at a bookstore café in the mall and wanted something cold to drink after my hot cocoa, I had to spend $ 3 for a bottle of Fiji water. On the other hand, at the Chapbook Café they always have two pitchers of ice water available and a stack of glasses, so you can just help yourself. One pitcher has lemon, and the other is plain. Sometimes details like this make all the difference for me. :)
I’ve been to several awesome book signings at Schuler: Jan Brett, Chris VanAllsburg, Duff from Ace of Cakes, and Mitch Albom have been here in just the last couple of years. Last but not least, your book club can meet here for free and they will display your current book selection on their Book Club rack so it is easy for the members of your club to find AND they’ll give you a discount on it!
Love. This. Place.

Good selection of books, competitive with any of the bigger chain book stores. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Staff is always friendly and helpful. There is a nice selection of retail items for home or gifts. They often host music events by local bands, book signings, and children’s activities. Local authors have the opportunity to get their work pointed and sold here. The coffee shop is a great place to relax or meet with others.

Yes, sometimes Barnes and Noble can be a good thing. But when you have a choice, it feels so good to go local.
Schuler is exactly what you want in a local bookstore. The space is cozy, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable and the coffee is tasty. When you’re in the mood for a good book but don’t have anything specific in mind, this is the perfect destination. That said, if there’s something you want that they don’t have in stock they’ll order it for you. They have interesting events, inspiring readings and a kickin’ kids section.

Go to this store before going to a chain. It literally has everything that a borders or barnes and nobles has. There is a nice café, friendly staff, every new book you could want AS WELL as a good selection of used books. Great place.

The atmosphere is perfect. They have a fireplace, comfortable seating and it is always very quiet without being uncomfortably so. The coffee selection and the hot pressed teas are amazing. They have a variety of vegetarian soups that which is very nice. The food is great and there is always a great selection of desserts which are delicious but not exactly low calorie. Barnes and Nobles used to be our favorite but then they joined the mall and we just don’t want to go there anymore. They became commercialized and cold and there is even a security guard sometimes. Schuler’s is cozy and you can sit in an oversized comfy chair and browse through books. They have some used books and some new books. The selection is decent, but not amazing. They showcase local authors which is nice. There is some unique and interesting giftware for sale. We stayed for a small concert once and the acoustics were perfect and the musicians talented. Schuler’s is like a small, private, tranquil, pleasant and unique universe. We love being there.

SUPPORT THIS STORE! It’s amazing! The coffee shop is great, with good coffee and great pastries and also their book variety is superb! They are a lot like borders and I just felt Nostalgic walking in there.

I was devastated when Barnes & Nobles closed their wonderful store and moved to the mall. So I tried Schulers.
No doubt in my mind that Schulers is now far better than the B & N. They have a wonderful selection of used books and a selection of signed editions. They have periodic author signings and seem very «user friendly».
Downside is the lack of sales or membership cards that gave me discounts at B & N. Full price is tough to swallow with Amazon and Costco in the game.

I was skeptical, but I liked it ultimately.
This is surprisingly big for an independent bookstore, with a decent selection. It is apparent that the staff is literate as they have displayed favorite reads with brief reviews (a la Borders, etc.). Good selection of literary fiction.
A few rows of used books at reasonable prices (i bet the staff gets first dibs).