Chamblin’s Uptown

Awesome little bookstore and café. Huge selection of books for cheap. I got the tempeh wrap which was so delicious!

Just happen to stop in here after driving past it literally hundreds of times while I was looking for a quick snack and a cup of hot tea or I could knock out a little work on my computer. I saw this on Unilocal and thought maybe I would give it a try.
I ordered a tuna salad and a large hot tea and it was a little over $ 11, not too bad. The salad came out on spinach which was extra nice with and obviously homemade vinaigrette, heavy on the garlic and totally tasty. They use it seems like a 2 ounce scoop for the Tunis itself which is made with dill, fresh dill no less, and celery and onions but no mayonnaise-​based product and it was good you get a 2 ounce ramekins of dressing on the side
Hot tea was as usual, they have a selection of various teabags and you just help yourself. They have some interesting ones like Gypsy cold care.
My only reason for four stars instead of five stars is because the girl at the counter really didn’t seem like she wanted to be there, none of them were very happy, and they all seemed to be just going through the motions nobody was smiling and nobody was happy. So that didn’t really make me feel welcome unfortunately. Other than that it’s delightfully shabby and comfortable. Felt like college all over again.

Warning — if you step into Chamblins you will fall down the book rabbit hole! Walking into Chamblins you will immediately smell paper and coffee and see books floor to ceiling. Both floors are filled with used books in great condition. Expect to pay ½ the suggested retail price. You’ll find lots of different genres and can spend hours perusing both floors of books. When I’ve asked for a particular title, many times the employee actually knows if they have it in stock. They’ve also had a book that was in stock in the Westside location brought to the Downtown location for me to purchase. I’ve stopped inside for many reasons — for me, for a gift, for a friend, etc. If you love actual books, you’ll want to buy the entire store.
Once you’re exhausted yourself with book shopping, stop in the café for a drink and snack. They offer coffee, tea and other drinks and a small menu of snacks, breakfast and lunch items. They often have soups and one of them is usually vegan. I’m a fan of the three cheese and spinach bagel with cream cheese. Or I’m feeling particularly indulgent, a croissant with peanut butter, bananas and Nutella. Support a local business and check it out!

Is there such a thing as best place to loose all track of space and time? Well, there is now. You’re welcome. The café is great, always vegan soup and specials. Sexy grits are my go to. The bookstore is perfection. New releases, weirdo old books you won’t find elsewhere, local publications, and you can trade in books. If they don’t have the book at the downtown location, they’ll get it brought over from the larger store. Win, win, win, win. Love, love, love, love.

First of all, the everything bagel with cream cheese at the café is super super good. This book store is great, so many options and its smaller and cozier than the chamblins on Roosevelt. Plus they gave me a generous amount of store credit when I traded my books here. On art walk Wednesday’s it’s pretty loud but a cool place to hang out with friends.

Like Larry W., I stopped in during One Spark but in 2014. I came in to pick up a coffee and loved the ambiance of this location.
I usually frequent the one on Roosevelt, but when downtown – it’s great to stop into this one. A bit more hipster feel.
Very friendly staff and good coffee.

a real gem and a perfect way to spend a day off. The used books are 50% off and there is a quaint café that you can sit in to read once you’ve made your decision. There are endless book choices and the environment is slightly quirky and fun. The café has some great gluten free and vegan options.
I definitely will be coming back. Got three books and a great afternoon!

The bookstore was good with useful second hand books.

Possible browsing for hours!

Stopped in during one spark to look around and to grab a $ 3.00 intuition during one spark (they’re usually $ 5.00) anywhere else. liked the chill atmosphere I plan on checking the book selection out on another visit.

If you have some serious readers OR you want to put the iPad, the phone, & video games on pause, bring your teens here… You will not regret it & they will absolute love the huge selection of books! We got 13 books for under $ 40!

I love this place! If your looking for a place you can find a new shiny copy of 1984 and the Stars Wars Collection then look no more! The smell of musty and dusty meets you at the door but it’s a familiar smell. It reminds me of my college library where I spent many hours of my life. If you find yourself overwhelmed with decisions no fear… take a break in the café with a smoothie or a snack! Once you have found your treasure make your way to Hemming Plaza (across from City Hall) and find a shady spot to start your read.

What can I say about Chamblin’s that hasn’t already been said. This place is great. I love that they have two locations, but what’s even better is the enormous inventory they carry. This location doesn’t have the inventory that their other location does, but it’s an awesome place to go when you’re downtown.
Walking in you realize that you may have made a mistake by not clearing your calendar for the day cause you know you’re not leaving any time soon.
It doesn’t matter what you’re looking, they’ve got something to tickle your fancy. Looking for old books? Check. The newest fiction? Check. Some obscure book only you and six others have heard about? Two copies. They even have a copy of the book I haven’t written.
You can sell your old books for cash or store credit. My kid loves going and selling back his books and using the credit towards getting new books. Chamblin’s really is the best of Jacksonville. Their staff is always willing to help. I’ve even seen them do a bit of haggling and negotiating.

What the Strand is to the Big Apple, Chamblin’s Uptown Bookmine is to our River City. I can’t think of a better way to while away the time, lost in the stacks amongst books chock full of adventures, ideas and a cleverly turned phrase. An added bonus to our visit is if Mr. Ron is there with his classic ride parked out front or around the corner. The thrill of the hunt, the excitement of the find and even the disappointment of not quite finding the thing you were looking for always adds up to time well spent. So grateful that Chamblin’s has thrown its hat in the ring to make downtown Jax hum with fun. All it’s missing is a cool bike rack but the gorgeous mural above more than makes up for that oversight.

Awesome little divey store that you can get lost in. Completely unassuming building located in downtown Jax. I think there is also another location somewhere else from what I’ve heard. They’ve also got some decent food. Stop in for lunch someday you won’t be disappointed!

In my opinion this is the best bookstore/​coffee shop in the city. This place has a very intimate feel despite the fact it is a decent size. All the food is prepared fresh by the very able and friendly staff. The bookstore has enough stacks to keep any bookworm busy for years. It is in a central location right in the middle of downtown, which makes it a center of attraction for many types of people. You must visit this place and try the Italian soda. You will not be disappointed.

What an amazing bookstore. There is so much to look at and there is no possible way to look at all in a short lunch break from work, but I bet it would take more than a single visit to see it all also. Book reading, the kind with pages, is definitely something that is on the downward swing as our society moves more and more into the «online» versions of the book. When the book goes the way of the 8 track and cassette tapes, it will be sad day indeed. Until then, check this place out and enjoy a walk through history.
The bookstore also has a deli/​coffee shop that I hear is pretty good. Haven’t tried it out yet but they offer food for vegan and non-​vegans, so I guess they please everyone.

This is a great place to look for book and cd that bring back memories! I was going to order from the small place attached to the book store but the workers were busy cursing at each other I never got noticed.
Guess I can’t comment on the food but they have a lot of homeless people wondering in & out asking for money. On the flip side it was also lots of people there who look like locals.

I fell in love with this bookstore right after stepping through the front door; what a great spot for enjoying downtown Jacksonville.
Just like all great combinations — peanut butter and chocolate, rum and coke, you get the idea — the small café fits in perfectly surrounded by mountains of new and used books all sorted neatly by category. I didn’t come in for anything in particular, so I ended up browsing aisle after aisle of books, stumbling across some great finds along the way. Never did make it up to the second story, so I’ll have to explore that next time.
The staff was very friendly and seemed to know most customers by name, talking with them about how they had liked the books they had bought last.
Once you find a book you like, take it outdoors to read on the patio and people watch as people come and go downtown.
Bottom line: You can get lost in this place, in a good way. It’s a book lover’s (and hoarder’s) dream, and definitely worth stopping into the next time you’re downtown. A tip: Check the inside cover of the books for pricing as you’re comparing different copies — they can vary even on the same book.

I was volunteering all afternoon at the OneSpark HQ and after having to refill the meter on my parked car a couple times, it was due time to get something for lunch. I had been hearing about Uptown’s fantastic spread for awhile, so that’s where I headed after moving my car closer to the library.
I loved how immediately at home that I felt upon walking in. I am a huge fan of the Bookmine and I seriously think that a café is definitely what is missing over there (after being at this location). I was planning on coming back to browse the bookstore after volunteering, but the bookstore side is closed on Mondays.
The café offers food for everyone. They do have vegan choices, but they also have meat choices. No one is left out here. While I love my greens and salads, I’ve tried giving up meat and it never worked for me so I got a bit of both worlds. I ordered the BLT wrap with mustard, instead of mayo, and a half of the house salad to go. I’m not sure what they put in their house vinegarette, but it was divine!
Two things that I loved:
1. The wrap was separated into two halves for me and wrapped separately so that if I wanted to save the other for later, I could.
2. The half of a house salad container was at least 4″ deep and at least 6″ across. It was huge, and inexpensive, for only a «half» salad compared to the likes of Panera.
I wish that I could have sat there to eat and enjoyed the atmosphere. In any case, I’m hooked and I’ll be back to eat and shop soon.