“We loved our first visit to Birchbark Books! It's obvious that there is a lot of care put into this store. I love the staff recommendations and highlighting indigenous authors! Staff were very welcoming!”
“Wild Rumpus is a charming book store specializing in children's literature. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful, and the kids will enjoy the live animals and fun decorative surprises (check out the ceiling) in addition to a vast selection of books. There is also a small adult section filled with some great reads.”
“Dream Haven Books & Comics is a treasure trove. The place is packed floor to ceiling shelves upon shelves of mainstream comics and books to super niche out of print books and comics. The place is filled with unusual decor and fun memorabilia. You will walk in and immediately find 1-2 things you are looking for and 3-10 things you never even knew existed. A great place for pulp novels, art books, comic omnibuses, obscure paperbacks. The horror and sci Fi sections are especially lush. The staff are friendly and every time I go in there I hear a wild story from the 1990s or 1970s. it is difficult to traverse the store in a wheelchair or mobility scooter but I have seen it done. it's an old building with manual doors packed with inventory. it is what it is, but the disabled shoppers make do. I can easily spend a few hours in here. Art students and people interested in comics history will especially enjoy this store.”
“M & Q has been such a safe haven for me! Their selection and ambiance are absolutely top tier. Always happy to support wonderful small businesses such as these”
“My Dad told me about this place many years ago. He often got herb from here, especially for detoxify when he was training for a bodybuilding show. My recent visit I got a detox and a energy tea, hoping both of these will get my body right🤭”
“This place is incredible. A dream, really. If you love a used bookstore (they also carry new books) and hunting through stacks and tightly packed shelves, you won’t find one better than this. Thank you, Don.”
“My Dave bookstore in the Cities and Ive been to most. Really great, well chosen selection of new and used books, really kind and helpful staff, cool set-up of displays, clever names of sections. Its a distance from where I am but I keep going back. Shop indies!!”
“I visited this store today and was instantly in awe! Jess was amazing and was super knowledgeable. I couldn’t believe the selection! I will definitely be back!”
“This was my first time visiting this shop after such a long time of wanting to come! The best part? What a lovely bookstore. For how small it is inside, it sure is filled with so much to see. Not only did I find an amazing variety of books but there was also fun book themed merch such as t-shirts, bookmarks and stickers and much more. I loved the “Minnesota Authors” section. I’m always looking for local authors to support. They even had spots to sit and an amazing are for kids. The worst part? Parking is rough here. They have street parking across the street but there’s not always spaces so plan ahead for that. I was also really bummed because I chose to visit on August 9th because online, on the Penguin Random House website, this location was listed as a bookstore that was participating in “National Book Lovers” day. I thought it’d be fun to stop by and support. As soon as I walked in, I didn’t see anything indicating that they were actually participating but I decided to get a bookmark and I told the cashier, “today is national book lovers day” in hopes that maybe I had missed a display or something for it at the shop. She said, “oh really? I didn’t know” and I decided not to say anything about them being on the list participating. I was really disappointed because turns out, other bookstores were giving bookmarks and stickers to celebrate.”
“Awesome book store. The selection was amazing, everything from graphic novels to rare book editions to modern popular titles. I got an awesome 4th edition of The Electric Kool.Aid Acid Tests and a signed, hardback Joe R Landsdale novel (Hap and Leonard)”
“Not only is this a cute bookshop, but the STAFF!! They are so knowledgeable and willing to help. Their book recommendations always hit the spot I was looking for. Everyone here loves to read and it makes me so happy!”
“Cozy and wonderful store with an interesting selection. Meeting Nat and Zoro (bunny) was an added bonus. We will return on future trips to Minneapolis; in the meantime, we'll use the online store.”
“Where do I start? There are so many things I go to Moon Palace for - calendars, cute gift things and cards, new releases, books for kids, special even events on occasion. It's great. I usually remember to bring my own mask but they have them by the front door, too.”
“Ursula was fantastic! This was my first reading and I was nervous as hell but went in with an open mind. She was knowledgeable, thorough, respectful and explained everything in a way I could understand. I will be going back to see her. Thank you!”
“I know this is just a Barnes and Noble but this specific Barnes and Noble has an awesome curated stock, with a particular emphasis on queer literature that is really impressive. Super friendly and helpful staff with great recommendations.”
“This was a very nice bookstore! It has all of my favorite things in one place: books, coffee & dogs! I’m very happy that I was able to spend some quiet time with my pup so big plus that this place is dog friendly. And I loved the little gifts they had I bought a couple things for a friend .”
“Tons to look at. Boneshakers is a neighborhood staple. A must visit. I attended a National Collage Day event and made some button pins, under the guidance of Twin Cities Collage Collective. Tons of artwork from local artists. An excellent selection of books. Very comfortable atmosphere.”
“Came in from out of town, put this on my list of things to do. I'd highly reccomend this place for many reasons. Vibes are immaculate, chatted with some older comrades while browsing for books. Awesome selection of leftist books spanning the broad spectrum of the left from Anarchist theorists like Kropotkin and Bookchin to the collective works of Stalin and Ho Chi Minh. Amazing selection of Palestine and Cuba literature as well as great speculative fiction. Plenty of books on trans liberation. Cash only but the 15% discount on everything is well worth it. Absolutely would reccomend anyone to go and get smart.”
“Great store with an always interesting collection of poetry, fiction and more. There is a cafe in the same space and a center for book arts that has art prints for sale.”
“We are really fortunate to have a bookstore of this caliber. They have everything that our classes require. They are also very willing to special order materials that might not be in stock so don't hesitate to ask Matt if he can make a special order for you. Outside of everyday small things, The apple store within the book store has great deals on macbooks, ipads and a great selection of various windows based laptops. All top of the line and most are able to be purchased with your ucard/student account. Which is a really great option if you intend to include your laptop in your cost of attendance. They have a huge selection of official gopher apparel. they also have an in house print shop that can handle professional grade printing on a huge assortment of top quality papers. it's a must see for anyone visiting or touring the university!”
“Pastor Randy is truly Anointed, he has been since he was 19 years old. Pastors now adays don't take this serious. Pastor Randy has always taking his walk with our Lord seriously.”
“Huge selection of high quality items—books, of course, but also music (in various formats) and art prints. It would take hours and hours to peruse it all.”
“Great store It's clean, customer service is a focus, clothing and accessories are well thought out. The website is easy to navigate, and they now have a pick-up in store option. Now open summer hours from 10am to 3pm.”
“Best Bookstore in town. Incredible selection for very reasonable prices. Tom and the staff may at times be a bit on the gruff side, but I find that is fairly typical for used book shop owners. Just don't be a jerk and you will be able to nestle into this bibliophile's haven and community fairly easily. Tom and Cathy are active in acquiring new stock, I have been coming in for nearly 40 years, and can always find something new, needed or fascinating. A true Twin Cities gem. One of the few legacy hold-outs from the golden ages of Twin Cites used book stores.”
Barnes & Noble is proving that physical bookstores aren't going anywhere. The retailer just opened three new locations across Texas and South Carolina, marking another step in its comeback story. Barnes & Noble opened 57 stores in 2024 alone - more than it had opened in the entire decade from 2009 to 2019. The company isn't slowing down either, with plans to open more than 60 new stores in 2025 and a goal of reaching over 1,000 stores nationwide in the coming years.
