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December 2023 by Josh Hale
Super cute book store right across the street from the original Kerbey Lane Cafe with a great selection of hard-to-find and out-of-print books it's easy to get lost for hours roaming the aisles... the staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. A must visit shop for any and all bookworms!
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November 2023 by Susan B.
If you love books, desire first additions and unique finds, this is the place! Such a treat!
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September 2023 by Sara N.
Awesome selection of collectible, rare and signed books which sets it apart from all of the other bookstores in Austin. Will go again
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September 2023 by Haley Z.
Finally checked out the new location for South Congress Books last weekend! I love the specific selections at this bookstore, definitely for real book readers. Every book feels like it has had it's own life and story of getting here. Be prepared for the books to be more expensive, but they are well taken care of, unique editions, and absolute gems to find if you are into literature. I've been looking for a specific edition of a Vonnegut read that I found here! I saw someone recently found a first edition Vonnegut a few weeks ago too. The woman behind the counter greeted us like old friends and made us feel very welcome and asked us a bit about what we were looking for and gave us free, colorful bookmarks with our purchased books. They have a awesome, large, collection of near perfect condition posters of live music flyer promotions for the Austin area. Street parking is available near by, but be weary there is no sidewalks and the street is quite busy. Because of the location being in a house, the adorable winding rooms can be difficult to navigate and not super accessible for every person, especially when the shop is busy. I found great books, in wonderful condition so I definitely will be back soon.
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July 2023 by Morgan Blacklaws
Great selection of well-presented and rare books. The staff were also very welcoming.
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March 2023 by Will Norrid
New location recently opened- we were encouraged to stop visit by the super helpful folks at Uncommon Objects. Lots of hardbacks, potential for collectors. The visual charm of the old location has been reduced but thankful the brick-and-mortar option is still there. I will say, I don’t understand the lack of engagement with customers- especially when there is no one else in the shop. I know every shop has its own culture, and I know process of moving that amount of stock would be intense, but I am a shopper who prefers more engagement. Overall, I was glad we stopped by, and would recommend a visit if you are in Austin this week for SXSW.
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February 2023 by Mark B.
Love this place! This is a great book store that caters more to book lovers. Especially those of us looking for rare special editions. Whether they be 1st editions, autographed, or hard to find they are a good source for some literary gems. They also have an online presence you can check out. They are currently closed while they move to their new location. I guess they either outgrew the location or found a better spot. They will be reopening sometime in March and their new address will be 3703 Kerbey Lane according to the sign in the old storefront.
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January 2023 by Ella Lu
This was a charming little bookstore. They have many first edition and signed books.
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January 2023 by Bobby J
One of my favorite places to book shop in Austin, both new and rare. Charming small store (in their current location), diverse and interesting selection of books, and staff that seem passionate about the work they do. When I went there was a sale to prepare for their move off South Congress. Leaving a review for you all to know how delightful this place was and so I can remember to visit in the new location.
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January 2023 by Nicolle M.
I enjoyed this store. Its small and curated- a lot of signed copies and first editions from amazing authors. Its a heaven for the literature enthusiast! Edit: I just heard sad news this location might be closing? Im so sad I was going to come back and buy a book I saw! Its such a gem its too bad so many stores are being run out the area. To elaborate- this isnt barnes and noble. Its a highly curated collection. Infinite Jest by David Foster wallace? Most book stores have that, but this book store would have his equally great essay collections (maybe a signed copy?) that are not as common. Its for the hardcore book enthusiast and a complete gem of a store. I have some book enthusiasts in the family and this is where i go for the birthday gifts. To highlight that, I have seen books in here by some great authors I didnt even know existed- so great!
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October 2022 by Luke Thompson
Interesting little book store often frequented by window shoppers. Many books are tagged as signed, which makes a book an even more unique gift. Note: prices are written by hand somewhere inside the front area, look around. I didn't interact with the staff, but they did greet us in a friendlyanner when we entered. If you have a favorite author or type of book, this may be just the spot to find a unique and rare copy of something special. Enjoy!
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September 2022 by Tempesteclipse
Favorite bookstore on the strip. Really kind people who run the store and know their stuff. They've helped me many times and I'll always appreciate them!
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August 2022 by Cassie Hurley
Amazing selection of rare and limited edition books. Too bad the owners/workers are SO RUDE.Went in with our book club as part of our bookshop crawl and immediately were met with attitude from the man behind the counter and then a group of us were looking at vintage maps, deciding what to buy and taking photos. The woman working walked up and asked them to limit their “photo shoot” to 5 minutes. Came back 30 seconds later and essentially asked us to leave.This was a group of 30 book loving women with disposable income. Not a smart business move.
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August 2022 by Allison Ross
Horrible experience. Rude staff member made judgements about why our group was visiting and made our time at South Congress books truly awful. The book club I’m a part of stopped at South Congress Books as a part of our bookstore crawl that we were doing to support local indies during our reunion vacation this weekend. We came to Austin SPECIFICALLY to visit and make purchases from local bookstores. We had already visited two other stores and provided hundreds of dollars of business and had extremely positive, well mannered, calm, welcoming interactions with other stores’ staff. We intended the same with SCB and were met with a judgement assumption that we were there to view and photograph their store and products without purchasing. Our group was calm, quiet, and collecting items to purchase when we were approached by a rude staff member, within 10 minutes of being present, who asked us no questions and had no intent of holding a positive conversation with us. When we no longer wanted to purchase products as a result of her demeanor, she berated us as we left the store. She clearly made a judgement about our purpose at SCB and failed to realize that her interaction with us is what fulfilled her expectations. If you’re a book lover and avid supporter of independent bookstores, skip South Congress Books.
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July 2022 by Y Lu
This was a charming little bookstore. They have many first edition and signed books.
