Quimby's Bookstore

There’s no other place like Quimby’s ❤️ amazing bookstore, really great for zines by small independent artists, comics and a large variety of small press. The selections varies and changes constantly but it’s always good and rare. You will find weird pieces and that’s the best. The staff it’s sooo nice. Definitely a safe space!

Have shopped at and consigned with Quimby's for years but the new consignment policies make me really worried for the future. The limited initial stock of 5 copies with the much longer window for re-stocking has made the inventory feel increasingly stale since it limits popular items from re-stocking and new items from coming in. A lot of the old stock has been there for 6+ months and with the core community that frequents Quimby's a lack of fresh stock is a killer. There needs to be some sort of automatic rotation of old stock out and a caveat for stock that sold out within the 4 month window to be re-stocked. I knew my most recent dropoff had sold out but any requests made by consigners are quickly shut down so I inadvertently end up finding out about stock because friends will come in and ask for help finding it and get told it's sold out. Really love Quimby's and want nothing but success for them but I'm really looking for other places to consign in Chicago which is unfortunate because that scene is pretty small.

Poor treatment of local authors. I placed 2 books on consignment last summer, and have yet to be paid, or even replied to. It’s not so much the money, it’s that they don’t respond to simple correspondence (Quimby’s told me to email them and wait for a response) Also, the employees make it like it’s a customer’s privilege to be in their store while treating like you like an unworthy nuisance.

Lots of local works here and independent authors, lots of zines (my fave!), small gifts, I love the vibe here because it's not like most book stores where your eyes are immediately assaulted by walls of "NYT Bestsellers", instead they focus on substance and curated content so if you're looking to pick something up that will challenge your beliefs, inspire your imagination, or deepen your perspective on the world and the human experience, this is your go-to bookstore.