Montclair Book Center Reviews

Greatest assortment of books I've ever seen. I love how it's all records downstairs

Cool local bookstore. Sells used and new books of all kinds, as well as records, old collector books and other merch.

If they don't have it they will get it for you, if they can't get it for you they will give you the names of multiple other sources of where you can look for it! Customer service really is a top priority here. It feels so nice to wander through the isles of books and just look at the unknown, the waiting to be discovered. They also have a whole room of vinyl to look through, in which I have found many of gems. Don't order that next book off of Amazon. Give your local shop a try, you will be pleasantly surprised.

What a gem! Lots of interesting stuff to be found here, even if the staff can seem a little disinterested.

This is a beautiful little place full of treasures. I found some wonderful books I hadn't seen in a while. Really great first date venue!

I love everything about this place. So many books and records! It's deceptively larger on the inside (much like the TARDIS) and naturally it smells like books (so, so inviting). There's both old and new books, so you can get quite the deal on them. I love this store, but it's dangerous for me to go there because i'll want to buy everything!

Amazing collection. Would give them 5 stars but the back of the building was too cold to hang in and browse. Recommend going in mild weather.

This is the exact type of bookshop you'd expect. Like walking into a modern-day Narnia. Except it's not modern at all and you're walking into the best book store in the North Jersey area. Three floors of ceiling-high bookshelves filled with stacks on stacks on stacks. Not to mention their phenomenal vinyl and CD collection in their extended section and basement area. If you're looking for a good book, you'll find it here.

Such a LARGE selection of books. Great store. They also have vinyl records

TONS of used (and new) books and records at fair prices and in a great location! What's not to like?

Fabulous second hand book store, huge, with vinyl records and retro posters. This is the kind of bookstore that used to exist in every college town. Nice staff. A must visit if you are in the area.

This is my favorite book store. Between all the new books and the oldies (but goodies) you're sure to find what you're looking for here. They also have a wide selection of music as well.

Great selection, pleasant and nice atmosphere, friendly staff. The sheer mass of books is incredible. I love that they have staff picks. A treasure!

I love this place. There is always a place to read and so much to explore.

Love this book store, very cozy, nice atmosphere, great staff and also a great selection of new and used books at a good discount. I get lost in here for hours every time I stop in. Love this place

Wonderful store. Only wish there was an inspiring session area to peruse books before purchasing

You can escape in this place in the best way. So easy to spend hours just seeing all they have. Every book you could imagine is here, and the vinyl section is one time be in awe of. Feels so warm and comfy in there. And the workers love to converse and help out any way they can. A gem of a store with a soul and lots of heart

Love this store. The team members are so knowledgeable.

I absolutely love used bookstores, and this one is no exception. Montclair Book Center has a huge space, although it may not look like it from the outside. The store really has character - it's not just one big room with shelves. As you walk around, you'll find a bunch of little nooks and crannies filled with more books. They also have a good record selection, although I can't speak much on that as I spent most of my time checking out the books.

The store basically has three floors. The main floor, a balcony around the back room upstairs, and a basement. You can spend hours and you won't see everything. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars is the prices - they are a little bit higher than than other used bookstores that I've visited. Overall, definitely worth checking out.

Always a gem to be found. Helpful knowledgeable staff and 3 floors of choices.

Superb, helpful staff and a varied selection that's not overwhelming. It's especially nice to see how well-organized the titles are by the standards of most used bookstores.

I ve been a long time fan of this book store. Always great to wander the long aisles and find something new and out of my typical wheelhouse. Also, knowledgeable staff that has always been helpful.

This bookstore has great prices for the savvy shopper. The selections of books range from classics to a various range of subjects. The prices are better than B&N and very easy to get there. The staff are knowledgable and there's always a sale when you pre-order a book. It may not be a chain-mega book store but this little wonder has much to offer in price and variety.

Beautiful store so much to explore truly a treasure hunt

Air to breathe for book lovers. The smell of old fashioned books makes you forget about modern devices. I could spent days inside.

BIG bookstore that's not too cramped. Also there's an attached record store.

Best book store ever. I moved from Montclair to Florida 7yrs ago & I miss this store so much there s none to compare.

Great store, but would like to see more crypto titles like Splitting Bits and others. Love to be here and love books.

One of my favorite book stores in NJ. You can find almost any type of books from almost any dates /era. I found one of my favorite books from here. The second floor happens to be my favorite section but what I love the most about the store is that they have little nooks and crannies to sit at at. Great place to visit.

Pro:
-Great selection of books, easy to get lost in

Con:
-Unpredictable attitudes of staff (one day they are nice and helpful, another they are rude, pompus, and don't pay attention when they are making change) This mostly applies to the older gentlemen with the long white hair.

Neutral:
-Some prices are reasonable, some are a little outrageous, depends what you are looking for.

----I have come to this store a few times, and usually had a good experience. You have a large selection of books to choose from, some of the prices are alright if you want it then and now, and some just seem really off. You can easily just get lost in looking through all they have.
----Although, sometime I just want to see if they have a few books in stock instead of spending a large amount of time of sorting through all the different sections trying to find it, this is where the staff, especially the gentleman with the long white hair, can get unpredictable. Some days they are fully willing to help you find the book by checking in the computer to see if its in stock, and even go to the section with you to help find it, and some days they just don't seem to want to help you with anything, and even get rude, like recently i had a list of 3 or 4 books I wanted to see if they had, since I wanted to get in and out of the place, and the man with the long white hair got a little rude with me after the 2nd book i listed off and said "why don't you go check the section yourself."
----Also, on this same day, when I was paying for 3 books I had wanted, the total came to 11.25, I gave him 21.25 so I could get a 10$ bill back. He was not paying attention and gave me 2 cents, I told him I gave him 20 and a 1, he then took the change back and gave me $8, and I told him again he gave me the wrong change, but he raised his voice a little and said he did give me the right change. I persisted for about a minute and explained what I gave him and he kept saying he was right, even though he was already wrong, but I just said fine and grabbed my purchases and left. I wasn't mad that I was out 3 dollars, i was mad at the fact that he goes from treating customers with respect one day, and treats them like crap another out of nowhere, and then the customer pays for their incompetence.
----This place is nice just to get lost in and find some good old books you may not find in a large chain store, and sometimes for a reasonable price. Although, I say be a little wary of the staff, as their attitudes can be unpredictable, and make sure they pay attention the amount you are giving them so you do not get robbed like I did.

great place, you could easily spend hours without knowing

if you like books and reading, that is the place

Have been going here for the past 20 years. It's a staple of Montclair.

Lots of diversity of genres. Organization is somewhat okay, it shows they try! Fairly priced books, they take condition into consideration when pricing.

Cool little used book store, get discount prices and also have used vinyls as well

It is enormous. I accidentally spent 3 hours in here. Bookstores are disappearing, so glad to run into this spot. Their $1-3 sidewalk deals cannot be beat. If they found a way to get a little space for some tables/chairs and maybe a tea kettle, or a coffee pot, it would be a great place to spend an afternoon.

Huge independent bookstore with old and new books. Love roaming through it. A booklover's paradise.

Huge selection. Records too. Helpful, pleasant staff.

It's a trip down memory lane whenever I get to go. They collectable as well as items with good prices. They have wide variety of book collections as well as a vinal record collection. Alas being down town it's street parking or the little parking lot with meters.

Love this place. Anytime i have i got to check the records. Great place

Feels like you could get lost in the aisles in a good way. Very fun to look around and very fairly priced.

I found the books quickly, but among them I could not find anything that I would have liked. In fact, the place is not very large, but there are quite a lot of books. There were two staff members, one was very polite, and he picked up books for me. The second man was rude. Three stars for being rude. Always be polite, you will never know what kind of struggle a person is facing you. Suddenly, he smiles in pain?

Awesome place for used books. They have a great scifi/fantasy paperback section at somewhat reasonable prices. Nice place to get lost.

It's one of those hole in the walls that is hard to leave. I found myself in there for hours just browsing and shopping.

Excellent selection and helpful staff. Plan your time wisely. You'll want to spend an afternoon browsing.

One of my favorite bookstores in New Jersey. Like the town of Montclair, this bookstore is eclectic and its collection is skewed towards the artsy with a touch of the occult and esoteric. A great place to find rare reads. If you are into chaos magick and ancient wisdom traditions, be sure to have a gander at the books in the locked case next to the yoga section.

Huge variety of new and used books. Records and collectable books.

Such a nice and beautiful place. The people that work there were also very nice and welcoming. I would highly recommend going there!

Such a great place to get books. It's nice to actually hold a book before purchasing it rather than online ordering. I never know what I will find, it's like an adventure. Great store.

Hidden gem in Montclair, literally wall to wall books and music too! Much much bigger on the inside than what the outside would have you think. Definitely worth the look especially of you're a bookworm.

An amazing book store filled to the brim. They have everything from new titles to classics and can easily spend hours searching the stacks

Love the bookstore. Staff are very cool a d helpful.

The first day I came to Montclair I saw this shop. I love books. Started going. They have a fabulous valiety of used, new books. My favourite is spiritual books. Also vinyls, CDs, DVD s are there too. Basement like they have these. It's a totally new experience being here. The staff are friendly. Also out side the display used books for a dollar. I have spent lot of time looking at them. Never will forget this joint as next is a massage place. Rated five stars.

A gem of montclair. A true book lover could spend all day here.

Love this no frills bookstore it's one of Monclair's hidden gems. Their vinyl collection is pretty big too.

Great book store! It has been awhile since I went inside this book store, but I call and they always have what I need to pickup. Can't wait until this pandemic is over so I can be able to go inside again .

So amazing when you think it's just your average book store it's not it has just so much to offer

Great place for new, used and all in between. Vinyl record section!!!

I was recommended to go to this place by one of my clients. If you re a book nerd, this is your place! If you like music, this is your place! If you are a breathing person this is your place because you ve enjoyed at least one of the two!

As soon as you walk in, it feels like your in a infinite space of neatly shelved books. Any criteria that you can think of it s there. When you walk to the right side of the building, you ll find a section with records and music merch. It has a vintage vibe with the TVs and record player to play any of the records that interest you. BUT WAIT....

THERES MORE! If you head downstairs it ll be more records that are available. There are also CDs, cassettes, and there are even posters available in the far back in the basement. Went in there thinking that 30 minutes was enough, but stayed almost an hour longer than expected because I was enjoying all of the nostalgia.

Since my experience there, I have recommend this place to the rest of my clients that live in Montclair. If you re looking to rent/buy/sell a home in the area, visit my website and reach out to close on the property you re looking for!

Best used book store in New Jersey, bar none. Largest shelf space, most eclectic mix sorted by interest. Rare and collectibles are impressive. New hardcover book stacks are decent broad selection. This is one of only two book stores in the entire state that are actually worth traveling to see. Only the Strand in NYC has a wider selection, and it's much pricier. Nothing like this in Westchester, Nassau, Greenwich, Rockland, Brooklyn or Queens. Add to that its location on the best street for reviewed Restaurants in New Jersey. Parking is easy in the Muni lot across the street. Go be welcomed and inspired. If you can't find something here that you need but never knew existed, you're illiterate.

Tired of your local ersatz Barnes/Noble and/or Boredom, I mean Borders? Where the stock is based on precalculated demographs and the used books are nothing you want to read? Then make the trip to this place. Great stock, rarities, good prices, personality. Condusive to browsing and even hanging out. Like the old Gotham Bookmart, chances are something may be revealed to you. Frequently rotating stock as well. ++

I love just walking through all the stacks of books.

Great used book store. I always walk out with 5-10 new books each time I go in there.

Quaint with both new and old books. Everyone is very friendly and helpful and the books are much cheaper than major bookstore chains.

Really quite an amazing bookstore with a million nooks and crannies. Great selection. Prices are OK.