Village Commons Book Store

I wish you were closer. Great selection at very low prices. Bought a mechanical pencil back in 2013 still works and hasn’t let me down. The prices for their canvas and paint are super helpful and cheap for those strugiling to buy art supplies.
Thank you VCB Art!

I went to NIU back in the late 90s and I can’t recall offhand if I bought books from this particular bookstore, so I can’t speak for textbook prices. I do, however remember buying several items of NIU apparel for myself, my parents, sister, friends, etc. This is THE PLACE to buy ANYTHING NIU.
Typically off campus bookstores are the way to go for this stuff anyway, they are also easier to find than searching for on campus bookstores and this goes for any college.
Again, this place has everything NIU — including items name brand such as Adidas. There is also a student section where you can find school supplies, textbooks, clearance items, and a large section of greek fraternity/​sorority items — also stuff which can be custom made.
They had a buy 1, get 1 50% off deal going on this past weekend as it was family weekend so that is always a nice perk. Again, anything for your pet, child, parent, and yourself — they have it!

The store refused to refund shipping when another student charged books to my niece’s account. I called and explained the situation to someone and the other student returned the books. Even though the order had the wrong email address, phone number and was shipping to someone other than who the books were being billed to, no one bothered to verify the purchase. Once the books were returned, VCB refused to refund shipping that was not authorized and improperly charged. After I contacted VCB in writing I received no response. Even though I was a previous customer and had purchased books there for the fall semester, apparently $ 20 in shipping is worth more than future business. Maybe it is not their fault that books were fraudulently purchased, but actually checking the identity of orders placed online is probably one of the requirements before charging the account. It might not be blatantly dishonest, but it is bad business and unacceptable to push the loss onto the victim of theft when the business is haphazardly charging accounts.

I used to stop by this place often when I was a student at NIU. It’s a pretty nice place. It offers a little bit of everything from Huskie souvenirs to supplies. I went here sometimes in between classes, reading magazines at the rack. After I graduated from NIU, I visited a few more times. I purchased a great looking polo shirt with the Huskie log on it. I also bought NIU shorts and an alumni T-​shirt. This store offers an appealing array of Huskie souvenirs, which make good keepsakes for NIU fans, students and alumni. It also sells a variety of cards for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. I purchased a Peanuts card from the store and sent it to my aunt for her birthday. She liked the card very much.
When I was a student, there used to be other small places right next to the store that I used to enjoy spending time at between class. One was an arcade wherein I played NBA Jams quite a bit. It helped me be in a good mood as I was coping with the stresses of schoolwork. Another was a Subway and a McDonald’s Express. I’m not sure if the famous sub sandwich eatery is still there. But I know the express version of the popular fast food chain was there a short time. It’s unfortunate because I liked having a taste of Mickey D’s on campus and the current NIU students could’ve had a Big Mac that could’ve brighten their stressful days. But making return visits to the store and area always provides good memories for an alum like me.

Pretty solid. Everything is overpriced; books, school supplies, and NIU gear. It is really close to where I live. I would choose this over University Book, because everything is pretty easy to find here!

This is another case of the lesser of the two evils. VCBS is by far much better than the University Book store. I did purchase my last semester books there, but I wont go back again unless I have too. I was able to get my Physics book brand new online from a major retailer for 100 dollars shipped — used from VCBS was 181.00. Im sorry, but thats a huge difference. I know companies need to make money, but damn. I try to buy most books directly from students. I would much rather pay what the store would be buy the book for directly to someone else, then buy from the store who is going to make up the book they have sold 5 times over.
Its not all negative. They do have a very good selection of books, and clothing.

I generally go back and forth on which bookstore it’s better to buy from. The reality is that they’re both about the same. If you need to buy a gift for someone who isn’t a fellow NIU student, this is a great place to do that — they have a lot of really cute things. Also the people in the software and art departments are really knowledgeable.

Not only are the book prices and supplies at a far better cost here (and you really do get a lot more for your used books), this store totally kicks rear in comparison to the University store. Everything’s much easier to locate, and they have tons of stuff for greeks, family members, or cold students looking for oversized sweatsherts ^_​^*
I am totally planning to come back for some alumni gear… one of these days when I wake up early on Saturday morning.
UPDATE 09÷01÷07 I went today with significant other unit, and splurged on a zippered huskies sweatshirt, alumni decal, and rear plate frame. I heart Village Commons — never change guys!

VCB beats down the University Bookstore. They always gave me more cash-​back on book returns, and that won my business for my entire college career.

I would recommend this place over the University bookstore. They have a great selection of NIU clothes and merchandise and their prices are a bit cheaper than the University Bookstore. It is a bit closer to most of the residence Halls too. I always stop here when I am in town to pick up a new T-​Shirt/​Sweatshirt/​Hat