Sixth Chamber Used Books

Me and my partner walked in one afternoon just looking around, we were interested in a 2 player board game. Not only did the staff help us look, they had suggestions, and even played a few quick games with us to show us how to play some of their favorites! That is true Customer Service!!! Great selection of used books, trinkets, toys, and games. Can’t speak any higher of them.

If you are a bookworm, support your local community, love animals, like fun little cute treats what have you, support local shops supporting the community, or a combo of any of these this is the spot for you! I got the opportunity to meet the owner and he’s friendly, compassionate, and is a helpful guy. Win win all around.
Thumbs up:
–convenient location with plenty of parking on Grand Ave
–find more then just books here, find unique gifts, all the while supporting local business and charities
–affordable pricing
–cute set up, think reminisce-​sik bookstore meets Modern meets I can see myself perusing here awhile
–friendly staff
–dog friendly
–assortment of books for all ages and interests
Thumbs down:
–there’s not more bookstores like this
–there is some seating area, but is limited. Doesn’t hurt though the store is quaint
It’s worth a read

I want to give a huge shout out to Sixth Chamber Used Books on Grand Ave in St. Paul. They welcomed my dog and I with open arms when we were both suffering the effects of the heat today. They happily allowed us to stay in their location for 2 hours while we waited for my husband to come and get us. If you’re looking for a book, or even if you’re not, please stop in and give them your business. They have a great selection of books and I was able to find one by my favorite author that I hadn’t read yet. If there’s a book you’d like and they don’t have it, let them know and they’ll give you a call if it comes in! They give excellent service. I cannot say enough kind things about Betty, who got us water and made sure we were as comfortable as possible today. They welcome all well behaved dogs and humans, so go shopping there with your best friend or participate in one of their many community activities. Thank you in advance for shopping this great local small business!

This place is great. Great books, fairly priced. Friendly and helpful service. Support this place.

My update is that this book store has gotten even better! Why? Toys! Quality games, marbles, science kits, on and on we go.
We needed a store on Grand Ave. that sells kids’ merch. with a range of prices. As in, inexpensive trinkets.

This bookstore is a gem along Grand Avenue! I love supporting local. In addition to Sixth Chamber being a unique bookstore, I found a Totoro wallet here which made me the coolest person on Earth when I presented it as a surprise gift to a special kiddo. Also, Sixth Chamber is nestled between some other cool shops — a tattoo place, piano store, fabric store… that whole stretch is worth a visit! I’ll definitely be back.

Nice local used book store. Good prices and they had a great online coupon. Found a great cookbook to add to my collection. What a fun place to waste an hour picking over some bookshelves. They have an online warehouse that you can pick something out and have waiting for you at the store. I really want to check that out.

Sixth Chamber is a good basic neighborhood used book store. Very solid mystery section, decent SciFi selection. Literature is hit and miss, but when you find what you are looking for you will be pleased. If you are selling books, you will want to make an appointment, because walk in sales are accommodated on an availability basis. I like that Sixth Chamber is picky about condition when buying, which means the stock is not full of water damaged, broken spined sadness.

Really a great bookstore. Orderly (but not TOO orderly, leaving some room for unexpected finds), friendly, mellow.
Good prices (often quite a bit less than Half-​Price books). Not huge but a pretty decent selection.
The independent groovy used book store — an endangered species worthy of your support!

Always friendly and knowledgeable, I love the Sixth Chamber for my book needs (or wnats!). James has been a great resource, paying attention to what I read, and suggesting other authors that might piqué my interest.
The option to sell your books for credit makes me a regular!
Love the space, the music, the clientele (whom I almost always chat with), and all the worker-​bees!

If you have been reading my reviews, you’re probably thinking, «All he does is eat indulgent food and pound booze.» And although I do those things from time to time, there is a bit more too me than that. So today I decided to focus on one of my passions: books.
I love books. All kinds of books: fiction, non-​fiction, young adult, manga, graphic novels, and antique collectibles. If I had my way, our apartment would be lined with book shelves and I would never donate or sell another book again. I’ve worked in book stores (RIP Borders), primarily so I could get a discount on books! My love for books has become a compulsion, an addiction of sorts.
Even though I have about 45 unread books at home I still find myself browsing bookstores and buying books almost every week. Which leads me to the topic of this review, my favorite used book store in Saint Paul: Sixth Chamber Books.
When you but a lot of books, you begin to realize that new books are expensive and the cost can really add up. That’s why I buy a lot of books from used books stores, and Sixth Chamber is one of my favorites.
Sixth Chamber is located on Grand and Hamline, and has been open since 1995. I feel that what sets Sixth Chamber apart in the used books business is their emphasis on good customer service. Sixth Chamber does things differently than many other used book stores, giving customers tools to help them locate the right book.
First, they keep track of their inventory. I cannot count the times I ‘ve walked into a used book store looking for a specific book and have been disappointed to find that the store has no idea if it has it or not. This was my biggest complaint with Half Price Books, until they recently started keeping track of inventory. At Sixth Chamber they can look your request up and tell you instantly if they have your book. No more rummaging through the kids section to try an find number 67 in the Baby Sitters Club series. Their inventory can also be searched through there website, so you don’t even have to put pants on to find your book. Although, I personally enjoy going to the store and milling around the aisles.
Another great feature is the ability to request a book. On their website or in the store a customer can put in a request for a book, and when someone sells that book to Sixth Chamber they slap your name on it, call you, and have you pick it up. There is no guarantee that your book will ever come in, but this is a great way to find that book that has alluded your grasp, as long as you have a little patience.
Sixth Chamber also does a great job of keeping an expansive inventory in a small space. They really seem to limit the number of duplicates they keep, making room to have a large variety without the need for a large store. This really gives the store a welcoming feel. Many bookstores, new and used, are so big a person can get lost in them. But at Sixth Chamber you’re always within earshot of one of their friendly staff.
Overall, I feel that the effort towards serving their customers set Sixth Chamber Books apart from their competition. Is it the biggest bookstore? No. Does it have the best selection? Probably not. But will Sixth Chamber go the extra step to get you the book you want? Definitely. So next time you’re having trouble finding a book, or are just wasting a Sunday strolling Grand Avenue, stop in at Sixth Chamber Books.

It’s not very cool to write anything but glowing reviews of an independent used book store, but alas, here I go…
I brought my son here on his 10^th birthday to let him pick out anything he wanted. He’s really into biology — ecology, paleontology, herpetology, the list goes on. When I asked the clerk for help finding books on those topics, we were first pointed to children’s non-​fiction. I then explained that my son was an advanced reader and we were looking for something much more content-​heavy. The clerk steered us to to books about raising various pets and then disappeared, leaving us to start digging. Nowhere to be found were books on other ecosystems, exotic creatures in the wild, far away cultures, lands from long ago, or the like. There were plenty of books about Minnesota bird calls and raising rabbits as pets though.
It’s probably not fair of me to judge a used book store on their inventory, but we were disappointed in Sixth Chamber Used Books for seemingly not understanding how a book about pets wouldn’t satisfy a desire to learn more about wildlife.
Unfortunately, it seems my ten year old budding biologist and I will have to shop elsewhere for books relevant to his interests.

Ah, I remember when proprietor James Williams first set up shop in the mid-​90s. James operates on a «qualiy in/​satisfied reader out» model. He really makes an effort to stock interesting and uncommon titles. Who needs another copy of Froemmer’s London 1998 travel book?
It is certainly more «upscale» than a Half Price Used Books, but his staff’s scrutiny of book purchases inevitably creates a condensed book experience for you.
Only one beef: James, you used to support local writers by publishing their work and then hosting reading events. Support the arts, man!

Cozy, welcoming used bookstore that encourages browsing and reading in-​store. The selection is extensive without being overwhelming or random. I’ve found everything from classic novels and feminist academic texts to gorgeous photography books. Always nice quality books, too, not like at Half Price where the cheapest books are also the ones being kept together with tape and rubber bands. I sell most of my used books here and get store credit in return which is a fantastic deal because their inventory is always changing (plus you get a lot less if you settle for cash payment). If I browse the store and can’t find anything I want right away, I hop on their website at
and add a title to my hold list. Then, whenever they get that title in the store, they shoot me an email and put it on hold for five days so I can pick it up before it even hits the shelves. It’s fantastic and I’ve gotten a lot of my most recent purchases that way. Definitely worth a trip for any discerning book lover.

I happily brought some books here last week that I’d decided to part with and walked out with $ 12.50. I was happy and so was James. I’ll return another time soon to show him what else I’ve decided to part with and maybe he’ll want them, too.

In the beginning years of your collecting, you will find plenty here. You will also discover some authors. It’s a great browsing place, as it’s not so overwhelming as the others. The ones I remember are Nancy Tesler (biofeedback), Joe R. Lansdale (Hap Collins), and Lawrence Shames (Florida). The last two I picked up on their 50 cent rack and I thought the covers were cool. They also had some old Playboy Publishing mysteries. I asked about these and the guy knew exactly what I was referring to. Definitely go through the new arrivals with a fine tooth comb. The childrens section is in a nice secluded area. Once I found extremely rare books in the music and cookbook section. You can sign up for the mystery club. Also, if you are looking for a particular book, you can have them call you if it comes in. To sum up this place, expect the unexpected.

What better way to recycle than to buy used books? They are really nice used books too, nary a cracked spine in sight. For a long time it was more of a book exchange, where I would buy some books, read them and sell them for credit to Sixth Chamber. Then get some more books, sell them, etc. They are friendly, have more books than you can ever read in a lifetime, have a decent website where you can check inventory, and did I mention the friendly staff? A rare and dying breed, only you can help keep it alive.