Share(773) 862-4882
1564 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago,
IL
60622
41.9099
-87.6768
Neighborhoods: West Side, Wicker Park
What People Are Saying About Myopic Books
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short – A neighborhood fixture since before Wicker Park was hipster ground-zero, this is one of the quirky, inviting places that made the neighborhood so cool in the first place. Besides some division by genre, fiction is all lumped together on the ground and upper floors with little effort toward segregating the "literature" from the rest. Nonfiction, especially history and social sciences, is a strength here; there's considerable depth to the collections. Though there might be several copies of popular titles in stock, there's little duplication on the shelves.
07/07/09
Will implode under its own massive attitude problem
by citysearch2009 at Citysearch
"Employees too surly to work in fast food" - This comment is accurate. We witnessed shocking and unacceptable behavior by an employee of the store and insisted adamantly on speaking to the management about it, but were given a snotty, dismissive response. From this we can infer that behavior that would certainly get the employee fired from food service jobs is tolerated in this store. There is also a very consistent history of customer complaints on this subject of staff ineptitude and bad attitude. The owner of the store lives out-of state and cannot supervise his employees, so they think they can be openly hostile and abusive towards the customers and get away with it. These neurotic children have a self-image so unrealistic as to give the impression that they are mentally ill.
- Pros: Could be a mid-level bookstore if it were not for the staff
- Cons: Obnoxious staff, attitude, dirty, mismanaged
08/15/03
Don't wear a watch
by mitchje at Citysearch
Myopic is one of my favorite places to troll for hours for used books. The staff are engaging, the selections are broad and thoughtful, and the setting is functional if not fancy. Some of the aisles will either seem claustrophobic or like a good way to meet a special friend. Glad to see them in their new space; better light, and the upstairs sitting room with the bay window overlooking Milwaukee Avenue traffic is much more inviting than the old spot facing the alley and the el.
- Pros: Wide selection, Great staff, Literate not stuffy
- Cons: Music section weak, No A/C (gasp!)
The Details on Myopic Books
Subculture:
In addition to bookmongering late into the night, Myopic keeps up its cultural stewardship through sponsorship of irregular readings, a Sunday poetry series, Experimental Music Tuesdays, and a Wednesday chess night. Things usually kick off around 7pm.
Buying Days:
The store buys books from the public, but only from 6pm-10pm Fridays and 11am-6pm Saturdays. Even then, it's closed some weekends, so call before you cart the estate down to the store.
