Armadillo's Pillow Inc — Local services in Rogers Park Township

I want to love this place so much more than I do.

It's the only bookstore in my neighborhood. It has a good vibe. The people that work there are really kind. Their prices are extremely fair.

The first time I went there I ran out of time and didn't find anything I wanted to read, so I asked the owner to recommend me anything. He ended up going in back and grabbed a copy of a Tom Robbins novel that even he hadn't read, that turned out to be one of my very favorites even to this day.

But their book selection is so poor. It's like a hoarder's collection of mostly free books you would find in a box on the street.

It's also poorly organized so that I have to really struggle to determine exactly what section I am in (the signs are tiny and sometimes nonexistent).

Unless I'm willing to spend a long time there reading every single title on the shelves until I find something worthwhile (which is difficult to do because it is so cramped), I will walk out empty handed.

I would love to update this review some day to 5 stars if they are somehow able to do a refresh and get a better selection, but I've been coming here for ~15 years and nothing has changed so it doesn't...

Love this neighborhood bookshop. The selection is huge and they have almost every genre. Now a caveat: If you have specific books in mind, don't come here expecting to see those. You're better off buying it on AbeBooks or ThriftBooks online or Bookshop.org. Armadillo's is an experience of letting go and just seeing what books you like the spine color of, then maybe the title, then maybe the short blurb. And then taking it home and enjoying/hating it. It's part of the thrill! It's an educational form of gambling, but without the shame and empty pockets. They also sell some jewelry, stickers, magnets, etc. from local artists. Definitely carve up about an hour of your day and spend it here. If you're an adventurous bookworm who wants to spend money locally,...

(The text here will be an update from a normal starred review I posted a year ago.) Armadillo's Pillow is a must if you're into old and second hand books. It's position next to a university means some of the more academically inclined books are available and are constantly swapping out. I particularly love the philosophy section, albeit somewhat small, because they at times have texts a bit more specialized -- probably used by undergrads and grad students alike. This is THE store that really introduced me to, and had me falling head over heels for, independent book stores. Please please check this book store out if you get...