Chamblin Bookmine

I love this place so much. I love getting lost here. all kinds of finds and their manga section is something to behold. some aisles really do feel like they will topple over you if you bumped into them too hard but other than that this is book lover's heaven. I included some single book images, including ones I purchased, so you can really see the range of stuff you can find in every nook and cranny. nice prices too, I'd say going to a place like this and not once saying "this cost is outrageous" is a good sign.

If they don’t have it, you don’t need it. Quite a selection. As a librarian, I applaud the organization and attempt to make sense of this volume of material. Signs and decor provide fun comic relief.

I went for my 1st time this past week & could not believe how huge this place is! The aisles and aisles of books, floor to ceiling is like a maze. I stayed mainly in the children's section (see pics of just a few aisles). There is genre sections to help keep things orderly and then within that breakdown is a breakdown by author. I had a list of 15 books I was looking for. I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least. Maybe they can look up titles to see if they have them and then give directions on where to look...it was busy up front, so I didn't ask...next time. 😉 My girls look forward to going here again. They have gone previously with their sil, taking books in for store credit to use to buy books they want.

This bookstore is instantly a pleasurable overwhelming experience. You can spend....all....day....long....in here. It smells like every decade of book ever published. In a transcendence of chronological aromas, your mind, imagination, and your memory will flow with exhilarating excitement as if you're a child at play. Do NOT pass this opportunity up.

Seriously what is not to love! This place is a beautiful maze of pages. The smell is infectious and the countless rows of pose feel like a treasure trove. One critique that I cannot take away a star for is the fact that the religious section was categorized by title rather than author - a fairly gross misunderstanding of the genre.

Chamblin Bookmine is quite literally a book mine! There are so many books, you are sure to find something you like! Be ready to spend some time here because it is HUGE!

Love, love, love this place!! Found great books for my grandchildren to read this summer. And I even found ‘books for decoration’ to use with my Junk Journaling crafts!!

This is THE bookstore for serious book lover’s. There are rows and rows of books to meander, all carefully organized to make it possible to find what you’re looking for. Tip: Grab a map when you walk in and if you’re looking for a specific title, help is available. If you don’t find it in the shelves, it may be available at the downtown location or in the warehouse.

Fantastic bookstore! So big you'll need a map to get through it. Staff is knowledgeable and helpful & you can always find someone easily. Selection is amazing and parking is easy.

Chamblin Book Mine isn't just a bookstore--it's a labyrinth of literary dreams, and I'm pretty sure I need a map and a search party to find my way out (not a complaint!). This place has just about every book you could want. The obscure novel you loved in middle school, the cookbook your grandma swore by, and probably a manual on how to train your pet hedgehog (haven't checked, but I wouldn't doubt it). All at super fair prices. Being a book collector is not a cheap hobby! It's like they're practically begging you to take a stack of books home. (I usually oblige) The staff? Absolute legends. They somehow know exactly where that one weirdly specific book is hiding in this sea of shelves. Possible they're wizards and the entrance to the American version of hogwarts is hiding in here! But be warned: once you enter, you might lose track of time, your wallet, and possibly yourself. It's the only place where "I got lost" is both a warning and a glowing recommendation. Five stars, and if you don't leave with a bag full of books and a smile, you're doing it wrong.

I love this little hidden treasure of a bookstore! The staff is absolutely kind and the store is a book lovers dream! We spent almost 4 hours in there discovering the many treasures to be found! They have every single genre you could ever imagine. The books are new or gently used. I just wish there was some spots to sit and read or look more in depth at the books before purchasing, because I ended up with a basketful! Well, maybe that's their purpose! Haha! I even found a book written about me!

Stopped here thanks to a TikTok suggestion. I love a good used book store. This place was so large it was overwhelming. I walked around browsing for 30 minutes before I ever found the genre I was there for. Could use a map to help guide customers around! They did have arrows on the floor in one room to help direct you. I bought 6 books and spent $27. I wasn't sure how pricing went until I was on my way out and saw the pricing guidelines on a bookshelf. This was cool to walk around, but I feel HPB would be cheaper and easier to navigate.

Endless books. I always check Chamblin whenever I need a book and want to support a local business. This is a place that I go with specific intentions or whenever I'm looking for something to just pass time. The location downtown is amazing because it has a full cafe but the Roosevelt location trumps them when it comes to how many books you'll find. Think of an organized football field filled with books. This place is massive and easy to get lost in. I like to take my Ellianos coffee here and act like I have all day. The employees are always super sweet and knowledgeable. It's the most organized chaos ever lol. On top of having the most massive collection ever, I also love that you can find a book for about 1/2 the price you would on Amazon - now you're going to have to search a little, but anything can happen in here. I've found books from my childhood. I do know they allow you to sell them books and they also can purchase books for you if they don't have it on hand. Again, perfect place to just get lost in.

This was my first visit to this location of chamblin. I usually visit the downtown location which still had plenty of options despite not being as big. I found the other visitors more friendly and relaxed downtown. Both locations have great selections to browse and choose from. It is fun to add to my book reads list even if I didn't buy anything.

You may spend hours perusing the shelves, which can be brimming with everything from hidden treasures to classics. It has that vintage bookshop attraction that is tough to find in latest world. The layout can every so often feel overpowering, that is the handiest purpose I'm giving it four stars. Still, it is a must-visit for any extreme reader due to the expenses and selection.

Dropped in to sell some books that were my dad's. We came in with 4 large moving boxes full and dropped them off. We went to lunch in the area and came back within an hour and had an offer ready, even with others in line in front of us. Much faster than expected. On smaller amounts they would be even faster I'm sure. You can choose store credit or cash (50% of the credit value). Chamblin has a huge selection of new and used books and has been an area establishment for many decades. One of the largest selections of books I have ever seen, with something for everyone. Highly recommend if you are buying, selling or just browsing.

Chamblin Bookmine is a hidden gem in Jacksonville. Large variety of different books sorted by their genre. Rows upon rows for your viewing pleasure. Service was quick, attentive, and helpful. They were glad to help us with all of our questions and needs. Books were fairly priced which is a huge bonus! One cool thing I noted is you can bring your books in to exchange them for in-store credit!

Chamberlain Bookmine is a gold mine! This bookstore was so fun to explore. They have all the books that you could possibly want from new to secondhand. The prices are reasonable. Book lovers could certainly get lost for hours perusing through the shelves. I'm excited to continue going back to discover more good reads.

Support local! This little piece of heaven on earth is so nice they had to build it twice! Check out this larger book mine location or the little sister store and cafe. I love the wide variety of genres, great prices on used and new, and attention to literary detail! The staff are just nerdy as the patrons and the store makes it very obvious that amid all the chaos in Florida, they are a safe and brave space. The selection of Black and LGBTQI+ scholarly and literary works is revolutionary. I hope those who need to know they have a space can find home here, as I did and always will.

My DIL said this massive bookstore reminded her of Hogwarts' library, and her description still did not adequately prepare me. Narrow aisles of tidy bookshelves at least 12-feet high flowed through countless rooms, with stacks of even more books on the floor. New & used, paperbacks & hardcovers - all the books comingled unabashedly. I could have easily spent dozens of hours (or days) here, simply browsing. The endless rows are labeled by subject, with some super specific sections. Don't miss the endcaps! The sheer quantity of books at Chamblin was astounding and I can't wait to go back. [#40 of 2022]

What an awesome bookstore!! From the outside, the expectations are low but once you walk in, its endless rows of book Heaven! There was multiple rooms and is SO much bigger on the inside than it looks. I literally could get lost in there! They have new and used books (heavier on used from observation). Chamblin Bookmine also offers "book credit" where you can bring in your old books in exchange for some new ones! They give you 10% off retail for new books and 50% off retail for used (unless stated otherwise) which is a great deal. All the staff were super friendly as well. I had a great time and will definitely be coming back!

The people who work here are always friendly and helpful. They almost always have what I'm looking for which is impressive considering the books I sometimes search for are a little more obscure. They also had a power outage when i was looking for books a few months ago and they passed out flashlights and it ended up being so fun for everyone they turned it into an event. I love getting lost in here and seeing what cool books I find. I went today to buy up some "banned books" and only paid $30 for 4 used and 1 new book! I could never say anything bad about the book mine

I walked into this place and was immediately overwhelmed ! I have never been in a used bookstore like this. The place is absolutely huge and it would take days to browse through it. The store is very organized and you will be able to find whatever topic you are looking for quickly. I definitely will be back to explore this place !

They have a very large selection to choose from at very fair prices. If you bring in books from your own personal library that you're just ready to switch around they give you store credit. If you want good deals on books I would suggest Chamblin Bookmine.

Most of the books are not price and they are overprice. You can find better prices that are based on quality of the book at thriftbooks.com. The new books are more expensive than going to Barnes and Noble. Plus did not receive the most friendly customer servic.

An immensely large bookstore with very fine grained content across a vast array of topics. The prices are reasonable and the staff courteous.

This place is book heaven! Rows and rows of books. Was able to explore and got a bunch of books. Be prepared to do a little searching, however staff is helpful in locating what you're looking for. Only negative I have as the checkout girl was 'super short' when asking about pricing. What I got is you pay half the US price on the book...but no less than $4. So if it's 2.99, you'll be playing $4; if 16 you pay 8. Will definitely be back again...happy reading

Book lovers, this is a must stop!! You can get lost in the maze and die happy. There's a mix of used and new books, plus every genre under the sun. I noticed a whole section just on shipwrecks. GREAT ROMANCE SECTION, especially historical romance. The back annex has the YA/horror/children, so don't forget to check back there.

1. You can get lost 2. Lost for hours 3. Sitting cross-legged on the floor 4. Going through collections of books, hand picking your new treasures Hi, my name is Crystal and I am addicted to books. John and I split up- easily, because our tastes in reading material vary. I hit art books first and found some reminiscent of being a kid and teaching myself how to draw from books. Then off to sci-fi, wandering long aisles, taking pictures to compare to my collection at home (look for the ones I need). This was an impromptu visit- so I need to make lists for next time. I explored every section and found John sitting on a step stool in military history with his second stack- one was already up at the checkout waiting for us to wrap up our searches. A bag wouldn't do it at check out- we needed a box. Happy book hunters today for sure. Can't wait to go back and lose myself again.

Was planning to make a trip to go out there and make a day of it. Pics make it look so nice! I browsed their website and found a few books I wanted and I cannot believe how overpriced they are. I mean, I can just get them online for much cheaper. At least be reasonable. Some of the authors I found were manly p hall, Immanuel Velikovsky and others which is great but online they're half the price or less. I try and support businesses like this but you all gotta do your part too.

Really great bookstore to shop in! I was able to find a lot of great hard to find books at a reasonable price! I highly recommend it!

This is by far one of the coolest bookstores that I have ever been to. My friends brought me here when I was visiting them in Jacksonville. I was in awe as I walked in. There are rows and rows of books everywhere you look. My friend told me that we should all stay together because we would have a difficult time finding each other otherwise. Wow. This excited me and also kind of frustrated me at the same time. I wanted to be lost alone in the books. Haha. It was probably a good thing we stayed together because it kept me moving somewhat. There was so much to look at and see! Regardless of where we went, my party of three was happily occupied and entertained. I only glazed the surface of Chamblin, but I saw a lot. I was able to find MANY books off of my Amazon wish list. The store is well organized. There are signs hanging periodically that explain the pricing system. Most books were 10% off if brand new and 50% off if used (as indicated by a Chamblin stamp inside). Others had prices written on them. All of the used books I bought were in great shape. Most of them appeared to be new. I saved a lot of money by buying the books here versus online. There were staff working throughout the store in case you became lost or needed help. There were nooks and crannies spread throughout full of books. The store does wind around in a bit of a maze. It would be easy to get lost in here. It is glorious. I purchased quite a few books and the price was great. I definitely want to come back here each and every time that I visit Jacksonville. This store is a true gem.

Do you like books? Old books...New books...Any kind of books??? Then this might be the place for you to get lost in, an I do mean lost as this place is huge. Even if you are not an avid reader it's a great place to visit and surely you can find an odd book as a gift for that hard to buy someone on your holiday gift list. I was able to score a couple of books for a historian that loves a certain subject and I picked myself up a book on Florida wildflowers. The employees here must have some sort of amazing book GPS in their brain, because if you ask them where a certain type of a book is located, they can take you right to the book section. It's magical. I had asked for help once and hated to ask for help a second time so I wandered until I found what I was looking for in the back of the store. They also have CD's in the store and probably other stuff I missed. If you need to sit and look at your books, there are a few scattered chairs but not too many. I guess you could just plop yourself on the floor if you were so inclined and no one would really care as it's really laid back. The sell their tshirts and mugs and stickers and basically this place is just totally cool as hell and it's an experience that not like Barnes and Noble. A little dirty, very unique and it smells like books are suppose to smell. Go visit.

Large selection of books and hard-to-find books its like looking for a lose treasure.

If I were a Minotaur this is the labyrinth I would inhabit. They have books on every possible subject and one can easily get lost in the countless aisles. Take your old books in for trade and pick up something new (or used).

Old school cool! On the outside it doesn't seem like much but once you go in, it feels like a mysterious labyrinth. The biggest thing I want to mention is that their prices are pretty great. My girlfriend was able to get a good amount of school related books for a cheap price. The more fictional genres that she was interested was a little bit pricier but apparently a cheaper compared to other bookstores. I would highly recommend just to even walk around and just get lost in the moment. The building is huge and just being surrounded by shelves filled with books has such a nostalgic feeling to me. (Probably because it kind of have a school smell to it haha, not in a bad way). More than likely would have some difficulties navigating the store but it just promotes "adventuring"!

Love this gem. Chamblin was shown to be by a local when I first moved here and I've been here quite a few more times since. It's a giant maze of books and it's pretty easy to find what you want. Everyone is helpful and the books are well-priced. You can buy, sell, and get store credits too. This is a must-stop if you're in Jax.

Huge selection of used books. Giant variety of just about anything you might be looking for. The only reason I didn't give five stars is because, the aisles are very narrow, which tend to bother my claustrophobia and it's very easy to get lost, which makes me a bit anxious.

I was in the roosevelt location one week ago. I went in with my family and found some good books. we made our way to the counter to pay and one of the cashiers made a comment to another worker about me and the worker said"why do we have to accommodate someone like that?" The coworker she said it to told her to be nice she is a customer. I'm Muslim. I will no longer step foot in either location again. If I'm going to be treated like that they don't need my business.

Great book store to return and get credit for other books. With young readers this is a must! Our family loves it here to get awesome used books for less!

So glad I found this place! I make it a point to find the coolest used bookstores when I travel, and this is definitely the coolest in Jacksonville. Explore two floors of shelves JAM PACKED with books, top to bottom, left to right. Everything is sorted by category, though authors are a bit difficult to locate unless you're in the classics section upstairs, where they are grouped and labeled by author. Some books are excellently and fairly priced, but others I think are a bit expensive for what they are. It took me about 30 minutes to even notice the sign telling the price scale: all books 10% off, if the inside cover is stamped, it's 50% off. There's also a large collection of dvds that are being phased out. Down by the exit, there's a cafe to enjoy after you've made your purchases. Would return.

LOTS of books. Workers are very pleasant. Note that the original location has free parking but NO cafe. Book exchange was quick and fair.

This is an over the top bookstore. It's so ridiculously big and full of books, that you could get lost in here and I'm not sure the staff would find you. Extensive history sections broken down by specific places and events, lots of philosophy, and every branch of every subject you can think of. About 10 aisles of different occult topics. I did not even make it to any fiction, but there's tons of it. I only made it through about 1/3 of the store before I had to take a break. It's easily the largest bookstore I've ever been in. It was busy and took some maneuvering occasionally to let people pass by, but worth it. I found a history area in a front room (hard to know exactly where I was) where I didn't see anyone else for a good half hour though. The prices are pretty fair. I found some more rare items for a really good deal, and other more common books were kinda high priced. It's a crapshoot, but the selection is good enough that you'll find something. If not, it's your fault. They have another location in downtown Jax that's equally as cool.

Great bookstore; greater employees. Visit - maybe just NOT right now (maybe donate or pickup, as needed?). Hear me out, Chamblins Either enforce the mask mandate or don't. But when I call to see if customers are being required to wear masks, and I'm told, "Yes" - information I used to inform my decision to pickup this amazing haul - and, while trying to make my purchase, I'm surrounded by customers not wearing masks nor are they being asked to wear masks by employees...like WTF? Do you, boo. But don't lie to your customers just trying to make informed decisions. Especially when amazon is only a click away. Like i said above, this place is great. But if they can't stand up to a few Karen's, maybe they should close until they can find the muster. PS. If you're someone who is or had given the employees here shit for merely asking you to do what is required of you by the City, you can seriously go love yourself

Well this place is a wonder in the world of used books. Sensory overload is what you experience going through rows a rows of books. The books are divided by subjects and there are many subjects. Diving in to look for my favorite authors I was successful in findinh three books by Jean Shepard

Really wish we had budgeted more time - at least 2 hours - to wander through this cavernous bookstore. Love the blend of old and new with so many charming details. Organizing series of books was awesome for the kids - alas, they had read so many of them already! But we found many new ones for them to take home! A marvelous place for voracious readers to wander and enjoy for hours.

My happy place. Worth the drive from Gainesville. Amazing selection of books and great atmosphere (the OG location)! Nice staff. Good prices. Make time to wander and browse and lose track of yourself.

This place is huge.......their military history collection is huge and I have found many, many old classics here. The history section....their royalty selection is huge. Pretty much everything in here is huge and you are guaranteed to walk out with less money than you came in with. Chamblin is a godsend the bookstore starved area of Gainesville and we make the hour and 45 minute drive here just to get our fix. Since coming here fairly frequently we have had to add three large bookcases to our home. I would argue Chamblin is Jacksonville's answer to Strand Books.

Big fan of Chamblin's Bookmine. It truly is a book mine! It's like walking into a different universe. There are seriously thousands and thousands of books along the stuffed aisles. While their organization approach can be confusing, it's almost part of the fun to get lost along the shelves. I always go in to browse or maybe pick up one book, but end up leaving with my hands full! I love that they support secondhand books and have vintage book collections. Another perk is that you can sell your books here too, either to get cash or to use as credit to buy future books. I strong recommend dropping in, even if it's just to walk around and take in the stacks of books.

I love book stores and I read a tremendous amount. This store is one of the most incredible things I've seen. It's more tunnels than book store. My anxiety didn't allow me to relax and shop because of how the store was arranged in skinny aisles that just kept going. But it's really an interesting store.

Great selection. Literally something for everyone. It's a labyrinth of wall-to-wall books. Prices are a little high for used books, but they will have almost every niche title you're looking for.

Get lost in knowledge and adventure. Literally lost. The place is a maze. Fantastic nonetheless. Cool feature: you can turn in old books for store credit towards your next read!

My wife and I visited different used book stores every weekend. This is hands down the single best one in America. The pulp western section alone is a larger and more diverse selection than most stores have in their entire catalog.

These days, I don't read actual books anymore that you can hold in your hand. No, I download them all from Barnes and Noble and read them on my iPad. Yes, it's definitely cheaper to come here to Chamblin and buy the book, but it's much more efficient for me to have ALL of my books on my iPad and that way they're with me all the time. So, I'd just rather give Barnes and Noble the extra dough. Now, having said that, I've been coming to Chamblin since I moved to jacksonville in 1997. I have purchased more used books here for myself and youngest daughter (never could get the oldest daughter interested in reading) than I can possibly begin to count. I also think it's great that we can bring the books back in for store credit. I had fun times with my girls here as they were growing up, we three would browse for a couple of hours at a time. Even though the oldest didn't like to read, she always found something she promised to read (she never did) and I'd buy it for her anyway. Hubby and I use to come here all the time too until we each got the iPads a couple of years ago. He still pulls me in here every now and then. He loves the place, but I always hate him coming in here because he has severe allergies and the dust in this place has him sneezing his fool head off for the rest of the day/night after he leaves. I'm really serious about the dust. You can smell it when you walk through the door. As other have said, there are books everywhere you look piled from the floor to the ceiling and this place goes so deep you may think you'll never find your way up. But piled right along with all those books is dust, dust, and more dust. So a warning to those of you who have allergies: If you are going to enter here, you may want to take an allergy pill before doing so! Someone mentioned in a review about how well organized Chamblin's is. ROFLMFAO! Ummmm.... NO! They can point you in the general direction of where you may find a book. And the sections are kinda-sorta labeled. Good luck in your search! I agree with Jo El. It's best to come into this store not looking for anything in particular and just spend some time browsing around. You never know what you may find and then you'll be a happy camper. If you come in here looking for specific books, you may likely leave disappointed. Again, I have to echo Jo El: Was the book there? Did I overlook it? Maybe.... Maybe not. So, come with no expectations, come with an allergy pill if dust bothers you, and come planning to spend at least an hour or so here. If you do that, you're certain to love this place!

Came here after being referred by the other location months prior. I'm not a local so it took me a while to make it here. Parking is weird depending on your gos because the sign pointed to a grassy area. Go a little further and you can park in front of the store which I prefer. Looks small from the outside but when you go in, it's overwhelming and I don't like the floor plan because you can definitely get lost. A bit junky compared to the other location and made me kind of claustrophobic so I won't come back for that reason. Found some interesting books I wasn't planning to because I got tired of walking around trying to find things but it's worth a visit once.

Pro tip: plan on hitting different sections on different trips. Or else wear your best walking shoes, because you will get sore feet traipsing hither and yon to find books that may be in different sections than you would think.

Cool spot to take a deep dive through used books. The store is clean and tidy, neatly organized and arranged making everything easy for browsing. They offer an impressive assortment that truly would take days to fully browse in its entirety. I've found quite a few rare gems from this particular store and it keeps me returning for more glorious treasures. Staff is enjoyable and have been helpful on every occasion I've requested assistance. Interactions have been a real joy, and its wonderful these stores are around for us book lovers. If you're in the area and enjoy a good book then you certainly should check it out.