SubText Books

Don’t be dismayed by the smallish size of this bookstore: they have a superb selection. Found new, translated, and local author books grouped together for easy finding. Enjoyed talking with staff about what I’m reading and she offered recommendations.

Great local bookstore! A lot of local authors have signed copies of their books there — including me! Head on down there to grab a copy of ARE YOU BORG NOW? while supplies last. Support independent bookstores!!

A wonderful little shop in the heart of the city. It's small, but not too small, with a very well-curated selection. The staff's nice, too, which is a bonus. I personally love that they have author readings/signings.

Great store, very friendly, nice selection of poetry, history, novels, sff, kids, and more. They will gladly order books, but I usually find a lot of cool stuff browsing

They have a well curated selection. It's a very cozy book shop. I always find something great. If I'm looking for something in a general category, they're a great resource to guide me to some options. And if they don't have the exact book I'm looking for, they're always willing to help me find and order it. Highly recommend.

Great bookshop in downtown St. Paul! The shop is very cozy and they have an excellent selection of different genres, especially for the smaller space. The staff here was super helpful and nice---plus they were able to order a book into the shop that I was looking for specifically. The space is well organized with some nice little nooks for reading. I highly recommend checking out SubText Books if you're in the area!

The store has a great intimate atmosphere and a tasteful selection of books but when I walked in, I noticed the Asian man didn’t greet me, but just looked at me and looked back down, to what he was doing at first. I thought he was a customer so while I was browsing, I noticed he is following me at every corner I turn in and “browsing” at books, while there he is eyeing me from his peripheral. I would say a lovely store in atmosphere, but customer service should be worked on

I loved spending time talking with Sue and shopping the great titles in her store. I am visiting for an event and enjoy going to independent book stores while I am away. This store has the cozy book corner vibe, good titles, and great conversation.

The levels of coziness are off the charts at SubText! This bookshop does a great job of maximizing space for inventory while also having a good amount of lounge space. We visited for the first time on indie bookstore day. We saw tall shelves with options covering most genres as well as a shelf in the back for preowned books. The store is located in lower town so parking can be tricky. Luckily there is a parking garage across the street!

SubText - A (very very good) Bookstore Cool and cozy environment for book surfing, book reading and book buying! They have a dedicated staff of smart, friendly people that are not only helpful if needed but they even offer handwritten book reviews for your perusal located around the shop. That's a beautiful touch and makes me smile every time. I highly recommend this space. Come one, come all!

I was a big fan of Subtext pre-pandemic, but now I'm a diehard fangirl book-pushing evangelist. My handsome manfriend and I were discussing our book order pickup from there this afternoon and he made the mistake of asking why I am so friggin loyal to them. After five minutes or so his eyes glazed over but you, dear reader*, may be interested. This little bookstore is resilient as hell and seamlessly transferred its best qualities- its crazy-competent and well-read staff, its responsiveness, and its ordering- into this pandemic context. I know it takes extraordinary effort and work behind the scenes but from the customer side, it's been flawless. I'm gonna rhapsodize here a little on each of those points because they each deserve a bit of shine: a) THEIR STAFF. Y'all. Sue, Matt, and Sarah are some of the best bookshop employees I've ever worked with. They read good books. Their recommendations are typically spot-on. And they're KIND. The last thing I want in a pandemic is some fucking stuck up bookstore employee shaming me for ordering another Jasmine Guillory romance novel. No one will sling that kind of attitude at you here. They RECOMMENDED those novels to me! TAKE MY WALLET. b) Their responsiveness. They answer their phones. They answer their emails. If I place an order via email, I usually hear back from them the same day. The orders are done on time and perfectly executed. c) Their ordering. They can mail your books to you or do in-store pickup, and I've found mailing to be super easy and cheap ($4-5 per order). They send you an email that has tracking info, and usually the books get to me (in Minneapolis) within a day or two. They did gift wrapping for the holidays. They also go out of their way to work with you on pricing. If it looks like the book you want is super expensive, they'll double check with you before ordering it. I got kneecapped, Tonya-Harding-style, by a local business recently who cooly charged me $25 for 3 oz of loose leaf tea without saying a word about the price over the phone, and it made me realize how rare it is for a shop to be like, "So, here are your options- this one is fairly expensive, but I can get it from this other vendor for less- it might take longer... is that ok?" Subtext is spoiling me, team. And they'll spoil you, too. *Apologies- been binging too much Bridgerton- a series which I will absolutely order from Subtext within the month.

A charming little book store. Lots to see and couches to sit on when the pandemic recedes. Helpful staff and many areas of interest. Specialty on MN history section. Offers some used books.

Bring cash or credit card and prepare to shop. Excellent, well - curated selection of books as well as cards. Staff has comments on some of the shelves, with book reviews. Helpful staff. I would have rated the shop 5 stars, except for the surcharge on credit card use. Considering all books are full retail, and I could have noted the titles and ordered the two hardbound and two trade paperback from Amazon upon returning to my hotel, I give it 4 stars.

What a wonderful place. A curated set of the best that there is to read. I'm in town from a thousand miles away and stepped in off the street. If you read and you happen to be in St Paul, stop in to this treasure box.

I can't believe that a local bookstore could be this fast and efficient. I ordered a book online yesterday (YESTERDAY) and it arrived in today's mail. And I know it went through the mail because there was a stamp on the package. This is the bookstore of my dreams!

First time in here today and was able to walk out with only 3 books... this time. Wonderful local book store. Books are not marked up. A small space, but they make up for it with a huge variety. Only 1-2 copies of most books to ensure they have space for something for everybody. One of the easiest 5 stars I've given.

Just a great store! Walked in one day that wasn't busy and was able to sit down comfortably on a cute couch and read for about 10-15 mins as i like to do because i either will love or hate a book in the first few chapters i swear! I will either get pulled in or NOT. The staff was very kind and helpful and answered all my questions as well.

Well...B&N will never get another cent from me. After many days of walking past, today was my first experience entering SubText. The only regret I have is not experiencing the wonder and glory that is SubText before today. God Speed SubText....a true diamond in the rough.

One of the best bookstores I've ever been in, in any State. (I'm from California and New York). Great selection, reader-friendly environment with reading nooks) and knowledgeable staff who knows every book, it seems. Worth a trip, for bibliófilos and readers.)

A delightful bookstore in downtown St. Paul. I visited from Michigan and needed a book for the long drive home, and I'm so glad I stopped in here before leaving. The shop was less than a mile from my hotel, but I ended up spending more than a half hour simply browsing the shelves, trying to choose only one book. Prices are normal market prices, but you know your money is supporting an actual community instead of a corporation. I love the short review slips of paper promoting/describing some of the books. It's actually the reason I purchased the book I did - Blackass by A. Igoni Barrett. They have an extensive indie publisher section, a ton of poetry, chapbooks, local (Minnesota) authors, and popular books. I also noticed that they sell a good number of autographed copies, in a variety of genres from werewolf fiction to famous essayist Eula Biss. I even found a limited release album from the writers of "Rad American Women A-Z", which I'm really excited to listen to. :) The owner was so kind, helpful, and friendly. We chatted about books, supporting indie bookstores, and all the events they held at their store. When I publish, I will try to visit this store. They care about everyone from the writer to the publisher to the readers! Last little tidbit is I even got a beautiful indie broadside for free!

It's been awhile since downtown St. Paul has had a classy indie bookshop like this. Couches, etc, make for comfortable and cozy book readings and signings, which they hold there frequently.

My son liked it so much he got me to buy him a book. Good selection for a small shop.

What a sweet, well-curated, little bookstore! I've been trying to branch out from my "regular" bookstores that I frequent, and happily stumbled upon this one after church in the area. They definitely pack a lot into their space, and I found several books that I ended up getting and hand't heard of before!

I love this place. So friendly, so relaxed. Great recommendations and wonderful selection for a small shop. 10/10 will be returning.

They hit the jackpot landing in downtown St. Paul as the only bookstore. The place is so cool and seems to be in an historic building. Yes parking is a challenge, but it's attached to a garage. I won't pay for parking, I'll come a couple of hours early and find a place on the street. This sets up a perfect evening, I walk up to Amsterdam for an awesome dinner. (Kincaids or Pazzaluna if you want to spend the money). Then I walk back to the bookstore for a book launch of a fellow sister in crime author. They have a spot to set up food, a spot for books to sell, and a spot for the speaker. Comfortable chairs and a great staff make it a great place for any book launch. They weren't able to take the bar set up from the old location. So Killer Cocktails will have to be more creative this year. The bathroom is on the 7th floor. There's always something with St. Paul buildings.

Cool little bookstore in downtown St. Paul. They have lots of regional writers and titles. Spent over an hour browsing the shelves-- they have a lot there for a small store! The store is in an amazing building too. Love downtown St. Paul!

It's a very cute small bookstore. I went there on July 4th weekend and there wasn't much open. Luckily, this bookstore was and I was able to pass by the time. There are some lovely books in there. The majority of the books are new and they are sold at market value. I found a paperback of 1984 by George Orwell. It was the perfect size to carry around my bag for leisurely reading.

Me and my sister come here after school all the time. It's right next to my school. And they have good indie books. And they are so welcoming they let you sit there even if your not herring a book.