Horrible experience. Rude staff member made judgements about why our group was visiting and made our time at South Congress books truly awful. The book club I’m a part of stopped at South Congress Books as a part of our bookstore crawl that we were doing to support local indies during our reunion vacation this weekend. We came to Austin SPECIFICALLY to visit and make purchases from local bookstores. We had already visited two other stores and provided hundreds of dollars of business and had extremely positive, well mannered, calm, welcoming interactions with other stores’ staff. We intended the same with SCB and were met with a judgement assumption that we were there to view and photograph their store and products without purchasing. Our group was calm, quiet, and collecting items to purchase when we were approached by a rude staff member, within 10 minutes of being present, who asked us no questions and had no intent of holding a positive conversation with us. When we no longer wanted to purchase products as a result of her demeanor, she berated us as we left the store. She clearly made a judgement about our purpose at SCB and failed to realize that her interaction with us is what fulfilled her expectations. If you’re a book lover and avid supporter of independent bookstores, skip South Congress Books.

Whoever the older lady that works here is extremely rude and disrespectful. My friends and I went into the store because we were looking for some new books to read and we’ve heard great things about it from friends. Upon entering the people up front were not friendly whatsoever maybe they should work on there customer service skills. Upon browsing the books my friend wanted to take a picture inside because she liked the atmosphere, and one of the workers came and aggressively told us to leave the store for literally taking one picture. I don’t know if this lady has a bias towards younger people or what but maybe next time people come into the store you shouldn’t assume they’re not there to buy anything or aren’t interested in reading. Definitely don’t recommend coming here, and will tell my friends to not come here.

While walking around doing the tourist thing, I had the chance to stop into South Congress Books. Their selection is a wide mix: everything from contemporary paperbacks to rarities like first editions and signed books. I didn't have a ton of time to check out everything that would have interested me, but the person running the shop that day was very knowledgeable about authors and what they had on hand for special editions. I had them ship my books to me out of state, and while the shipping fee is more than what you would pay on your own, I was fine paying for the service. And more importantly, the books were well protected inside the packaging. I definitely plan to stop in again the next time I'm in town.

New location recently opened- we were encouraged to stop visit by the super helpful folks at Uncommon Objects. Lots of hardbacks, potential for collectors. The visual charm of the old location has been reduced but thankful the brick-and-mortar option is still there. I will say, I don’t understand the lack of engagement with customers- especially when there is no one else in the shop. I know every shop has its own culture, and I know process of moving that amount of stock would be intense, but I am a shopper who prefers more engagement. Overall, I was glad we stopped by, and would recommend a visit if you are in Austin this week for SXSW.

WOW!!! South Congress Books NAILED the curation of their books. There was a shelf that I found 5 books on that I could not put down! I love bookstores, but usually I have to hunt for the variety that I am looking for. Not at South Congress! In an hour I left with a stack of books that I cannot stop reading. Such a wonderful variety of older published books, tons of different topics, and creative stories. My partner loves reading about Buddhism, and they had a selection that we haven't been able to find anywhere else, even online! This is my favorite bookstore I've visited--and we often travel the country to go to specific bookstores.

Magnificently curated selection of books from photography to art to fiction to jazz bios to history to children’s classics. The knowledgeable staff loves to talk about books. They even have a fine first editions/rare books section and an array of posters from 1960s and 70s Austin venues like The Armadillo. If you’re looking for a bookstore supermarket, this isn’t it. If you want to hang out and discover one-of-a-kind titles mixed with classics in an intimate setting, you’ve come to the right place. Buy a book and then go have a meal at one of the restaurants on South Congress. This place is a treasure.

This is my favorite bookstore in Austin. I don’t go very often because every time I go I buy books and I own a lot of books already. Sheri (and staff!) are such great booksellers. Who wouldn’t want to go to a store where everything on the shelves has already been curated for your bibliographic pleasure? Literature books, photo and art books, children’s books are all particularly strong but I shouldn’t leave out Texana and music. They also have cool posters and other ephemera. I cannot recommend the store highly enough. Google should have six stars for situations like this

Amazing selection of rare and limited edition books. Too bad the owners/workers are SO RUDE. Went in with our book club as part of our bookshop crawl and immediately were met with attitude from the man behind the counter and then a group of us were looking at vintage maps, deciding what to buy and taking photos. The woman working walked up and asked them to limit their “photo shoot” to 5 minutes. Came back 30 seconds later and essentially asked us to leave. This was a group of 30 book loving women with disposable income. Not a smart business move.

Incredible selection of 1st editions and signed copies. You may find otherwise hard to locate or out of print books here. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. This is a high quality book store, well organized , it is easy to see that the employees take the extra time and effort to ensure that the atmosphere is maintained. One of my favorite bookstores to stop and browse in, I'll pick up that 1st edition as soon as I have an extra $300 laying around

A great book shop! They had collectible editions including first editions and some special editions. I found a first edition of one of my favorite books which was exciting. The books are beautifully displayed and they have regular old non collectible books too, in addition to prints, framed art, and other things. I loved the staff-had a great convo with the woman about the fact that there should be an austin street art coffee table book! Someone get on that!

Interesting little book store often frequented by window shoppers. Many books are tagged as signed, which makes a book an even more unique gift. Note: prices are written by hand somewhere inside the front area, look around. I didn't interact with the staff, but they did greet us in a friendlyanner when we entered. If you have a favorite author or type of book, this may be just the spot to find a unique and rare copy of something special. Enjoy!

One of my favorite shops in Austin, not to be missed. A place to discover rare, signed books, or just on the lookout for a special gift. Fantastic selection of art, film, music, fiction, and even some cool children's books. Staff is very friendly and will point you in the right direction no matter what you're looking for. I am a bit of a signed book collector and highly recommend rolling through if you're like minded and in town.

One of my favorite places to book shop in Austin, both new and rare. Charming small store (in their current location), diverse and interesting selection of books, and staff that seem passionate about the work they do. When I went there was a sale to prepare for their move off South Congress. Leaving a review for you all to know how delightful this place was and so I can remember to visit in the new location.

Great store, loaded with interesting first editions, signed copies, and in general excellent art of the book types of things. Prices seem reasonable vs. online and hey, immediate gratification, especially useful for gifts for the literary set. Friendly, helpful, accessible too! Stop on in!

Unlike most second-hand book stores which are hit or miss this is a genuine place to find antique pieces and originals (a lot with autographs). Any book lover wpuld love this shop, even though there's not much method to the madness of the shelving the owner knows his way around the shop.

Super cute book store right across the street from the original Kerbey Lane Cafe with a great selection of hard-to-find and out-of-print books it's easy to get lost for hours roaming the aisles... the staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. A must visit shop for any and all bookworms!

Friendly staff, unique collection, and great atmosphere!! Absolutely loved visiting. Purchased a signed first edition for my collection and I could not be more excited! They have a lot of collectible editions, signed copies, and rare finds. Definitely worth a visit!

This store is super interesting. Lots of different options and interesting things to look at. Besides the books, I was particularly interested in the posters and maps they had. Fascinating shop; would like to come back and spend more time searching in there!

Great place, also next to a very good pizza shop! You can find many collectible and signed books here. I have been here twice and plan to keep coming. Great history and Mystery book sections. Honestly one of the best bookstores in Austin. Love it!

This is a perfect little bookstore with limited but lovingly selected new and first edition books, mostly fiction. They have many collectible signed first editions. Great place to pick up that gift for someone very special.

Loved this little shop! It has a great selection of beautiful books. I spent 30 minutes looking around and enjoying the warm and friendly atmosphere. The smell of old books and the knowledge that they contain is wounderful!

Great collection of vintage, signed and first edition books. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Yes it's cheaper online... But this is a business I will support. Such a cool store.

Wide and wonderful collection of rare and collectible books and ephemera. No $0.25 romances here. This is the good stuff. Helpful and friendly staff. An Austin treasure.

A quaint little bookstore just a few miles from the capitol building. Parking can be a pain but this bookstore is worth the visit. They also sell records and prints.

This place is so cute. They have a great selection of books. I purchased 3 books for my kid and they were amazing. I'll be coming back to get more from here.

A great, cozy bookstore to check out. Helpful staff, interesting selection with an offering of Texas focused books.

Great selection of well-presented and rare books. The staff were also very welcoming.

This was a charming little bookstore. They have many first edition and signed books.

Excellent customer service, service with a smile. Book selection was superb.

Extremely nice staff and very knowledgeable.