Used to be my go to bookstore, but since the pandemic they’ve closed the cafe (OK fine), stopped selling magazines(why???), and have generally reduced their selection of non-textbook books. They seem to have increased their inventory of Brown paraphernalia. A necessary stop if you are affiliated with the University, but not much left there for the general population.EDIT: Thank you for the response, Brown Bookstore! I look forward to returning when things pick up, and Im excited to see the renovations. Please bring back the magazines if you can! Theres nowhere (that I have found) to buy good quality art/design/food/literary mags in the area, you were my go-to! Im changing my rating because of your responsiveness, much appreciated.

I visited for the second time on 10/16/21 and it was quite crowded. It is understandable since students and parents wanted to make sure they have almost everything for the winter - which is coming fast - other than the crowd I did find a quiet place upstairs where I found the cutest child clothing, got a set for my nephew and my little niece, found a great selection of childrens books, which I decided on buying two. Also, while browsing I found some keychain for my keys, and a large Latin Dictionary book (which I plan on buying on my next visit). The kids loved their little outfits and their books! Now I know next time go back during weekday, less people. Also, the only staff member I found was very informative and helped me to check out the items.

Great selection of items. Need more hat options and Brown {relative} apparel options.

Just about everything Brown that you can imagine. Loaded with clothing - great variety and good quality. Family weekend today, so the store was extremely crowded. Moderately expensive.

Very nice store with lots of brown university apparel for sale. Helpful staff. Thanks for requiring a mask.

Great bookstore, with friendly staff.

The Brown University bookstore in its redesigned space is a great place to browse for favorite Alumni gear, accessories, your class and college needs but also a good cafe break. Their incorporated cafe space brings a much desired flexible space for students, locals and visitors alike to enjoy a snack and some conversation.

The staff are so kind and helpful and the resources they have are just incredible for students. The apparel is also a staple of the Brown bookstore.

A clean and well-organized place, its pretty much what you expect with a college bookstore. Huge selection, lots of Brown apparel/accessories, and unfortunately excessively high prices. There is a nice lounge on the second floor, as well as a reasonably priced bargain section, and the employees seem to be really friendly and helpful.

So many fun things to look at and fantastic books!

Tons of stuff. Highly priced.

Staff were friendly to help with questions. The coffee shop is closed at this moment.

Good place to pick up brown university goods

Expensive but well appointed.

Everything Brown University is right here.

I could get lost in here for hours. Friendly and professional staff

Love coming to this bookstore. Been coming here for awhile now and its a safe-heaven for me. Love their selection and the atmosphere.

I am Deaf and sometimes hard for me to shop in place with hearing staff. it make me nervous because I have no English voice. Brown University bookstore WOW!! I meet nice young Deaf worker, he help me find everything I need plus more too, so relief and happy to have someone speak my language it is very hard to find in store. Thank you thank you thank you for support Deaf proud workers (and also beautiful things you sell!) 🙌🤟🏽

Great service! They helped me find just what I needed.

It is a really nice place, with a pretty diverse collection of books and other kinds of accessories. Also has a lounge type of area upstairs where you can sit and read books if you like. I still rate it a 3 star because of the pricing. The prices are just too expensive. For example $150-60 for just a tie. Yes, it is branded by the logo of Brown University, but $150 is off the charts. Other than that its actually a nice place.

A standard campus bookstore.While visiting Brown University recently, we definitely had to duck in to see the Brown University Bookstore. Though the space was fairly large, the selection of items didnt seem to be very diverse in some areas.However, as far as campus bookstores go, I wasnt disappointed. The area on the first floor contains lots of Brown University apparel and memorabilia if you are into that sort of thing, and then there is a selection of books upstairs.As with most universities, the prices are fairly steep, but its all there if you need it. Its in a great part of town, too. Its worth popping in to visit if youre in the area.

Im a big fan of bookstores and with the world going digital, I fear for the worst. Places like Brown Bookstore give me some bit of hope. Theres nothing like the smell and touch of a good book in your hand. And these good folks has a lot of them lol.

Extremely cheap apparel and useless objects with brown logos in a messy store. Ruins the image of an Ivy League school...the book section is the exact opposite: beautifully organised and very well furnished in all sections. The bookstore cafe is nothing like a proper reading cafe but the coffee is good.

Wow, lots of Brown gear!

Wonderful selection of items representing one of the greatest Ivy league schools in the nation. Some things are pricey but they have a clearance rack. Unique finds for all ages.

The ladies that work there in the store were so friendly in helping my daughter find everything she wanted.

No line when I walked up to the cashier, but she made a snide remark along the lines of Theres actually a line over there pointing to people that were not even there when I walked up. I didnt want to be confrontational with her so I just walked back and waited. So she rings up this lady and is very friendly and conversational with her, so I wanted to see what would happen when I tried to do the same. When she rang me up she was very cold and impersonal (no eye contact, short/brute responses) despite me trying to spark up a conversation about how my friend is applying ED to the school and how I was just in the area and thought of him. Oh well, its a real shame that one person can sour your entire experience like that, although I must say they had a great deal on Under Armour apparel (Red dot 50% sale!).

Very well equipped university bookstore with most of what you think you can find at a bookstore and then a little bit more.

A campus bookstore. Standard offerings with some published books from the faculty plus Brown apparel and student supplies.Nice area for reading and socializing in the Starbucks cafe.

Great store. If you spend a lil time in the discount section upstairs, youll get a pretty good deal.

Of course its Brown, its gotta be good! No on a serious note, you can find all your school stuff and more there and the folks are nice to work with- willing to help you find what you may want or need

My favorite bookstore! Great place to sit and read in peace (or study, work, etc), friendly staff, the cafe is nice, and lately they have a lot of good clearance books. Check it out.

Right now they have a Excelent price in clothing

They still have 20 %40%75% offSelect Merchandise also

Wonderful logo gear and everything a student might need.

You can find good books, drink a coffe and but some Browns clothes.

Great location, close to campus, hasmany of the essentials your student will need.

Pretty average college bookstore, pretty pricey but they have a sales section for some novels and some pretty interesting stuffed animals!

Everything is pricy here, but Brown apparels or items are really good and designed beautifully. But its expensive.The place is really nice and I love the sofas near the windows. The sofas are not that comfortable but their location is nice! I like this place when its not crowded.

Independent bookstore with a great coffeeshop inside it. Also the official Brown University bookstore. Friendly staff.

Excellent university book store. One of the few that is independent. Needs more varied and substantial books.

Very interesting items. Very good atmosphere.

Went to Bookstore three times over reunion and commencement week-end. Got EVERYTHING I needed including a Brown hat, tie, bag, books, graduation card, and.... did I know I needed this... Brown chocolate!The service was great and fast... they had set up some additional cash registers to handle the rush and it was fast and smooth.I like the new designs they have for the Brown t-shirts. Got one that I am going to wear often.Am going back to look for more books today.... :)

Nice place to browse, good clearance deals.

I had to stop in while my son was being recruited for a Ph.D program. I wanted to buy one of most everything but the selection was so great Id have to open a charge account for sure.I finally selected a beautiful soft T-shirt with the name BROWN the logo (?) and year 1764 in the center then UNIVERSITY. Also got the lanyard keychain, Brown University.This bookstore is so large I couldnt believe there was an upstairs and a downstairs. I didnt have time to explore them. I know upstairs was more technology items. Downstairs was the bookstore. The street level is all the clothing and anything Brown to suit your desire to show your pride.The staff was also very friendly, had natural smiles and a willingness to help if you wanted it. They had no problem stopping what they were doing to ring up my order, that was so refreshing. I will be back when my son is an actual Ph.D student come September.This has got to be the best college bookstore I have visited since buying items to show off my pride for my son. 100% best!!

Nice little book shop with a decent selection of books . A good chance youll find what youre looking for. If not they will always order it for you

Great gifts for visitors. Great selection of books.

Great varied selection. Very helpful staff.

They have 3 floors. The 3rd at the top has clothes on sale and books and stuff. 2nd floor is a bookstore and also more merch. Last floor has books that you need for your classes. Igs so cool (literally as well).

Good place to find academic titles.

In the past year they have great clearance items upstairs.

Great place! Attractive... good selection.... wonderful coffee shop!

This place is better than Barnes and Noble - an amazing spot offering apple and pc support and also products. As well as incredible selection of books and magazines

Absolutely love this place! Were from Indianapolis and unfortunately do not have anything that can match the offerings here.

Good selection of gifts, albeit somewhat pricey (nothing atypical for a university bookstore/gift shop, however). Its hard to compete with retailers like Amazon as far as books go, but for the convenience factor local shops always win.

I had a great experiance at The Brown University Bookstore! Friendly helpful staff and terrific environment and a hot and cold beverage cafe-perfect!

The salesperson was not helpful. She did not want to leave the counter. The store was not busy. Despite what I perceived to be rude I still allowed her to check me out. She finally warmed up and smile. BLESS GOD!!

Bought an item from the technology department that was non-functional. Tried to return after 30 days...RETRUN POLICY LIMIT IS 15 DAYS!!! Most retailers offer 30-90 day returns. They told me to call the manufacturer. They did not offer to help me in any way and looked at me like I was bothering them. Terrible customer service. After spending hundreds of dollars at this store over the last few years; the least the staff could do would be to give me credit to the store - and I didnt even get that. Wont be shopping here again and would especially recommend staying away from the technology department. The manager is inconsiderate.

Convenient location. Not a lot of variety in merchandise. Good quality but pricey.

Great place , great quality stuff, a little pricey but not too bad.

Whats to say its a college bookstore but if you want Brown paraphernalia as well as a good book they carry a fantastic selection and everyone is very helpful.

It has nice collections than most of well known universities bookstore have

Nice selection of books, Brown souvenirs, and unusual gifts. Fun to browse but self control required!

Since I graduated, larger portions of the store seem to be dedicated to apparel, but you can find some gems for your library still.

Open to the public - passed some time...met some ppl.lowkey

A wide selection of books and other reading material along with a small cafe, there is a odd bit upstairs though that seems messier than the rest of the store and filled with odd items not expected in a bookstore.

Over priced made in China items that were unfairly subsidized by the Communist Party to dump at US Stores such as this one.No thank you. Shop at Walmart or Amazon for cheaper stuff.

The main entrance to this bookstore (on Thayer St) is a powerful buskers’ magnet. During warmer months, you will often see “street musicians” and vendors (sunglasses, braided “jewelry”, etc) set up near this bookstore. I’ve also met several “RI celebrities” at this spot (Michelle Kwan, Robert Healey Jr., Patriots player Zach Moore, singer songwriter Dan Blakeslee etc). One of, if not THE, best people watching spots in the whole Ocean State IMO

Typical Univ bookstore. Love their mascot bear motifs are everywhere.

Lots of new merchandise but very pricey as expected.

Great variety of books and university articles, and clothes.

Nice selection of books and Brown merchandise, the cafe is a nice place to relax and type a paper.

Convienent place to buy Brown merchandise between the 2 main dorm factions.

Great selection of brown gear, gets a bit hot and crowded

Beautiful place and wonderful service

Bookstore is overcrowded but I appreciate that they have clothing at many price points. Good clearance racks on 2nd floor.

The bookstore is the one stop shop for all things Brown University, or textbooks for students. I enjoy the reading area, and the clothing selection is large and always well-stocked and plentiful.

Great books, Brown swag, and quirky gifts!

Great selection of apparel and other collegiate items.

Nice place to buy something

Love the second floor!!! All the deals are there!

They have a big sale going on if you want some Brown Gear come by

Very cool book store and fun to visit

I attended Brown University as a CHAPERONE on a school trip. The tour was lacking in all areas. The TOUR was equivalent to a hurried guided walking tour of any CITY. WE were shown building after building etc.. The student led tour, LACKED CONNECTIVITY to the Prospective Students. Minimal information was given regarding Various Classes, Degrees, Clubs and or Student Life.

Good store but high prices

They have a lot of great apparel.

HUGE bookstore! Lots of different items. Very pricey

Had a great selection of Brown apparel and gifts.

I like the set up of this store but I just don’t appreciate the homeless people lurking outside and asking for money. It makes me feel guilty spending money on food and drinks and clothing. They should have a no soliciting sign outside.

Good coffee place and shopping

Lots of new styles and brands. Worth the stop.

Very bad electronics at high prices. They take advantage of your urgency and do not strive for true excellence as expected from Brown. Other than that, though, I like it. It has improved over the years, it seems, believe it or not.

Very clean and organized store.

Great stuff, but very pricey

This wonderful store is open 7 days a week including Saturday 10-8 and Sunday 10-6. Please update your erroneous information!

Lovely place for kids and adults.

Best place to buy Brown gear, lots of variety

Really big book store. Lots of clothing and other brown University gear and souvenirs to pick up

What an academic bookstore should be. Not just another chain bookstore masquerading as one.

Helpful great alumni and facualty section