Downtown Books is one of the best places to play hooky during the workday. Its overstuffed but organized shelves are home to just about every book, video or magazine one can imagine, so it’s easy to stumble upon a much-loved classic or an obscure, hard-to-find gem. The store is enjoying a second life online (on eBay and Amazon) and they’ll even make house calls if you want to sell your private stash of books. (Lisa Kaiser)

Downtown Books
327 E. Wisconsin Ave.
414-276-5330

Runners-up:Boswell Book Co., Renaissance Books