Renaissance Book Shop

This is a unique spot to pass the time at the airport. However – it’s a USED book store and all the book are list price. Kind of ridiculous.

What a wonderful used books store. Its existence must be the cumulation of a book lover’s dream. Its collection truly represents a Renaissance man/​woman. There are literary fiction books, both classic and contemporary, a large collection of non-​fiction books, and last and definitely not least, antique/​vintage books.
Among the fiction books, the genres range from mystery, sci-​fi, to children, American African, Western, etc. If you are looking for a poorly written pop fiction book, the picking is slim. The collection here are well written fiction. The non-​fiction collection has great diversity. Some topics are unheard of in a shop of this size (approximately 1000 sq ft), such as a full bookcase on Churchill. The precious vintage books are on the shelves right next to the cashier counter, so they are safeguarded by the shopkeeper at all time. Most items are protected in heavy brown paper envelopes. In my dream, there would be a first edition of some famous books in one of the envelopes. Don’t know for sure, but if I must hunt down a literary gift, I will give this book store a try.
Renaissance Book Shop is located in the General Mitchell International Airport.

I cannot believe that this place is INSIDE the airport. There is practically nothing like it in the US. I vote with my feet and my dollars every time I can here. Great big stacks of every kind of book. Also boxes of books on the floor. (They are breeding at night, someone check the security camera footage!) Great selection, accurate prices. The opportunity to browse, and touch and smell. It’s all priceless. Give them your business. You won’t be disappointed!

Just as a proper bookstore should be. Time passes fast here.
I apologize that I hardly ever buy anything but it is certainly fun browsing.

Can I tell you how many airport bookstores I’ve been in? Hundreds. Thousands, maybe. And they all have the same crap — issues of trashy magazines («Kim Kardashian — Plastic Surgery Shocker!»), overpriced water, and 10,000,000 copies of the latest Twilight novel. Don’t get me wrong — I like a Vanity Fair from time to time but it’s like eating a whole bag of Doritos — seems fun at the time but ultimately is unsatisfying.
For serious (and not so serious) readers, Renaissance is a gem. If you’ve lived in MKE for awhile, you’ll doubtless remember their downtown location which was cluttered, overstuffed with amazing books, totally a fire hazard and ultimately condemned due to structural issues. The airport location is a tiny version of that, except it’s clean and hazard free.
Sure, you can grab the latest Jack Reacher novel if you like, but there’s so much more than that. Expect rare, out of print, offball stuff in every topic under the sun. I love French classics and was delighted to see they were well represented at very reasonable prices. The staff is really nice, and happy to help direct you if needed.
As a reader, I really do miss the downtown version of Renaissance Books so I’m happy to see they live on in the airport. I’d seriously consider making a trip there on a non-​travel day to more fully explore the offerings.

We were stuck in the airport for hours. What a wonderful find for books. Was able to ind books for the entire family. Want a layover in MKE just so I can go back to this store.

What a wonderful shop in the MKE airport! This shop caught my eye on the walk to the gate, and then kept my attention all through the hour long delay.
Labelled as the first known used book store in an airport, this is a treasure trove of items you never knew you wanted. A small locally run shop, it’s a welcome diversion from the endless Hudson News and Starbucks standard at all other airports. Definitely one of the best places to pass the time at MKE!

Just returned from a trip to Milwaukee. This is the first time I see a Renaissance Bookshop in an airport. I arrived to the airport and had two hours to kill when I ran into this bookstore. I literally spent the two hoursbrowsing through books and ended up buying a couple of books to read on the plane. It was great! Stp by next time you have a layover in Milwaukee. :-)

I was really excited to see a bookstore on a flight delay with a toddler. Unfortunately, the «children’s section «seemed to be populated by hardy boy books from the 50s. When we asked the man managing the store if there were any books for toddlers or pre-​school he said sarcastically «look for yourself» and didn’t move (even though the store was empty). Needless to say we went and overspent at the gift store instead

This is a pretty good bookstore, mostly reasonably priced used books, a good selection of new books, and a nice selection of rare collectible books. That’s comparing this bookstore to other good used bookstores in general. As far as airport bookstores are concerned this is the best airport bookstore I’ve encountered anywhere. I mostly read on a Kindle, but for no good reason I can fathom, we still have to turn off e-​readers on the front and back end of flights so it’s time to open up a 20^th century manual book. I always allow time before a flight to get one or three old technology analog books, I usually stop by when picking up or dropping off because you never know what you might find. This time I had a bittersweet moment as I found an old copy of Harold Lamb’s Omar Khayyam (out of print historical fiction) from the library of a neighbor from Hyde Park. The previous owner had what we used to call a library so there was a first page emboss, I’m guessing he passed away in the 1970s after I went away to college the first time. How the book got to Milwaukee’s airport bookstore is probably an interesting story, but will remain a mystery. This is one of the things I love about a used bookstore, wondering about the journeys the books have had before I got a hold on them.

There are places to buy books, and there are book shops. Renaissance is a book shop, proper, smack dab in the middle of General Mitchell International.
Travel far and wide and you’ll find that most airports — especially larger ones — have places in which one might purchase a real life, physical book. These spots are often a touch slick, generally a touch small, and prop up titles such as the newest Twilight-​esque vampire deal, the latest Michael Pollan joint (totally legit, he’s just popular), or that god-​awful Tucker Max character’s crap.
Like I said, Renaissance is a book shop proper. It’s not perfectly organized. It’s pretty huge. The cashier/​workers are a touch eccentric. Shelves upon shelves boast everything from war history to science fiction and popular novelists to obscure philosophers from the late 19^th century.
The juxtaposition here must not go without mention. Old school meets new school, folks.
In a world where everything’s fast and in a place where everyone’s in a hurry to hurry up and wait to get to where they’re going, Renaissance is a breath of fresh air. This spot, nestled in the middle of our growing airport, may be somewhat emblematic of our city on the whole, too. Bear with me here, but I think there’s a loose corollary: book shops such as these are forgotten holdovers from days of yore, but they’ve never lost their genuine value or their heart or their style. Kind of like MKE, no?
Five giant stars for this serious and seriously awesome book shop!

A pleasant surprise in the airport! Picked up a relatively new title in great condition for $ 7 (over half off the $ 16 list price).
Though it’s a bit of a cluster in there there staff seemed eager to help. Also loved the quirky staff signage, ha!

What makes Mitchell International Airport stand out from other airports? Besides the Cheese Hats, Ping Pong table, and a Recombobulation Area (I have watched many a passenger take pictures of this… one day I will too!)… The Renaissance Book Shop. Yes, it has used books and an eclectic selection and that’s why I think it is great and even better that it is at an airport. Having travelled through many airports around the world, you can count on the standard bookstores offering the same selection, so when you stumble across something different, something that isn’t standard, it is refreshing and it actually gives you something to explore as you wait for your flight. I browsed the store and did find things that I wanted and fully considered buying them, mostly very heavy, coffee table style books, but as I was on a job interview and had very little luggage, I didn’t think it would be a wise move on my part. However, one day, when I have room in my carry-​on… when I stop overpacking… I will probably purchase those books. Or maybe I need to arrange to pick people up at the airport and spend my time waiting in the book shop…

Just in case anyone is looking, there are two sets of reviews for this same bookstore at Mitchell Field.
That being said, and as someone else in the other set of review said, this is the best airport bookstore anywhere and among the better bookstore period! I also told the clerk/​manager when I made a couple of purchases.
Very nice selection of old and new books even comics, maps, and more. It was my first time flying out of Mitchell but plan to do more trips in the future. I might even go to the airport just to hit the bookstore!

Cool place in MKE. Amazing selection & atmosphere. MKE has lots of coolness like that.

I absolutely love this store! Every time I fly out of Mitchell I stop here to remind myself of what bookstores should be. A great mix of old and new. A few years ago, I even found a copy of the first book ever written on Coaching Wheelchair Basketball. What are the chances of that? They are Wheelchair accessible and the staff is always willing to help!

Though it was closed when I landed late at night in Milwaukee, I nevertheless took notice of the large Renaissance Book Shop in the comparatively small General Mitchell airport, so I was eager to stop in before my return flight when I had a couple of hours to kill. Actually, I hate that phrase. One should never want to «kill» any hours. You’ll never get those hours back. Lying on your death bed you’ll probably wish you hadn’t killed quite so many. Granted, it’s pretty tough to spend time with loved ones or enjoy a beautiful day when you’re stuck at the airport, but you can at least make those hours worthwhile. Which brings me to a second gripe — your average airport bookstore almost forces you to kill those hours with whatever mindless drivel is currently atop the bestsellers’ list, the latest celebiography or tired, formulaic fiction from James Patterson — does he even write them anymore? They’re always «and» some other author now. And what is Sue Grafton going to do when she runs out of letters? Greek? «Alpha is for Dominant,» «Beta is for Testing,» «Gamma is for Electromagnetic Radiation,» «Delta is for Change,» and so on, until she finally reaches «Omega is for Fatty Acids.»
Part of the problem is that most airport bookstores are tiny, with limited shelf space, so it’s simply a matter of economics that precious real estate is going to be occupied with products that are going to move. Such is not the case at Renaissance Book Shop. General Mitchell Airport is arranged such that the several concourses radiate off a central hub, from which it’s easy to get quickly to security and your gate. Renaissance Book Shop may well have the largest storefront in this common space, which perhaps speaks to a substantial Milwaukee reading public. I wouldn’t even have to bring a book from home for my trip if I knew this bookstore was waiting for me at the airport. The large store houses aisle after aisle of literature, history, psychology, you name it, with everything from paperbacks to nice old hardcover editions. They even have displays of rare, signed, and first editions. Many of the volumes struck me as a bit pricey, but then again, where else are you going to find that Modern Library edition of Ulysses in the airport? Since I buy books faster than I can read them, was already in the middle of a novel, and my carry-​on was barely closing anyway, I finally tore myself away empty handed. But I was glad to be able to spend some time in this impressive bookstore.
Renaissance Book Shop is one of the better used bookstores I’ve been in, and certainly the best I’ve ever seen in an airport.

What a great treasure to find in an airport! I happened on this bookstore, thinking it was just another airport shop, and found used books and collectibles as well as new books. Be sure you enjoy a visit to the store while you are in the airport.

Reminds me of the old style of university libraries. Just a cavernous, tall ceiling room with books and the smell of paper. Easy to find books by category, old books, used books and new ones too. This isn’t Borders or any other chain bookstore, there isn’t any flashy advertising or bright colors to draw your attention. One helpful associate at the counter, quiet, you and books.

I understand that the main Renaissance Bookshop downtown has an amazing selection within their allegedly dusty, disorganized, chaotic, «dangerous», and dimly lit space.
This airport version of Renaissance is smaller, safe, nicely lit, still a bit chaotic, and is staffed by persons you would expect to be running a used bookstore. It’s a great place to hang out and browse, while you’re waiting for your flight or your friends to arrive. There are also some pretty good finds here and at discount prices. The only thing I couldn’t really find was the bookstore cat!
And after being in my share of airports filled with chain stores that all look alike after awhile, walking into this space that feels like a «Mom and Pop» shop is a real treat!