Schwartz Harry W Bookshops

Though Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop closed, a former employee opened up Boswell Books at this location:

The new Boswell Book Company took the bones of the Harry W Schwartz bookstore and made some minor tweaks. It’s more shop-​able now, and the booksellers are just as great as they ever were.

This place is the best. Clean, quiet, friendly, great selection, and with a Starbucks to boot. They have a great selection of just right books-​not a lot of filler. Love it.

Harry Schwartz is a small bookstore with big ideas.
They carry latest collections of contemporary essayists, theorists, and philosophers. Let’s just say that the list starts with Lacan and can go anywhere from there to Barthes and Zizek, reverse with Derrida and Fish, hunch back to Marxism, Kojeve, and finally rose it up with Chow.
Every time I consume these texts and I do it greedily, I start having nightmares. It’s that intense!
Whoever does not want to become Nietzschean last man should visit this store.

Yes, I’m a bit of a dork — I can admit that. Of course, that means visiting Schwartz when in Milwaukee. During a recent weekend visit, my friend and I stopped by the Downer Ave location. Naturally, when I say «stopped by», I mean — spent about a half-​hour there, and would have spent more time had I not felt bad about possibly boring my friend.
If only all cities had such wonderful independent bookstores, the world certainly would be a better place.

I love Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore (s)!!! I «hear tell» it’s a chain, though a small one, in Wisconsin. I believe I’ve been to two stores. Alas, alas, alas, on my last visit to Milwaukee, I wasn’t able to visit this esteemed store. Not my fault! Blame it on the fact that I chose to fly to Milwaukee for what turned out to be its first weekend of record-​breaking, stinkin’, freezin’, snow!!!
Harry, I WILL return and I WILL purchase books, calendars, whatever. The three times I have visited Harry W. Schwartz, the staff members I’ve spoken with have been polite, aware of books (as opposed to being folks selling wares like dishes or dishwashing liquid, say) as something special. Heck, these folks have even read a book or two or three.
Go there! Visiting these stores will help you «revisit» such stores as Oxford 2, or Oxford Book Store (Atlanta) or any other indie book store you find missing in your life.

I didn’t know indie bookstores still existed. Yet another reason to love Milwaukee! Plus a million stars for having Augusten Burroughs in the store to do a LONG book discussion and signing. Wow, I wish I was a gay guy — that man is fab-​u-​lous!

An excellent bookstore with a great selection, I don’t really care about the Starbucks next door. I think the guy who wrote Fight Club was a guest speaker there once.

Definitely could improve by getting rid of the Starbuck’s next door, but a great place to relax and read. Dimly lit, so some people may prefer a little brighter location within. Always have quite a bit of discount books. I think the selection is nice, and not overwhelming like the all the megastores. All the little nick-​nacks around the store add too its charm.

A great laid-​back bookstore. Docking it a star for having a Starbucks attached instead of the local Alterra (I know, I know) and a lackluster graphic novel section.