Domy Books

I love this place– great selection of contemporary art books and zines. Small gallery with good artists and an unpretentious and helpful staff.

Oh Domy, I could live in that little shop! Everything from dunny toys to art books to local art to now two more shops within the shop — it’s an Austinite paradise.
I think I first discovered Domy three or so years ago during an E.A.S.T. tour. They had the monster show (local artists draw monsters!) up from Halloween and offered excellent recommendations on what studios to visit.
The next time I went, I asked for a short story anthology recommendation and was given one from McSweeney’s Believer — READ HARD. It was excellent, just like all that is Domy.
You can also bring your dog inside, and there are usually customers that will dote on him/​her. Happy dog, happy place. You should go to there.

Cute selection of books in a cute location/​building. They also have art shows going on in the back that are always worth checking out. When I moved to the East side I thought to myself — I may die. I may be mugged. But I’ll be damned if I can’t get a good breakfast taco and bookstore. I got both things on the East side thankfully.
Thanks for staying independent and amazing. :)

I’m so tempted to rate them a single star just because they refuse to hire me – but the truth is, the rejection stings so badly because Domy is my absolute favorite store in Austin. (It’s a four-​person operation, they claim, although I’m convinced I don’t look cool enough to work there.)
Half of Domy is an art gallery!
I love that the employees are passionate about the artists they represent, and that they geek out on them so much. I almost spent $ 150 on an 8“X11″ drawing WHILE I WAS UNEMPLOYED because they hyped me up on Matt Lock’s solo exhibit (and because was I already drawn to his bizarro work). They knew everything about Matt, from the story behind his imaginary dystopia, to his height, to his relationship with his girlfriend. I had to rush myself out of Domy with a couple of consolatory zines when I realized how broke this purchase would have rendered me. I still regret leaving the piece behind. Like, keep-​you-​up-​at-​night regret.
Anyway, the place is perfect. The selection of artsy books is immaculate. No one has a bigger collection of local zines. This, my friends, is an aesthetic treasure trove.
Domy dear, call me should you ever need me. I swear I’ll acquire an asymmetrical haircut and an edgier wardrobe in the meantime.

Went in here and spent hours lost sorting through all the random books. Cool store with nice helpful people. I feel like I could spend days going through all the books here and looking at whatever art they have currently hanging in their gallery section. Everything from fine arts books to contemporary art and literature, self published zines, and designer vinyl toys. I know I’ll be going back there as much as I can.

let me tell about a girl who moved to austin all by herself (with her really fat, mean cat — who she loves! but doesn’t offer great companionship) and didn’t really have any friends.
ok, well, that girl is me. don’t worry, i’m popular now, so there’s no sad ending to this story.
i worked a lot to occupy my time, and read most of the rest of the time. after reading all the books i’d brought, i looked around for friendly, neighborhood bookshops. when i found Domy, i knew i’d found my first friend. i’d go in a lot on my free time and just read. Russell would make suggestions every once in a while or engage me in a conversation about a good graphic novel, but otherwise left me to my own devices. it was the perfect summer hang out — get away from the heat and read books/​spend too much money on things i wouldn’t regret buying.
i think i really fell in love with Domy when i went in looking for christmas presents for my friends. i had no idea what i was going to get any of them but i knew i’d find something for each of them at Domy. i wandered around for a while before Russell asked me if i needed help looking for something. yes, this time, i actually did. i gave him really stupid, silly, simplified explanations of my friends «he loves cats, picks his nose a lot, and likes to take pictures», «she smokes 2 packs a day, loves lady gaga, and her room looks like precious moments exploded in there», etc… not only did he help me find the PERFECT gift for each one of my friends, but i stayed pretty much within my budget. it was magical, convenient, and made my friends think i was really thoughtful.
so, here’s to my first Austin friend… i’ll always love you, Domy.

There are a lot of things to like about Domy: nice, not jerk-​ish staff, an incredible selection of all types of books, Schmaltz now out back (yummmmm), but the fact that their Go Local discount is 10 PERCENT OFF makes them that much better. Considering the price of some of the items, it can make a big difference.

I couldn’t believe my luck when I started exploring our new neighborhood and found Domy. We get to live so close to this place? Score! I love Quimby’s in Chicago and alternative bookstores in general. Yay, zines, small presses, censored books being sold, yay controversial stuff being available in my very neighborhood. Had a nice conversation with Russell on my first visit. Started daydreaming about creating zines of my own.
Walked in today with a female friend (I’m female) and Russell was playing loud music – he said it was by 8Ball & MJG (I think). Lyrics violent – cruel and anti-​woman in a big way. Un-​tune-​outable. A distressing assault. Asked him if he could play something else. He explained that this was what he was listening to now, that it was a classic album, that these were Southern rappers and he was from Houston. That there were plenty of books in the bookstore with potentially offensive content. In short, no, he would not change the music.
What with the ugly lyrics on the rap record, I couldn’t focus on the awesome books as I wandered around. Waited till the next song, which was as awful as the first. My friend and I left, explaining that we were leaving because his music was driving us out, that he was losing customers. He said something to the effect of «that’s too bad.»
I’m sure Russell feels he holds the moral high ground by refusing to capitulate to some customer’s attempts to censor him. Dude. That music exists, you like it, all fine. You have a right to listen to it, and in your own store. But that’s not only a stupid business decision. It’s also sad that you are essentially citing your rights and preferences as the only guide to how you choose to behave.
You live in society. I mean, you presumably put on deodorant today. You are friendly and polite to customers. It’s your right to yell at them and smell terrible, too. But why would you? Why choose to make people feel like shit? Why choose to make customers feel unwelcome and miserable? Also, would you play white supremacist rap if a group of black people walked in? Refraining from doing shitty things isn’t PC; it’s just polite. Blasting violent music isn’t the same as defending your rights; it’s just inconsiderate. And comparing that music to offensive books fails to recognize that customers can choose not to look at books they don’t like. Customers can’t tune out that music.
Indifference to other people’s suffering – is that your idea of the progressive values this bookstore celebrates?

This store is amazing, books, art exhibitions, special guests, graphic novels, zines, vinyl toys, all kinds of great things. Service is always friendly and not pushy at all.
I don’t know what else to say, GO CHECK IT OUT, you’ll love it.

Domy Books is great! They exemplify what I think is great about East Austin. Friendly people, amazing and inspiring art, and awesome events.
As a toy lover I first heard about the place because of their vinyl toy selection, one of the best in town (only bested by Guzu Gallery off Lamar in my opinion), but after visiting it once I had to come back multiple times for the awesome selection of art books and the really unique gallery showings.
Their spread of art books can’t be beat, it’s like someone took the art section of Book People, washed out the generic crap, and filled the blank spots leftover with great representations from all corners of the creative fields. From photography, tattooing, illustrating, music, and more, you can find something there to inspire your own work or inspire your life. As the final cherry on top in their art book cake, they also are very generous in providing a space for local artists, illustrators, designers, and writers to sell their zines. This alone makes them worth a visit in my opinion! Go and check out the work coming from fellow Austinites and inquire about their show schedule as they constantly have new gallery events in their cozy little art space.
Austin needed a place like Domy and I hope they’re around for a long time to help this town reach its true potential as the artist community it claims to be!

I don’t know if I’m the best person to be reviewing this place since I typically am not here for the books. And somehow it just feels like reviewing a place with «books» in the name when you don’t go there specifically for the books is kind of like reviewing a Starbucks and dedicating 5,000 words to their sandwiches and nothing else.
But there are only two stores in Austin I make a priority to stop at when I’m in town: one is Waterloo Records and the other is Domy Books. And in some ways, Domy is the more essential of the two.
Chances are good you could drive by this place and never think twice about it. There’s a whopping two parking spaces in front of the standalone storefront near the corner and the more accessible parking lot across the street from the place has certainly seen better days. Even the building itself is fairly ordinary: a door, some windows and the plain Jane sign above. Once you step inside, though, things change.
Now is a good time to mention that this store is dangerous. Every time I have shopped here, I find myself buying more than what I came in for — and when you consider that usually translates to one or two coffee table books, it becomes clear that I have a few upcoming days where I will not be eating lunch and possibly dinner to sort of balance out the «Cult of Lego» book I just had to have.
A display table of books greets you a few feet from the door, and these are not books you’ll walk into Barnes and Noble and see 50 copies of. Shoot, you’ll probably only see one copy of them here and there’s a reason for that: this place carries books you never knew you needed until you imagined a life without a book dedicated to Japanese mascots and the districts they frequent. More shelves are to the right and along the far right wall, while a dividing wall in the center houses even more free-​standing tables of unique art books you never knew existed. The amount of rare or hard-​to-​find books on display here is staggering, matched only by their vinyl toy selection.
And that is why I make this a priority stop: you think vinyl toys in Austin, you think Domy Books. It’s just a natural progression like how you think «Police Academy» and then you think «guy who makes sound effects» — even though there are probably other places to shop for toys, why would you go there? Even though there are other characters in the «Police Academy» movies, why would you talk about them when everyone knows sound effects guy?
They constantly receive the latest Kidrobot releases, as well as other items not typically seen (for a Medicom junkie, like me, get the wallet ready). Blind boxes are never in short supply but larger pieces can just as easily be picked up. And I never noticed it until this last trip but it looks like someone might be unloading their own collection via consignment pieces. If you love old 8-​in. Dunnys, get there quick (though by the time you read this, someone will probably have swooped in and given them a new home).
All the books and toys in the world would not matter if the staff were demonic and got their kicks ripping the heads off of balloon animals. Fortunately, every person I have met here (employees and customers) have been friendly, eager to hold merchandise while I shopped (maybe not the customers on that one) and very knowledgeable in their trade. Add in release party events, art shows and other special occasions and you owe it to yourself to swing by here if you have even the slightest interest in offbeat art.
Yeah, their DVD selection is sparse and yeah, the far back room of the place seems to be where art dreams go to die (not in a blaze of glory, either… more like a blaze of «I have no idea why someone wrote/​made this») but you cannot knock everything else on offer. Well, you probably could, but you would be wrong. And probably not a very fun person to be around, too.

That this place — a «curated bookstore» — is the best bookstore in Austin should tell you something about how much Austin’s bookstores suck (though I haven’t been to the new used store on S. Congress), but this shouldn’t at all detract from the tremendous efforts of Domy.
All the publications they carefully select and highlight, all the great events that they have, their location, one of the few places you can go in and take a deep breath. Austin is so much richer with them.

Wow. Stepping into this place after living in Houston for the last month was like injecting a dose of Austin really fast.
Domy has very minimalist décor but is crammed with curiosities that can occupy quite a bit of your perusing time. Tons of books about art and photography, local flavor, sarcastic cards, poetry, and cookbooks. I found a hilarious book on Wii-​related art, a bunch of cheeky short story and poetry works on Austin and Houston, a smore’s keychain, and a pop-​up modern architecture book. Love it!
While things here tend to be on the pricey side, you won’t fail to find a one-​of-​a-​kind and entertaining gift here. Check it out, Austinites!

You have no idea how happy I am that this place exists here in Austin. The only place I go for magazines. They carry many you just can’t get anywhere else in the city.
They also have art events regularly which is also raaaaaaaaaad.

Fantastic little arthouse bookstore on the East side.
Domy isn’t very big, but the books inside will keep your entertained for hours on end. It is a very eclectic mix of reading, with a large focus on art books, photography, along with some fiction (example David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest) and others that are unclassifiable. This place has a lot of Taschen books which are always entertaining to flip through (another example: a Taschen book filled with photographs of old t-​shirt designs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s).
The magazines are worth going to read because they carry a lot of rare and unique publications. On the walls there are framed letters written by various famous people such as Issac Asimov commenting on various things that have happened in their life.
You can get on their mailing list to find out about different art events that are coming. They tend to have events about every 6 weeks or so. During SXSW in March they hold events with a couple of places from Los Angeles.
Just remember to go to the bathroom before you come here to settle into your cozy read because they have no public restrooms.

Domy is the sort of place that makes me wish I were a cleaner person. The Japanese minimalist layout and design translates well to a bookstore setting: the single books or short stacks laid out neatly on tables, separated by a few inches of pristine white space. White space is a good way to describe the feel of the store. The art exhibits usually span three walls of an open room to the west side of the building, often but not always at eye level, leaving white space above and below the pieces.
This aesthetic combined with the selection of books, movies, and toys makes the Domy experience captivating. Every piece is interesting; most of it I’ve never seen. It’s clearly not your average bookstore (so don’t expect to find that copy of Pride and Prejudice you need for English Lit.). The books are treated as pieces of art. And this is kind of the point I’m trying to make here.
At home, I fail to treat Domy’s books as pieces of art. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not slob. The carpet in my apartment is cheap and fibres infiltrate everything. There is also little space for my own personal book museum. Domy books they get thrown onto the bookshelf where they blend in with the academia and classic literature, only rarely to be individually observed as little pieces of art.
It’s an experience. It’s hard not to buy anything because it’s all so cool. It’s a collection of awesome things. Domy is great. But I’m not equipped to give a proper home to their product. Yet. Until I get my own office.

This small store offersa small selection of art books, prints, and those funky collectible toys like KidRobot. Different events are scheduled here so check the website. Too cool for skool fo’ shore. Almost five stars.

Domy was recommended to me by a couple of author friends of mine that have gotten a lot of love and support from this store. My first impression was that it was sparse. A few tables of books, a few walls as well, and the rest of the space filled in with artwork, vinyl toys, and air.
It took me a few minutes to understand the organization here. It’s broken up by general interest (zines, art books, graphic novels, typed novels, etc) that sort of bleed together. Once I figured it out, it was pretty instinctual.
The staff was really helpful. I asked the tall guy (Russel maybe? Rusty?) for a recommendation based on my friend’s novel, and not only did he know their work, he also knew the authors that my friend was into. That was a first for me.
He also noticed a kid’s book we were carrying around and recommended someone else we might like. I swear I am telling you the truth when I say that the book he recommended brought tears to my wife’s eyes. She liked it that much. A second first for me.
Domy is the cat’s pajamas.

Domy, I love you…
Ok that is a bit much, I like Domy but my girlfriend literally loves Domy and it is one of two places I can take her and it is like a literal get out of jail free card (the other being IKEA). She likes the randomness of Domy’s book/​magazine selection as well as the broad assortment of Kidrobot toys that they sell.
This would generally get you just 4 stars for this review. But the fact that you can take me from terrible boyfriend to teflon boyfriend gets you the bump to 5 stars.
But in all seriousness if you want to go to a neat little bookstore with a ton of Austin flavor then I’d recommend stopping by Domy. The prices are great, the selections is good. Hell even the décor rocks.

Awesome selection of weird books, DVDs and ‘zines. Any place that has Jock Sturges, Craphound, Art Space Tokyo, Temp Slave and Michel Gondry DVDs is A-​OK in my book. Lots of vinyl toys if you’re into that stuff.
This place has all the soul that BookPeople has started to lose (lost?). Could be the next great Austin bookstore. Five stars. No valet — it’s Eastside. Sterile interior will mellow with time. Beware of ambulance chasin’ lawyer office next door.