R.J. Julia Booksellers

Good selection, quaint atmosphere, nice café attached, slightly overpriced but understand small business markup. Good kids section upstairs. No changing tables anywhere in the place, which was surprising as they had a newly renovated bathroom. Big oversight IMO.

This was my grandmother’s favorite bookshop and so I come here periodically just to remember all the good times I had browsing through books with her. Besides the good memories, I’m not surprised at why this book store has stayed in business and done so well all these years. The store’s employees are passionate bookworms, leave hand-​written reviews in front of a lot of the books, and are very happy to help you with any question you may have.
On top of that, their café out back has tasty classics with healthy sandwiches, strong coffee, and a decent assortment of teas. I love grabbing a latte while I walk around the book shop.

This is by far the cutest book store I’ve ever been to. Not only is it just a few minutes away from the beach but it has a bunch of books, a gift shop and a café! Upstairs is children and young adult and downstairs is everything else that you could ever imagine. They have dream dictionaries, meditation books and so much more! Definitely check this place out!

Free author talks, beautifully appointed shop. Love the detailed staff picks, Persian carpets, and curved book shelves.

Stumbled into this shop after seeing a movie across the street. I was in search of the book Brooklyn, based off the movie I just saw. I felt like a kid in a candy store seeing the beautiful nooks and crannies of this bookshop. I love the reviews by the employees on books and the friendly service.
The only reason why they are not getting five stars is because they had no copies of Brooklyn. Just from a business standpoint, I know I and many others who watched the movie stopped over to R.J. Julia’s to see if we could get the book. However, the employees were extremely helpful in trying to assist me with the request. This bookshop should definitely pay more attention to films coming to the Madison Art Cinemas to pick up some business.

I understand that this is a good bookstore. I get it. But the fact that I’m sitting here having a hard time writing a review means a lot. If you’re in the area definitely stop by, but it’s not worth a trip. The selection is good and the handwritten notes on staff favorites are much appreciated. However, it just didn’t have any… soul. The staff was uninterested and unwelcoming. Seems like a bookstore that wealthy adults go to to pick up the latest recommendation from their afternoon talk show of choice.

Bookstore:
This is such a lovely and delightful bookstore! It’s two stories tall (the children’s section is on the second floor and the café/​main books section/​small games section is on the first floor).
The employees write handwritten book reviews and leave them with the corresponding books on the shelf. They’re also incredibly helpful and friendly in helping you pick something out.
Café:
So good! The sandwiches, soups, and salads are all wonderfully prepared. The only item I wish was a little tastier are the cupcakes. I got a sea salt caramel cupcake and felt it was a bit on the dry side. The frosting was delicious though!

I love this bookstore! I wish books here weren’t so high price but its a great place to shop anyways! The set up is beautiful and fun to take kids and to just browse for books yourself! RJ Julia’s also has book signings from authors. I haven’t been to one but the autographs on the walls of the famous people that have been there are fun to look at.

This place is a classic. I love everything from the wood floors to the staff book picks. Great bookstore.

Anytime we are in or passing through Madison one of us will ask, «wanna go to R.J.‘s?» The answer is always yes. As a bookstore it’s great, but it’s more than that. The café in the back makes very good espresso beverages like the mocha I had earlier this week and the lunch offerings attract a busy crowd even on a Tuesday afternoon! The employees are nice also. I wish there were more pastry offerings in the café though, other than the cupcakes and biscotti I saw.
The section we are always most interested in are the cookbooks and other food related books. There is a good and varied selection. I was even impressed by the quality and variety of the special diet (gluten-​free, paleo, etc.) section. Always fun browsing and there are even chairs here and there to sit on. Even with the large variety, I wish they got new books in faster though. It was pretty much the same books since we were last in a few months ago.
In addition to café and books this is a great place to find a gift and/​or a card. When we were here Tuesday one section of the store had an adorable area for gifts to give gardeners, then some for beach houses, some general gifts like candles, scarves, bags, tunics, jewelry, etc. for women. Then there are a few paper goods and journals, pens, and other stuff. I love walking around and browsing to see what they have. I also love seeing the staff recommendations for books and the little notes they write about them!

I know it has (sadly) become an outdated concept to shop in never mind buy in a local brick and mortar bookstore but R.J. Julia makes it worth it.
Always check out the website for authors who will be coming to R.J. Julia for a book signing. It’s impressive. Over the years I’ve seen Anne Rice and Hulk Hogan there, and enduring the traffic through town with Secretary Clinton came.
There’s a quaint café in the back and a great children books section upstairs. I think supporting local business and this lovely shopping experience absolutely makes it worth paying full price every now and then.

Great bookstore, helpful staff, wonderful events. A nice way to spend any afternoon, or evening. Roxanne Cody has put this lovely little town on the map. Thank you Roxanne, for many enjoyable books and events.

Stepping into this independent bookstore is like falling into a Norman Rockwell picture, and I hardly know what to do first. Walk up the solid Victorian staircase to the children’s area and the travel/​reading room? Check out the latest gift ideas, cookbooks and coffee table books? Or head straight to the shelves of staff suggestions — the staff reviews on new books are witty, literate, informative and entertaining. A staff member just helped me find the perfect gift for a new grandmother who has a big birthday coming up-​a beautiful leather frame which was gift wrapped while I browsed for, and found, a card that is just right for the occasion and not the usual stale sentiment. So the gift is complete. Now I’m going to celebrate success without leaving the store — at the café here, with a cup of coffee and an award-​winning cupcake!

Very nice bookstore. I took my mother here for an author appearance and had a great time. Very friendly staff and very nice selection of books.

RJ’s may well be Madison’s most valuable business for attracting tourists to the business district. It is worth the visit as it takes you back to when book browsing use to be an afternoon delight. Once inside you know you are in a special place where you relax in a quiet world and all your cares are left at the door. It is an experience that you will remember.
I took off a star as if you want their market price — you have to pay them $ 25 to join their club to get a 10% discount. It seems to me in a world where I can buy any book they sell for probably 40% discount online — they would give me their best price and thank me for patronizing their store. I still take my children there to buy their books to give them the experience that may not be there in the near future — I pay full price and thank them on the way out.

This is a diverse bookstore. I like the size of it and the clerks that are ready to help find anything. They have sudoku books, books on brain teasers and other such games. Also, earthy jewelry, cards, candles, olive oil, and other odds n ends. Definitely a place to check out and stay a while.

Love this book store, especially the cool gadgety side of the store. They carry unique books with handwritten reviews of staff favorites!

I do like R.J. Julia. The people in there actually know about books (unlike the homogenized atmospheres of a Barnes & Noble or a BAM!). The person in the children’s book department gave me some great ideas on books to get for my son Jack in an attempt to get him to read better and more often. They also have a quaint little café in the back. Their only shortcoming is that they do not have any magazines :).

Great little independent bookstore I visited while on the way to visit friends in Mystic, CT. I’m a big fan of stores of this type — you can’t beat the feel of a local, independently run, bookstore.
Amazon and online shopping will never match the simple pleasure of wandering around a lovely bookstore and browsing for books, checking out the recommendations, and thumbing through some old favorites.
This place also has a great little café.

A favorite destination for a day trip. Browsing the books, enjoying the coffee shop and enjoying teh Bosoton Post road drive!