Caveat Emptor

Caveat Emptor is a used and rare bookstore on the downtown Courthouse Square, serving Bloomington book lovers since 1971. Known as an academic haven for subjects from folklore and literary criticism to foreign languages and music, it also has one of the largest and most unusual Civil War collections around, a kids and young adult room, and an Indiana section with books about the state, titles by Indiana authors and IU gear.

Janis Starcs founded the shop and ran it for 45 years. Eric and Catherine Brown bought it in 2016, when it was close to closing, and have kept it going since. In 2021 Bloom magazine reported about 40,000 used books in stock, including rare first editions. Books come from people who sell or donate them, from estates, and from trades for store credit.

There is no searchable catalog, so the hunt is part of the fun, and staff will help you find what you are after. Rare and upscale books are also sold through its online shop. For a gift, Caveat Emptor offers a Private Bookstore Experience: an hour alone in the shop (or with up to ten friends), a soundtrack of your choice, a chance to climb the iconic ladders, and $100 in books and merchandise.

Caveat Emptor is one of the nine independent bookstores in the 2026 Bloomington Book Festival Bookstore Crawl.

Hours on the store’s website in October 2026: closed Monday; Tuesday and Wednesday 1 to 8 PM; Thursday and Friday noon to 8 PM; Saturday 10 AM to 8 PM; Sunday noon to 6 PM. Check before you visit.