Walk in and breathe deeply. You're within range of 300,000 titles, all arranged on three floors, along with a coffeehouse and complete music department. This is one of the bookstore-as-community places, where shoppers are encouraged to put their feet up and read, or to sit at a convenient desk and copy a recipe from the latest cookbook. Children gather for story time every week, and a community room is available for book clubs and other meetings. Of course, they have a huge selection in every conceivable category, from anthropology to zoology. Notable are the shelves of small-press and foreign-press titles, as well as spiritual and religious books.
For over 20 years, Waterloo Records has been one of Austin's favorite record stores. Why? The selection of music is unbeatable. Shoppers will find every genre of music here, including current popular favorites and many Texas artists. Waterloo has supported the local music community for years, allowing bands a place to sell their handmade tapes, vinyl and CDs. The store is also famous for its large selection of imports and world music. If you are looking for music that is a little off the beaten path, this is a good place to start. If you are not sure what you are looking for, grab a set of headphones at one of the listening stations and sample anything your heart desires. The shop also carries a great selection of music-related books, magazines, posters and T-shirts. You will also find an excellent blank tape and CDR selection with pro-recording tapes available.
Lucky Lizard Curios and Gifts is the go-to shop in Austin for all things weird and wonderful in Austin. Located in the popular Sixth Street area in downtown Austin, Lucky Lizard has become a fixture in the local community. They've got a vast collection of world music, classic comic books and magazines, a library of books covering an eclectic array of subjects from the paranormal and movie monsters to pirates and vampires. The owner is also the curator for the Museum of the Weird located alongside the Lucky Lizard shop. This is a great place and is certainly worth stopping in.
This business has been functioning for more than a few decades, and the store has been open at its current location for more than a number of years. So far, it is the only Japanese grocery and gift store within the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolis. For being the only store of its kind in this large capital of the second most populated United State, this mid-sized boutique packs a punch! Everything from frozen meat, to produce, to even hakama shirts (traditional Japanese men's wear) are for sale. Browse the clearance bin at the far end of the store to carefully examine the price tags of the alcohol, as bargains are rampant.