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 Real Records/Northside Book Market
203 N. Linn St.
Open Weekdays 11a.m. - 8 p.m
Saturday 11a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Tucked inside the back corner of the Northside Book Market rests a gem unique to Iowa City: Real! Records. It’s a music store stocked with every era and genre imaginable, hip or not, and staffed – nearly always – by a musically inclined bearded man. He serves as a mediator between you, the customer, and the stacks of music that range from local folk to jazz. The store in which this quirky collection (and collector) resides might be perhaps even more original. Northside Book Market, owned and operated by a married couple, both with a true love for books, is a home for anyone who feels remotely the same. The well-loved chairs dotted throughout the stacks and shelves of books provide a perfect place to curl up while browsing. This combination of hard-to-find books and music exists in near perfect harmony, with customers able to wander freely between shops. And if the music titles become too unfamiliar or the books become too daunting, a game of chess is always waiting.
 Record Collector
116 S. Linn St.
Monday - Friday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday Noon to 4 p.m.
There’s much to find at downtown Iowa City’s fail-proof record store. Not only does it hold a treasure trove of vinyl, but this little shop — recently relocated to a smaller yet spiffier locale — holds the best selection of independent music, local bands, and hip-hop than anywhere else in the area. Doubling as a hub for Iowa City concert tickets and promotional goodies galore, The Record Collector is sure to have something that fits into your sure-to-be refined taste.
 Revival
117 E. College St.
Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday Noon - 5 p.m.
With its recent location upgrade into the prestigious heart of Iowa City’s pedestrian mall, Revival mingles among Iowa City’s pricey boutiques but instead offers style on a student budget. Opened in 2003 by Iowa City native Sheila Davisson, a graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, Revival offers indulgently affordable trendiness; everything in the store is priced under $100. Selected name-brand secondhand pieces run under $20 and are mixed with slightly more expensive clothing from local designers and small lines. A wide range of organic-inspired jewelry, eco-friendly wear, and the latest bohemian-inspired fashion classify the shop.
 Artifacts
331 Market St.
Monday - Friday 11a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Stepping into Artifacts, you enter a world of organized chaos. Owner Todd Thelen fills his store with everything from fun costume jewelry to beautiful vintage furniture. Located two blocks away from the hubbub of pedestrian mall, the expansive two-room store offers hours of exploration and enjoyment, with Thelen always willing to tell where he found his many fun collectables. Vintage print and clothes, an abundance of pottery, and novelty items will satisfy any shopper.
 John’s Grocery
401 E. Market
John’s Grocery was built when Iowa City was just a frontier town in 1848. The corner store was a general store of sorts selling dried goods to local farmers and Westward frontiersmen. A hundred years later, John and Erma Alberhasky bought the store, and with help from their kids and grandkids, John’s Grocery has remained an important part of the Iowa City community. Now, instead of selling dried goods, John’s specializes in liquor sales: The architecture allows for the ceiling-to-floor storage of more than 450 beers from around the world and nearly 1,500 kinds of wine. John’s Web site also has a virtual storefront to educate shoppers about their products.
 Prairie Lights
15 S. Dubuque St.
Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
It’s not too surprising that in a university setting renowned for its writing culture, Iowa City has to its name one of the most notable independent bookstores in the Midwest: Prairie Lights Books.
The store opened in 1978, later moving to the locale it has inhabited for the past 26 years at 15 S. Dubuque St. Previously the Dubuque space hosted names as big as e.e. cummings, Langston Hughes, and Robert Frost, and Prairie Lights has maintained the tradition with its “Live From Prairie Lights” series of readings multiple nights each week. A wide variety of writers, from novelists, poets, essayists and others, have graced the floor of Prairie Lights, and even better—all the readings are free.
Aside from the “Live From Prairie Lights” events, the store has, simply, a great atmosphere. With a coffee shop on the second floor and a giant stock of magazines to its credit, Prairie Lights is an ideal place to wile away an afternoon. Numerous University of Iowa classes make their class texts available here, and paying the price for books is a little more bearable when you know it’s keeping a place like this in business. -- Daily Iowan Arts Staff
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This section's contents are produced entirely by student journalists, brought to Billboard.com by UWIRE, the leading provider of student-generated content. UWIRE aims to identify and promote the brightest young content creators and deliver their work to a larger audience via professional media partners such as Billboard.com. Visit UWIRE.com to learn more. |
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- Amherst, Massachusetts
- Athens, Georgia
- Austin, Texas
- Bloomington, Indiana
- Iowa City, Iowa
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Los Angeles, California
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Nashville, Tennesse
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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This town profile was produced entirely by student journalists from The Daily Iowan, the leading news source for the University of Iowa community. You can learn more about the individual student contributors by visiting their profiles on UWIRE.com:
Text: The Daily Iowan Arts Staff
Photo: The Daily Iowan Staff
Video: John Rigby
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