Everything Old is New - To Me
(Or Why I Love My Used Bookstore)
by AmyMS88November 20, 2004
I will admit I love walking in to the big chain bookstore in my town. Acres and acres of books await in their brightly lit home. Rows of brand-new, pristine volumes in a wide variety of topics are available to fill almost any need. No dogears or broken
spines here! The eye-catching displays of the latest best-sellers are coupled with tables holding the latest in trade paperbacks. This store offers big comfy chairs to curl up in, and a coffee shop in the store for all your caffeine needs. You can sip coffee
and read all afternoon and you’re never obligated to buy any books (though perhaps tempted!)
Just across the street, though, is my favorite used bookstore. Less than half the size of the big chain, it makes up for its smaller space with an abundance of heart. Walking into the used bookstore is an exercise in fate. You never know what you might find there. I have found childhood favorites that I had forgotten existed. I have found books I never knew existed – and never could have found at the chain store. My used bookstore also has the best-sellers and trade paperbacks. They may not be there right away, but they do find their way there eventually – at a much lower price. Textbooks, well-thumbed cookbooks, books with notes in the margins, books inscribed to a loved one many years ago… One trip to the used bookstore may reveal any and all of these. And the best part is, the next time I go, I will almost certainly find an entirely different selection. Now, I am somewhat of a “book nerd,” and I love the smell of old books. To me, opening an old book is like walking back in time. This is what drew me to the used bookstore in the first place. I keep coming back because I’m afraid I might miss something – and that’s something you never have to worry about at the chain!
I get most of my Bookcrossing books from this used bookstore. They have a huge clearance section, in both children’s and adults. Just last week, they had a big stack of The Phantom Tollbooth, for just a dollar each! They looked brand new. Most children’s clearance books go for 50 cents to a dollar. What a perfect way to get a stack of books to release… I have found recent hardbacks and trade paperbacks here for just a couple of dollars. I can more easily justify spending $20 when I get ten books, instead of just one!
If you love books (not just reading, but books themselves) you will be doing yourself a favor if you check out your local used bookstore. Yes, the big bookstore has charisma – but my favorite used store has soul. You can’t franchise that!
Just across the street, though, is my favorite used bookstore. Less than half the size of the big chain, it makes up for its smaller space with an abundance of heart. Walking into the used bookstore is an exercise in fate. You never know what you might find there. I have found childhood favorites that I had forgotten existed. I have found books I never knew existed – and never could have found at the chain store. My used bookstore also has the best-sellers and trade paperbacks. They may not be there right away, but they do find their way there eventually – at a much lower price. Textbooks, well-thumbed cookbooks, books with notes in the margins, books inscribed to a loved one many years ago… One trip to the used bookstore may reveal any and all of these. And the best part is, the next time I go, I will almost certainly find an entirely different selection. Now, I am somewhat of a “book nerd,” and I love the smell of old books. To me, opening an old book is like walking back in time. This is what drew me to the used bookstore in the first place. I keep coming back because I’m afraid I might miss something – and that’s something you never have to worry about at the chain!
I get most of my Bookcrossing books from this used bookstore. They have a huge clearance section, in both children’s and adults. Just last week, they had a big stack of The Phantom Tollbooth, for just a dollar each! They looked brand new. Most children’s clearance books go for 50 cents to a dollar. What a perfect way to get a stack of books to release… I have found recent hardbacks and trade paperbacks here for just a couple of dollars. I can more easily justify spending $20 when I get ten books, instead of just one!
If you love books (not just reading, but books themselves) you will be doing yourself a favor if you check out your local used bookstore. Yes, the big bookstore has charisma – but my favorite used store has soul. You can’t franchise that!
