A Blog Entry, in actual fact

I love used book stores. I love bargains and cheapness. I actually know some people who do not have the patience to search among disorganized things for bargain and treasure. These people do not rank highly in my category of cool, emulatable people. Mike and I have come upon an agreement that we shall not purchase books unless they meet the following conditions: a) they are not full price. b)they pertain to something which already interests us (we become interested in too many things, too easily). and c) by not being full price, they are barely even half price, i.e. truly cheap. Used book stores are miraculous, and I shall expound upon three which we have visited in the past two weeks. 

 Used Book Store #1: The Book Rack

This bookstore has appeared in previous posts and is simply an excellent place to go for all manner of books. They are mostly well organized, but could do with some ambience. I am perfectly aware that musty dustiness is part of the ambience of anything used, but there could be better lighting and more room to navigate without running into stuffy older women who work there and wear pantyhose every day. They seem to exude the attitude of "Don't touch that book unless you're really going to buy it because I know you won't put it back where it belongs!" I seem to also remember there being a cat or some type of animal that wandered stealthily through the store, reminding me a bit of Mrs. Norris. I think used bookstores don't need animals wandering around to unsettle you. They also have an impressive checkout system where they actually scan the barcode on the back of the relevant books that they sell. They seem to be discerning in their inventory, i.e. if a book is no longer useful it's not found in their store. The list of books gleaned here have already been recorded in a previous post. 

Used Book Store #2: Book Buyers

Located in the Plaza Midwood area of Charlotte, this store has the most impressive inventory of any used book store I've found locally (je t'adore chapel hill and asheville for used books). The shop has lovely, relevant titles with logical organization. Also, perhaps due to it's location, there are several academic and scholarly books, by which I don't mean textbooks. If you're looking for particular themes to research or pursue at leisure, you are most likely to find books on topic here. They have a large women' interest section that impressed me, several bookcases of Charlotte books, as well as local and regional interest, a history aisle, many biographies, tons of fiction subcategorized into horror, action/adventure, science fiction, romance, as well as current fiction and classic literature. There also happened to be a delightfully snarky lady clerk when we were in who reminded someone, "Well, obviously we can't carry everything, we rely on what others bring in. You could, you know, try the internet." And turning down someone else's lame books they were trying to barter, "We have plenty of romance right now, thank you very much". I liked her. The ambience was great, there was a small complimentary coffee station, as well as seating throughout the store to glance over books before purchasing. The downside? Again, a cat. There was even a warning on the door that it scratches and bites. The place smelled really strangely because of the silly feline. Ahh, well. Here I purchased an amazing pictorial history of Versailles, The Titanic, and Mike got The Hot Zone, and a book by his favorite author, W.P.Kinsella (a book he'd searched for for several years). Win.

Book Store The Third: Julia's Coffee

So technically this one isn't a proper bookstore. This is actually a part of the Habitat for Humanity Restore on Wendover Rd. Julia's is in the corner of the building, and is one of the neatest coffee houses I've found in Charlotte. The used books part of it are located in the back half of the coffee seating area, and include a massive book case that goes around the walls, and several free standing bookcases. They have several hundred books to check out, nicely organized in friendly sections. The pricing is part of the beauty; all books cost 4.98, 2.98, or .98. Finally, pocket sized paperbacks for reasonable prices! Their prices are so gloriously low, because rather than giving credit to people who bring their books in for trade, they only accept donated books. All the profits go to the efforts of Habitat for Humanity. They have some quality titles as well; lots of bestsellers, nice history, a smattering of children's books, and plenty of business and leadership books. And the ambience... well it's a coffee shop first off all, therefore the lovely aroma of coffee beans wafts around to start the good feelings. Then, the shelves are actually painted nice colors, there's interesting art on the walls, the coffee shop has a loft that looks down to everything (as lofts usually do, I guess), and the furnishings are eclectic, comfortable, and beautiful! Everything has personality, and much of it seems to be things that were donated. There's also extensive tile work that I suspect a Habitat employee or patron has created. You should go check it out. Really! Books gleaned: The Civil War Diary of Mary Boykin Chesnut (kind of a big deal, major find), The Grail Legend, and Strange Pilgrims (Gabriel Garcia Marquez- yes!). And, these books were each $2.98 individually or 3 for $7. Win! Best of all, there was no cat.