Scrinnameless sent me a wonderous account of a used bookstore in Mobile, Alabama, that got me thinking. Get a load of this:
While waiting on my cousin to get out of work (my day to pick her up), I walked over to a nearby used bookstore I’d been in before, and, thanks to your influence, I began to notice the romance novels.
…And, holy fuck, The Book Corner is loaded. Hundreds of Silhouettes, and hundreds again of Silhouettes special editions. Two shelves of historicals. A shelf of contemporaries. Old-school novels out the wazoo.I am not exaggerating when I say my hasty figuring on the back of the business card puts them at a couple of thousand romance novels. Next time I’m out that way, I’m bringing the camera so I can take some pictures for you.
Anyway, it’s kind of a small, out of the way place, so I want you to put the word out to the Bitchery: Next time they’re in Mobile, or if they’re ever in Mobile, they have to stop by this place and buy some books.
It’s the Book Corner, at Schillenger Road and Airport Boulvard, found in a corner in that strip mall between Airport and the Wal-Mart.
I have never had cause to go to Mobile, but now I totally want to go. Like damn.
And Scrinnameless (who promises me pictures of Ye Heaping Big Selection of Romance) has given me a good idea, but I want your opinion: do you think a collaborative map of Bookstore With Good Romance Selections (Used and new!) would be of use to Ye Fabulousse Bitchery?
I can name two good bookstores near me, one used, in New Jersey, and one new, in Manhattan. I’ve started a map (see below) and would welcome your suggestions as to where we romance readers can find good used and new romance selections.
It would seem to me that with independent bookstores closing frequently now, we should make it as easy as possible to find the romance.
If you’d like to contribute, please feel free – anyone should be able to edit that map. And I welcome your contributions—all the better for me to plan a Smart Bitch Road Trip when the book comes out!!
Ooo…there is a great book store in Miami that offers three full rows of all the Harlequin lines and romances in general (there are about 8 rows in total, not a big store, but a great selection )
The Book Barn Exchange
10597 SW 40th St
Miami, FL 33165
(305) 223-0531
Another good one, but not as wide of a romance selection is, they do have a great classic selection.
Kendall Bookshelf Inc
12558 N Kendall Dr, Miami, FL 33186
(305) 596-5353
GrowlyCub, there are several Book Nook’s in the Atlanta area, but the one I went to was at 1547 Roswell Road in Marietta GA. It doesn’t really have a huge romance section, but the people who run the store have no idea what’s rare and valuable, so you can sometimes find real gems.
Bookman’s is a fantastic chain of used books here in Arizona. Their romance sections are amazing. My favorite Bookman’s to visit is the location at:
3733 W. Ina Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85741
The romance section is ginormous and their mystery area is almost as large. They’re well-laid out, have a fairly knowledgeable staff, easy access, brilliant parking and fantastic deals.
The Paperback Reader in Kankakee, IL (sorry, no website) is a used-book store that is mostly romance. They have a whole room of H/S titles and a wall and two sides of ginormous shelf full of single-title romances. And if you have a question, just ask the owner – she’s read almost every romance book, and if she doesn’t know, her daughter probably will.
Paperback Reader
1015 N 5th Ave
Kankakee, IL 60901
(815) 932-1147
Powells City of Books in Portland, Oregon has a wonderful mix of new and used. Despite their occasional snideness about romance at their main store, they have two big stacks including a whole wall dedicated to paranormals. Their store in Beaverton is more romance friendly (I’ve been to a couple of great group signings there) with solid selection.
Powells has a huge online presence if you want to support independents.
http://www.powellsbooks.com/
I’ll add to the map.
I love, love, love the Book Mark in Escondido, CA. I haven’t been back in ages (I’ve moved waaayyy out of the area), but last I heard, it was still in business. The Book Mark has a large room dedicated to romance novels. Huge. Massive. Beautiful.
Book Mark – The Paperback Book
(760) 746-6362
153 E Grand Ave
Escondido, CA 92025
I live in Columbia Missouri and we have a great new/used bookstore.
Nancy’s Trade-A-Book II
21 Conley Road #Q
Columbia, MO 65201
(573) 449-6164
Website: http://www.nancystradeabook.com
This book store is loaded with over 100,000 books and many of them are romance. They also sell books on-line. Love it.
Anyone passing through Southern Maryland should swing by Ellie’s Paperback Shack! She has an astonishing selection of romance novels in a very small storefront right off the highway. I’ve found all sorts of older titles, especially Kleypas books, that I can’t locate through the chains or BookMooch.
Ellie’s Paperback Shack
2700 Crain Hwy
Waldorf, MD 20601
I’ll try to add it to the map, but for some reason I find it very challenging today! Brain want no work properly.
GrowlyCub, the big UBS near my house is a Book Nook—it’s at the corner of N. Druid Hills and Clairmont, Atlanta. I’m pretty sure I took you there…
Not a huge romance section relative to the store size, but it is a big store. They limit the categories that they stock, don’t do well on organizing Regencies, but there’s a full aisle of non-category romance.
I second Nadia’s recommendation of The Book Rack in Arlington (Pantego), Texas. That store is heaven for a romance reader. They carry several thousand used romance novels, and they arrange them by type. They even have a separate room full of category romances and hard-to-find paperbacks. The place is like a giant book maze, and it’s easy to get lost in there for hours (which is a good thing!). The store offers a discount credit system for trades and they will also special order new books at a discounted price (10-15% off).
http://www.bookrack.org/planet.htm
My boyfriend and I run a used bookstore. We have a large romance section with a variety of sub-genres and category romance titles.
Most of our books are mass market paperbacks but we also have a selection of hardcovers and trade paperbacks in our romance section.
Books of North County (Camelot Books on the sign outside we are in the middle of a name change)
1011 S. Santa Fe Ave suite H
Vista CA,
McKay Used Books and CDs (Knoxville)
230 Papermill Place Way
Knoxville, TN 37919
Also
The Booklegger
4001 Holmes Ave NW
# C
Huntsville, AL 35816
I’ve only been there once, but I found some nice SF/F…didn’t look in to the romance section.
I’ve been to this store once, it’s on the way other side of town but wow, more than half the store is dedicated to romance, used and some new (like samhain and ec). Every flavor of romance I knew existed and some I didn’t. But she also carries series books in western and sci-fi fantasy sections, just the series so people can find their missing parts.
Of course I never bothered to look at the name til I went searching for it.
Romantically Inclined
3830 La Sierra Ave
Riverside, CA 92505
A bit of shameless self-promotion on my part. 🙂
I am the owner of Nancy’s Trade a Book II in Columbia, MO (Thanks RebeccaB) and as a devoted romance reader I carry tons of romance here. I sell what I read 🙂 Percentage wise I would say 85% of my 150,000 books are romance. We offer series Harlequin / Silhouette from #1 through current. We do carry all genres but we specialize in Romance.
If you do indeed map the stores please put mine down as very romance friendly.
Kristie Elliott, Owner
Nancy’s Trade A Book II
21 Conley Road Suite Q
Columbia, MO 65201
http://www.nancystradeabook.com
Another McKay’s here in Nashville, I’m a frequent shopper there because it’s about a mile from me. Squeeee! Large selection of newer romances , an aisle of contemporary, two of historicals, two of best sellers, sci fi/fantasy,3 rows of hard back fiction a bargain section, African American section and an erotica section.
You can trade and buy books, cd’s , video games , dvd’s etc.
McKay’s
5708 Charlotte Pike
Nashville, TN 37209
http://www.mckaybooks.com/nashville.htm
Here are the ones that I frequent and all have very good to excellent romance sections.
Second Story Used Books
(586) 773-6440
17920 E 10 Mile Rd
Eastpointe, MI 48021
Brown’s Family Bookstore
(586) 773-7370
27309 Harper Ave
St Clair Shores, MI 48081
Paperback Outlet – New & Used Books
(586) 751-7228
29170 Hoover Rd
Warren, MI 48093
Enjoy!
map not working. can’t tell if it’s from your end or mine (too cyberclueless to figure out) just says mozilla can’t show it.
I work at a UBS in Glen Ellyn, IL which is about 25 miles just west of Chicago and right across the street to the train Station.
Bundles of Books and Gifts
560 Crescent Blvd
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
(630)545-0069
In Punta Gorda Florida in a strip mall, there is a great UBS, with all the vacation reads, including a large romance section.
John’s Pennywise Books & Art Supplies
http://www.pennywisebooks.com/
John or Nancy McGrath
3941 Tamiami Trail Ste 3153
US41 & Burnt Store RD
(2 doors down from Publix, Next to Eye Center)
Punta Gorda , Florida 33950
United States
Phone Number: 941-639-5646
pennywisebooks @ comcast.net
He has frequent buyer cards in addition to 1/2 price paperbacks, buy backs, and some new ones. I can spend hours in there.
Hey!! I live in Mobile and I know this store—and it truly is awesome! A great used store, one I’ve visited for over 15 years now. The owner is a super nice lady. When I first began my mad romance craze (that would have been—cough, cough—that 15 years ago thing), she was even kind enough to take me into the back and let me search for JAK and Elizabeth Lowell categories. Old school at its best!
That’s Vada May, all right!
I’m going to try to visit tomorrow to get some pictures…
My absolute favorite is:
The Book Rack
865 Santa Cruz Ave
MENLO PARK, CA 94025
(650) 323-3877
The owner is absolutely delightful, it’s a lovely, friendly atmosphere, and anywhere that has its very own Regency section is my kind of place.
I’ve also had decent luck at:
Book Buyers
317 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA
(650) 968-7323
This is just a superb general used bookstore, with great holdings in almost every category.
The Book Alcove
15976 Shady Grove Rd.
Gaithersburg, Maryland
(301) 977-9166
also has a very good romance section.
So does:
Book Barn
41 West Main St.
Niantic, CT 06357
(860) 739-5715
http://www.bookbarnniantic.com
which is actually five barns full of books. And goats in the summer. Who could ask for anything more?
And I’ve just made the discovery that:
Reading Books
27 S Squires Street Sq.
Rockford, MI
(616) 866-1319
http://www.booksinrockford.com
has a great website from which all sorts of romances can be ordered.
Alexandria, VA: Not a huge selection of romance, but when I lived there they at least had a whole wall, which is more than any other bookstore had:
Already Read Used Books
2501 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Half-Price books always has a lot. They have series as well as single-title. You can often get lucky and find the single title books in the back on the clearance rack for just 50 cents or even a quarter. You can often get single title for $1 or $2. I’ve been to these:
2656 Brice Rd.
Reynoldsburg, OH
Village Square Mall
4000 Oxford Dr.
Bethel Park, PA
219 Summit Park Dr.
Pittsburgh, PA
Their web site is here: http://www.halfpricebooks.com/find_a_store.html and they have stores all over the country. I recommend anybody check them out.
This is the one that’s closest to me. It doesn’t compare to McKay’s in Nashville but Reb already mentioned that one. It’s pretty small, hard to find, and the owners aren’t particularly chatty, but I usually find what I want there.
Book Den
1113 Murfreesboro Rd # 308
Franklin, TN 37064
(615) 790-9656?
There’s also a HalfPrice Books near me but since it’s sorta kinda a chain, I didn’t list it. It’s pretty good. I don’t to either of them often. Too dangerous 🙂
Representing for the “romance diaspora” – What the Book in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea: http://www.whatthebook.com/
I have no idea how to type its address (or even if it has one). You can browse in the store or order online and get free delivery over 15,000 Won. They’ll get new stuff shipped from the US at a fraction of the cost to have it shipped by Amazon because they get bulk shipping rates. Their used books are pricier than US used stores (usually 5,000W or more for trade paperbacks) but SO MUCH cheaper than getting them new in Korea (9,000W or more!). Also, they give a GREAT resale rate of 1,500W for a paperback romance (less for a series) which is oodles better than nything I ever got in the USA.
I used to work at a great UBS in Woodbridge, VA. The NOVA area of Virginia, about 30 miles south of Washington, DC.—-C & W Used Books.
I don’t know that we had romance in the thousands….well I take that back. Category romance by itself most likely was in the hundreds. All the romance was split up so it made it easy to shop. Paranormal in one section, historical another and then straight novels or contemporary.
They work off of trade-ins so you could bring in old ones you didn’t want anymore and potentially walk out with free books! They have 2 locations, one in Woodbridge and one up in the Reston/Fairfax area.
Another decent one not to far from those in Manassas is McKay’s but their quality was a lot more sketchy and their employees aren’t nearly as knowledgeable as anyone who worked at C & W.
The BookCase in Zachary, La. – I work there. We carry new and used books and we love romance readers. 🙂 And we do trade-ins.
Our current address (we are moving this month, but just up the road):
5523 Main Street
Zachary, LA
I stop by here whenever I’m home. It’s at 7 Mile and Middlebelt. New and Used, Credit for trade. Used books that are 1 year or newer are kept on one long wall, so if you missed it, it’s easily found. They have many of the old series and continuities.
Books Connection
19043 Middlebelt Rd
Livonia, MI 48152
Located just south of them for your listening pleasure:
Talking Book World
20245 Middlebelt Rd
Livonia, MI 48152
Well, the only used bookstores I know of in Albuquerque don’t take romances (boo!) but the monthly Friends for the Library book sale always has a few hundred for around $0.25 each. It’s at the Main Library downtown, the second Saturday every month from 10am-4pm. Admission is $1 until 1pm, where it becomes FREE!
There’s also a biannual $3-a-bag sales where you stuff brown bags full of books and get the whole lot for, ha, $3. They’re normally in May and November, on the Sunday after the regular Saturday sale, 12noon-4pm, free admission.
Here’s the address for the Main Library:
501 Copper NW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Book Worm
Address: 618 E Walnut St, Carbondale, IL 62901
Phone: (618) 457-2665
http://www.sibookworm.com/
Used books and local interest stuff. A nice selection of romance, including category. Neatly arranged. And Casper, the store cat, who strolls around being friendly. It’s not huge, but it’s pretty good for the boonies.
I hope you all have looked into local charity shops like St. Vincent de Paul, Goodwill, and Salvation Army (if they still have stores) as well as privately owned, mom-and-pop resale joints. I’ve come across thousands of used romances, hardcover and paperback, in such places. Thousands. And they’re cheap.
Two really terrific bookstores owned by superterrific gals:
Kathy Ross (an RT Bookseller of the Year)
Half-Price Books of the Ozarks
1950 S. Glenstone
Springfield, MO 65804
417-889-9042
http://www.halfpricebooksozarks.com
Nixa Book Mark
409-2 Northview Rd.
Nixa, MO (8 miles south of Springfield on Highway 160)
417-724-8182
There is a used bookstore in SE Wisconsin called ROMANTIC PAGES. 98% Romance books ba-beeee!! I love that place!
Goodwill Bookstore
7200 55th Ave E
Bradenton, FL 34203
At least, a couple hundred used romances everytime I go in there, all in the $1-$3 range. Always find 6-7 books to read and has been a good place to hunt for some of the out of print books I have been looking for.
There is a great heaping collection of romance many thousands in fact at The Booketeria on Cleveland Ave. in Newark, DE also great collections of scifi fantasy and mystery and fiction, hell they’ve got a bit of everything but LOTS of romance.
Theres also a good one called The book corner (if i remember right) in Fredericksburg, VA
Okay the book corner is actually…
Book Rack
10671 Spotsylvania Ave
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
(540) 898-7003?
Also a great one with that real old paperback smell and tons of old and newer stuff is
The Book Exchange
540) 898-8063
10663 Courthouse Rd
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Rainy Day Pal Books
711 E Main St
Lexington, SC 29072
Great store with tons of Romance. Good trade in policy in that he will take almost everything. Lots of $1 books. Also, the last time I was there, he told me that he has another warehouse of books! He has the inventory on computer and if you are looking for a book that is not in the store, he will look it up and see if it is in the warehouse! I bought so many books that day, I haven’t tried out that service yet, but I sure plan to!
Too bad, I would have put that on my itinerary when I hit Albuquerque next month on my road trip.
If you are going to be in the Dallas area we have many Half-Priced books here, but the best of course is the biggest used book store in Texas
Half-Priced books at
Northwest Highway
5803 E. Northwest Hwy.
Dallas, TX 75231
They have awesome collections of everything imaginable. When my husband and I make the trip to that store, we can never get out of there for less than a 100$. 🙂
But if you are looking for some cozy places to just browse, then my picks are:
Paperbacks Plus
108 E. Davis Street
Mesquite, Tx
They have a big historical romance selection, but the contemporary not so much and that is only because they can’t keep it in stock.
A Book Cottage
1456 Belt Line Rd Ste 115, Garland, TX.
The ladies that run the place are true readers and have alot of great romances including serial. Best of all they have all their inventory online, so if you don’t have time to browse, they can tell at a glance what they have in inventory…I LOVE THAT!