The Biggest Misconception About Used Book Stores
By Randi Steers
A popular misconception that a lot of people have about used book stores like ours, is that the only books to be found within are out-of-print, vintage titles that came out decades prior to landing on our shelves. You can certainly find books here that are well over a hundred years old; in fact, there's an entire shelf dedicated to old books like these right next to the front counter. But that's nowhere near the average age of book we have in store.
For every vintage book that crosses our counter, there's an equivalent title that just came out within the last year. The turnaround is sometimes very fast. Some people read to collect and reread the books they buy, myself included, while other readers cycle through new titles quickly, donating or selling finished reads to make room for even newer titles. It's not uncommon for some of our popular fiction to be only a few weeks or months off of their original release date.
Along the same line is the misconception that there's never brand new material for sale, and that our stock is 100% secondhand. Not true! We actually sell some material new from local suppliers, including; books, card and boardgames, TTRPG dice and minis, posters, and graphic novels. Even donated items can turn up brand new on the odd occasion; I've seen complete boxsets come in, still sealed in their original packaging.
Along the same line is the misconception that there's never brand new material for sale, and that our stock is 100% secondhand. Not true! We actually sell some material new from local suppliers, including; books, card and boardgames, TTRPG dice and minis, posters, and graphic novels. Even donated items can turn up brand new on the odd occasion; I've seen complete boxsets come in, still sealed in their original packaging.
