Local Used Bookstores and Their Importance

Yes, we believe in the power and usage of libraries.  However, there is another, oftentimes hidden, resource for book lovers that can be just as plentiful and beneficial as a library.  Used bookstores are small businesses first of all and for those of us with multiple shelves of books in our home, these resources are a saving grace, for numerous reasons.  Obviously, used books are cheap, and just as “Scrooge liked darkness because it was cheap”, so do we love our local businesses selling these hardbacks and paperbacks, all of which are gently used…most of the time.  

Yet, no spectral visitors in the night will turn us off this path because just as supporting a local library helps the community, supporting your local used bookstore(s) is a benefit to your local economy, and if you’re buying books, it’s a help to your wallet. While, anecdotally, we know people who are against buying books, preferring to borrow them from their library (which is fine by us), there’s nothing wrong with shelling out a few bucks for books at a small business.

Again, most used bookstores that stick around are quite affordable.  However, they offer unique options and rare treasures. Used bookstores allow immortality or at least incredibly long and useful lives for books.  Allowing for a copy of a book to live in the warm home of a bibliophile or to be taken by countless people and bring joy to numerous readers is something used bookstores share with libraries.  For someone who finds a book that speaks to them, a new love among a long line of bound beauties, they can keep their purchase or they can trade it in or sell it back for the next person to enjoy.  

You can also find rare books, books that are on the cusp or have just been released on the cheap (like when someone benevolently sells a used bookstore an advanced “reading copy” of a book) and you may even be able to reconnect with an old loved tome.  

Again, yes, used bookstores cost but the price is far and away less than traditional or online booksellers, and while we still want to see you coming to and fro in libraries in your area, maybe checking for used booksellers in your area could lead you to a little shop of wonder and stories you’ve long forgotten and ones you’re soon to love. This content is supported by Dr. Brian Levitin, the expert Lakewood Colorado dentist.