Great Book Stores of the Southwest
Posted: Jun 16 2009 5:47 am
I love musty old used book stores. I like to browse the tattered out-of-print books. I like stores that have a cat on the counter, a potbelly stove, and several quiet nooks with easy chairs and couches, and random stacks of magazines and books that the owner hasn't quite yet found room for.
Just such a store is Stuart Books in Springerville, which is owned and operated by Robyn Burnham, a retired high school English teacher who lives in an apartment in the rear which was converted from old warehouse space. Stuart Books is really big, and has several of those nice, cozy places to sit, put your feet up and read. There are three big rooms full of books. Robyn isn't the type of bookseller, though, who knows every book on her shelves. She has a busy life in addition to her store, and usually has an employee manning the counter.
Stuart Books has sort of a trade credit system, whereby if you bring books in they'll keep a card in a file with your name and the amount of trade credit they gave you. Then when you buy a used book from them, you tell the clerk to look at your card. They will take 25% off the price.
Of course, I do love Bookman's. Although they now have 5 locations that I know of (3 in Tucson, 1 in the Valley and 1 in Flag) I prefer the Flag location. Whenever we make a trip up there we take several boxes of books for trade credit. Bookman's trade credit is a good deal, assuming they actually want the books, magazines, CDs, LPs, video tapes or DVDS that you have! Sometimes they don't want them, so you have to be prepared for that. They pretty much know what they need and don't need at any given time, so they may sort through your boxes and take only a few of the books you brought in. But you can bring those same exact boxes back a few months later and they may well want to take some more. They really give a good deal on the credit, so that you can get more books without any outlay of cash from your wallet. They have different classifications of trade credit, which they will explain to you when you turn in your books to them. You need to be sure that the books are in good condition, though. Don't waste time bringing really battered paperbacks in, they won't take them.
I love how they always give you a playing card as a token. You bring the playing card back to them to get your credit slip. Then you take your book boxes back out to the car. Then you go back inside with your credit slip and start shopping. I have often had credit slips with over $50 of credit to spend. This is like free rein in a candy store to me! They serve espresso drinks in one corner, so I buy a latte and sit down to drink it and read after making my choices of books. I usually have spent some time scouring the Southwest history, true adventure and nature categories. I don't like to spend my trade credit on fiction. I get fiction from the public library, because I generally read fiction books only one time, whereas I will read a non-fiction book over and over again. Those are the ones that get a place on my shelves at home.
Another great bookstore is Xochi's in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. They have just about every rare book you can think of about the Old West. And great atmosphere. I seem to recall a cat as well. It's been several years since I went there.
Another one not to be missed, a true Arizona landmark, is Singing Winds Bookshop, which is on a ranch near Benson. I have only been there one time but it was truly an experience. It has been written up in Arizona Highways, etc.
Many great book stores have gone by the wayside in recent years, telling their loyal customers that they couldn't compete with Borders and Barnes and Noble. I have never understood this, as I can never find as many interesting titles in those two McBookstores. Plus, I almost never buy NEW books! Too expensive for my budget!
Anyone else have a favorite book store?
Just such a store is Stuart Books in Springerville, which is owned and operated by Robyn Burnham, a retired high school English teacher who lives in an apartment in the rear which was converted from old warehouse space. Stuart Books is really big, and has several of those nice, cozy places to sit, put your feet up and read. There are three big rooms full of books. Robyn isn't the type of bookseller, though, who knows every book on her shelves. She has a busy life in addition to her store, and usually has an employee manning the counter.
Stuart Books has sort of a trade credit system, whereby if you bring books in they'll keep a card in a file with your name and the amount of trade credit they gave you. Then when you buy a used book from them, you tell the clerk to look at your card. They will take 25% off the price.
Of course, I do love Bookman's. Although they now have 5 locations that I know of (3 in Tucson, 1 in the Valley and 1 in Flag) I prefer the Flag location. Whenever we make a trip up there we take several boxes of books for trade credit. Bookman's trade credit is a good deal, assuming they actually want the books, magazines, CDs, LPs, video tapes or DVDS that you have! Sometimes they don't want them, so you have to be prepared for that. They pretty much know what they need and don't need at any given time, so they may sort through your boxes and take only a few of the books you brought in. But you can bring those same exact boxes back a few months later and they may well want to take some more. They really give a good deal on the credit, so that you can get more books without any outlay of cash from your wallet. They have different classifications of trade credit, which they will explain to you when you turn in your books to them. You need to be sure that the books are in good condition, though. Don't waste time bringing really battered paperbacks in, they won't take them.
I love how they always give you a playing card as a token. You bring the playing card back to them to get your credit slip. Then you take your book boxes back out to the car. Then you go back inside with your credit slip and start shopping. I have often had credit slips with over $50 of credit to spend. This is like free rein in a candy store to me! They serve espresso drinks in one corner, so I buy a latte and sit down to drink it and read after making my choices of books. I usually have spent some time scouring the Southwest history, true adventure and nature categories. I don't like to spend my trade credit on fiction. I get fiction from the public library, because I generally read fiction books only one time, whereas I will read a non-fiction book over and over again. Those are the ones that get a place on my shelves at home.
Another great bookstore is Xochi's in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. They have just about every rare book you can think of about the Old West. And great atmosphere. I seem to recall a cat as well. It's been several years since I went there.
Another one not to be missed, a true Arizona landmark, is Singing Winds Bookshop, which is on a ranch near Benson. I have only been there one time but it was truly an experience. It has been written up in Arizona Highways, etc.
Many great book stores have gone by the wayside in recent years, telling their loyal customers that they couldn't compete with Borders and Barnes and Noble. I have never understood this, as I can never find as many interesting titles in those two McBookstores. Plus, I almost never buy NEW books! Too expensive for my budget!
Anyone else have a favorite book store?
Going to these places is definitely cherished time I enjoy. I'm grateful to those that keep paying the bills as at one I've rarely seen anybody "buy" anything.
It wasn't the greatest bookstore, but it was pretty big, and it had a lot of very old books, and was fun to peruse, and now there will be no bookstore other than the LDS one. Reed's Motor Lodge gift shop and also the Casa Malpais Museum do have books for sale as well. We have a new library, which is nice, but they need to buy some books to fill it up!