The Book Barn

Fun place! You can always find lots of good books here. We’ve completed many sets of series going here. Very pleased with the prices and variety. I read a lot of ebooks on my devices, but sometimes you just need an actual paper book.

I sent them a facebook message about a book I was looking for and they got back to me within an hour. The prices are insanely low and there is an exceptional selection that is well organized.

I have a three year old, and our childs library is taking over the play room. Barnes and Noble is beautiful but expensive. To expensive for a child that likes to draw self portraits and paint her name all over her books. The ‘Book Barn’ was recommended by a friend, and it is awesome. Huge selection of children’s books. There were even a few I recognized from my childhood! We bought 5 Christmas themed books for a little under $ 14.00. My wallet thanks you. Great place we will be back.

Super cheap (walked out with 3 books for under 10 dollars), but felt like it was lacking. Probably because it wasn’t in my wheelhouse. I have an affinity for the classics (new and actually classic classics) and good philosophical texts, and… I found a nice copy of Eugene O’Neill’s collected plays, but, felt that a lot of what I would normally be looking for was confined to one really mediocre location.
Although, there were some really spicy vintage books, including a full set of Hugo’s Les Mis that were hanging out behind glass that were really intriguing… just wasn’t in my cup of tea. Probably a much better place if you’re looking for travel, history, or run of the mill fiction, this is a fine place.

So, I will say my standard for five stars in a used bookstore is Powell’s in Portland, OR, but for a small one-​person operation, Book «Barn» (I guess the «Book Tiny Strip Mall Storefront» wouldn’t fit on the sign) is tops.
The very unassuming storefront belies a really excellent mix of recent titles, book sale fodder, antiquarian titles, and a charming mixture of small imprints, general interest, and out of print. In short, just about everything you could want in terms of stock.
Of special note is a large children’s section, with a couple of old style desks to sit down at (the only place to sit in the entire store), and well-​organized and mostly well-​labeled. The whole store shows very good curation and organization, with some allowance for the browser’s interests over strict library-​style organization. For instance, in the New York section, histories, travel guides, and specialized novels of the state are grouped together.
The prices are very good — not the best I’ve ever seen but extremely reasonable, and the owner has clearly done a good job in screening for condition. (This may be the least used-​bookstore-​smell used bookstore I’ve been in for some time.) It’s hard to say at this point how often the stock turns over, but we barely made a dent in browsing.
The owner informs me he doesn’t buy from individuals (and accumulated his stock in part by buying out 17 other stores over the years, so this may be the last-​man-​standing) so it does not have the extra feature of being able to sell or get store credit, but then again stores like that tend to have problems with their stock management and front of the house logistics, with buyers crowding all the time (although I would suggest if the owner ever decides to change this policy, to simply pick one morning a week for the buying day, by appointment.)
The other two things missing I would have expected: there are few places to sit down and read, probably because the stock fills a lot of space; and there’s no bookstore cat.
OK, and, I will add the nit I’d prefer to be able to get a coffee while I browse, and have access to a bathroom. But these are sideshows for a very good, nearing on great, collection of used books.
Awarding of the limited edition fifth star is hereby authorized.

Any place where I can find a recent Cook’s Illustrated book in hardcover at 75% off retail price will get not only a good review but repeat business!
I’ve had really good luck finding particular types of used or antiquarian books here. The cookbook section is huge and growing. Realistically, that’s probably because a lot of the cookbooks are things from the 70s or 80s which aren’t necessarily styles of cooking in vogue any more. But as per above, you can sometimes find a hidden gem. I’ve also gotten good deals on hardcover classic literature and sets of classics by author. This is one of the few places my mom can find a decent number of mysteries in paperback.
Other book categories may be hit or miss. But the shelves are very well organized and labeled, and the owner is very helpful and knowledgeable about his inventory.

I was a little surprised on entering this place. It’s bigger and nicer than it looks as you drive by. I thought it would be sort of like a thrift store inside, but it was very well organized, and well lit. The books are grouped by subject, with big signs, so if you’re looking for something specific, you can hone in on it pretty quickly.
The books (and magazines) seemed a nice high-​quality mix, many recent, some old and unusual. There’s an inviting kid’s corner (good-​sized). Overall, selection seemed very good in a something-​for-​everyone kind of way.

A place to get lost in! I love to just hang out there (if I have lots of time!). Best part that the owner is always there and is very helpful. He has often been able to check a book’s availability when I called on the phone. Many Shaker High required reading novels, which my kids needed by «yesterday»! were easily and inexpensively obtained there.

The cheapest used book store I’ve ever been to, bar none. Most of the books are priced between $ 3.75 and $ 4.50 which makes it only marginally more expensive than many thrift stores (with less — but only slightly less — Grisham-​esque schlock to wade through). As an erudite (and only mildly pretentious) book snob, most of the Barn’s sections can be safely ignored (lots of self-​help, gardening, romance, craft books and just plain crap like Understanding Your Cocker Spaniel) but when I hit on a $ 4 university press book that would normally go for $ 25, I say jackpot.

The book barn is awesome. When I was a kid they had tons of Fear Street books. All the books are in pretty great shape and all the stuff is super-​cheap. Victor L. is right about the comics as well. Although with this new store they opened a few years ago, the comics have dwindled. But I was in there last summer and purchase about eight or nine books and only spent around $ 19. You honestly can’t be that price for top notch literature.

Now I know this isn’t really the same Book Barn that used to exist down the street from the current listing in that Collonade plaza where they had the same american food buffet but with about 5 different names over the course of 3 years.
The Book Barn is a quaint little bookstore specializing in locally circulated older and used books. But the best thing about it was the comics section. When I was younger I would go here all the time before comic stores really became prevalent in the area and I would get a lot of back issues, especially of X-​Men. No, they weren’t all valuable or in great condition, but I wanted them for the stories.
And occassionally they had classics, like Hulk #1, for sale. the bulletins for local stuff is always a bonus, and the man who used to run it was incredibly generous and kind.