Changing Hands

Tired of stale, chain bookstores? Restless in your community library? You may want to visit Changing Hands. Especially if you like unusual gifts or novelty-​type items.
Aside from the ample inventory of books, you will find such whimsical gifts.
I mean, where else can you buy cat butt gum? Or antibacterial gel for OCD? Tabasco-​flavored chocolates? Have some poltergeist haunting your crib? Well, this place has various sage for purchase so that one may cleanse their dwelling of bad vibes/​spirits, etc.
And, of course, they have incense sticks/​cones and other hippy stuff like homemade soaps, essential oils, blah blah blah…
They also have a full coffee bar towards the back of the store, to amp up while looking at 100 Ways to Make a Cat Like You, or What Your Poop Actually Means. Pure genius.
PS — they’re also neighbors with Southern Rail (restaurant) offering Southern food as well as a bar w/​karaōke. About a block away from one of the light-​rail stops. Take the train and be cool, like I did.

Today I met with group in Nelson to work. Afterward I went into CHB to grab a notebook and look around for other things my daughter and I might like to read. After a minute in the store, a woman ran up and told me I had to leave my bag up front. Her tone was as if I were going to immediately shove all sorts of things into my closed up computer bag on my back. I politely told her I was just going to grab a notebook & come up front. At that point I had no desire to look around any longer. I called my daughter who was in another section hoping to get a book and told her to come to the register. We got there and I remembered that CHB had a teacher discount which I loved. I’ve been using my discount for years in the Tempe store. I asked the woman to use my discount & told her I didn’t have my card since I just got a new wallet. She told me that I couldn’t. I then showed her my pay stub from last Friday on my cell phone & she said that she couldn’t accept it. I said «you cannot accept my pay stub? it proves i work for a school that pays me, an it is from three days ago.» She said that she couldn’t. Mind you this was a different person, and she was acting like I was lying to her face. Look, I teach in AZ, which means I barely make anything give our education system, CHB offers a great teacher discount, but this lady treated me like I was lying to her. Finally after more discussion she said she’d give it to me this time but I better have my ID with me next time. She acted like she was doing me a big favor. I got my 10% discount on a notebook (I wouldn’t’ve bothered if I knew I was going to put her out so much), and we left. While leaving the store, I scanned everywhere on the doors and glass near the front door for any signs about needing to leave bags at the counter.
I love CHB Tempe and have been going there for years. I’ve worked on social media for them, I’ve given the PR materials for CHB for free, and I was eager to try this store. Over all, I like CHB but these two young women definitely made my first experience less than idea. Feeling like a thief & liar is not how I wanted to begin my day.

Love this place sooooo much! The staff is always helpful and friendly. They have a wide range of new and gently-​used books. I love coming in here on a Saturday night to peruse all the sections and saddle up to the First Draft bar to grab a tasty beverage. They also sport many unique gifts and greeting cards that would put a smile on anyone’s face. They offer a discount cards for teachers like myself which is super helpful for getting my class some unique educational materials. Changing Hands on Camelback is the bookstore gem of the Phoenix Metro area.

This place was surprisingly great because we were just looking for a used bookstore. They had a wide range of books – new and used. They had great small gifts like pens, journals, calendars and candles. The coffee/​bar was busy with a great diverse crowd. The barista/​bartender was very friendly and the cold brew at this place is some of the best cold brew I have experienced. It was strong and flavorful, not bitter or over flowery or fruity like some. Changing hand was a really cool bookstore and coffee shop, oh and bar!

It’s a bookstore with a bar. And wonderful gift-​y items. I can literally find something for everyone on my list here.

What a great find! And strategically placed to help you wait for a table or a friend you might be meeting next door. Great range of books and selection, but with a wide array of other oddities and fun items as well. Having a spot to pull up, drink coffee or a cocktail, and read your new book makes it all the better. Love the vibe of the place, too!

This is such a cool bookstore, very different from the big box ones. The first time I came here was while waiting for Southern Rail to open for brunch. We bought a couple of books for the kids. My son is hooked on DinoTrux, while wandering around we noticed that the author of the books was going to be there the following week. We came back with the kids, of course and they had set up the back area for the author to speak to the kids and show an episode of DinoTrux (Netflix now has a show based on the books). Because they were having technical difficulties with the showing of the episode, the author started reading one of the books. It was so cute watching the kids gathered around him listening to the story. The issue was solved and we got to watch the episode. The bonus, there is a bar in there, so I had a mimosa while watching DinoTrux.
At the end the kids got their books signed. This is definitely a great spot.

Fantastic bookstore with both used and new selections. I always leave with a huge bag when I intended to grab one thing or merely browse.

Nice quaint place. Good bookstore feel. Has benches throughout the place. A bar area where you can get your classic coffees and teas, and also beer and wine if you’d like. They have guest authors every so often. They also sell unique fun trinkets that you normally wouldn’t find in other stores. There are new and some used books (of good condition) and a wide array of book selections.
Next door is a restaurant that has live music playing at night. Today was something jazzy. Nice touch.

Best photography book selection I’ve seen in a bookstore in years! Plus wine and beer you can walk around with like an adult. Amazing!

Honestly one of my favorite places here in Phoenix. This book store has a little café, restaurant & so many little random things besides books :) It’s so nice inside, I could spend hourssss in there. If you love books and you’re in the area I would totally recommend coming here!

I prefer this location to the one in Tempe personally. Yes, it’s smaller, the selection isn’t as large, and the focus is more on new books (which I like personally) but I just enjoy the modern darker vibe to the lighter, fluffier, grandma’s living room vibe in Tempe (OK it’s not that bad).
Despite the smaller selection you can find a variety of classics, and genres that you would expect at your typical local bookstore. I don’t think they have many out of print or more obscure books here though if you care about that.
Grab a beer from the bar and start browsing.

Though a fan of Changing Hands since they were the most exciting place on Mill Ave. and I love that this old Beefeater’s restaurant was reused, I was disappointed in this location. It lacks the cool, yet unpretentious, vibe of their Tempe store, everything seems very crowded, there are few places to chill and staff seemed pretty unhappy to be at work. Beautiful building though and glad to see redevelopment spreading down the Light Rail corridor.

Love it.
Combines all my favorite things in one: uptown Phx, books, huge kids area, events (like meet Corduroy in costume!!), and especially beer.
Decent selection of ‘gently used’ and clearance books.
Pretty good selection of Arizona books.
Rotating art in the First Draft area.
Great location, right across from a light rail stop.

Wonderful book store!!!
Great selection of anything and everything for anyone. I especially loved the various goodies and trinkets. I will definitely return on my next visit.
Coffee and booze in one location plus reading material = RADNESS

The only thing better than a great bookstore is a great local bookstore with superb curation of its content. Changing Hands is full of classics, bestsellers and hidden treasures like an illustrated guide to yoga sequencing and a scratch n’ sniff guide to wine! I love going here with friends to see what they pick out.
The prices are what you’d expect of any book store, and they have a really good exchange program. Changing Hands has a lot of community events in its common area like book club meetings, signings, and I think even a knitting group! When those aren’t happening, the common area is open for people to read, write, study or quietly socialize. Right in the common area is First Draft, a small bar that serves wine, beer, cocktails and has a limited selection of appetizers and baked goods. Service is always kind and quick.
This is the second Changing Hands in the Phoenix metro area, and while the footprint of the bookstore is smaller than the Tempe location, the common area and First Draft more than make up for it!

This was a very exciting place to open in Phoenix.
Although I love Bookmans, this is a bit different. We are all familiar with Changing hands in Tempe (if you live here) Changing hands was on Mill for years. Now it is a larger store up on McClintock Road.
It is on the land mark spot that used to be a great local restaurant called Beefeaters.
There is a long and cool history with that. Another time.
Anyway, Changing Hands is beautiful inside. Lots of cool books, Children’s, adults, and everything in between. It is clean and laid out nicely.
Mixed in between all the books are little trinkets that are unique and fun, something for everyone.
There are all the cool little spots to sit and read, as well as look at all you want to take home. They have great events here as well. Book signing and Children’s events.
We attended one this Christmas time where they had the Happy Grinch. It was wonderful. They have a very cool and different type of coffee bar and alcohol inside. Which is not something you see everywhere. It is really very enjoyable.
This is all located in side a large type Building that is called The Newton.
The Newton contains, Changing Hands Bookstore, a Gardening Shop, and a great little Southern type restaurant called, The Southern Rail.
It is all a great place to spend the day, or just a part of your day.
Please, check it out some time.

I’ve been going to the Tempe location for years, and was happy to hear that they were opening a location downtown before I left. I’m a huge fan of these guys, as it’s the only brick and mortar book store that I will shop at.
I have really high expectations for this place, and was torn about how to review it. I mean, the place is awesome. It’s and outstanding place any way you cut it, but there were a few things that I noticed when I came in here for the first time yesterday.
For starters, the positives. It’s beautiful inside and out. I love how it looks from the street, and walking inside is really inspiring and makes me want to buy everything in there. Place is clean, well stocked, and they have a really cool wine bar area that you can sit at with chairs and tables in the back for larger parties of 4 or so. You can grab a book, a drink with a muffin and sit down and get lost in the moment.
The downsides:
I did not see a single cushy chair our couch. All straight back chairs, nothing more. Why is that? Also, they have a very limited selection of used books here. Mostly new with some sale items as well. They also have the usual candles and knick knacks and such, but after I cruised, I realized this.
Back in the day at the Tempe location, it seemed to be about ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ selection on any given day. I never had a problem finding a used book for under $ 10 to read. Now, I feel like it’s mostly new books at full retail, with a limited used selection. If I’m going to get stuck paying full retail, I may as well buy it on Amazon, which I try to avoid doing. I WANT to shop here. I WANT TO SPEND MY MONEY AT YOUR STORE.
Also, you cannot trade books here, only at the tempe location. I am fine with this and have no issues, but would put it out there in case people are wondering. I’m still a huge fan of this place and love it dearly. I’ve just seen these subtle changes over the years, and it’s at the point where I can no longer ignore it.
Congrats Changing hands for opening this location. If I still lived in AZ I would probably shop here more often and hang out.

Love, love, love the fact that we again have a good, independent, bookstore in Central Phoenix and especially that they opened in the old Beefeater’s location! To give a little history, my wife and I held our rehearsal dinner at Beefeater’s so I was very sad when it closed, but now to have a bookstore, restaurant, bar, coffee shop, and even a gardening shop in that space makes me happy.
Changing Hands is nothing like the giant mega-​bookstores you may be used to, but rather it takes you back to the independent bookstores of olden days where the workers and owners actually select the books that they sell, and have even read many of them. Whatever topic you’re looking for, you’ll likely find a selection of well written books in that area.
And, they have a bar!!! Yes, a bookstore where you can not only enhance your mind, but do so while drinking a craft beer or glass of wine. What could be better than that.
So if you’re looking for something to do or want a place to go, check out Changing Hands… now in Central Phoenix!

Call me old-​fashioned, but one of my favorite pastimes is to visit a brick and mortar bookstore. There’s nothing quite like walking in and immediately seeing rows of books. Each book takes you to a different world. Fictional characters beg you to join them on an adventure, while biographies urge you to read their story. Children’s books come alive with imagination and mysteries set the stage for the detectives at heart. Sci-​Fi books bring the adventure seekers together and the self-​help books show others that there’s always hope. How can you not love a book that helps you to escape the mundane steps of every day life and relax with a good read? That’s how I feel at least!
Changing Hands Bookstore is a true local gem and now they’ve opened a second amazing location. Over the years, I’d drive by this building several times and wonder about its history. Luckily Changing Hands came in and revived this unique building.
Here lies a bookstore, coffee shop and florist. The bookshop is not just a bookshop. Wall space is filled with both books and locally made gems such as ceramics, glass, bowls, vases and more. The book selection is classic meets unique and everything in between. They have a children’s section with great classics and a place for them to sit and read. They have a novelty gift selection perfect for scoring any silly gadget for a friend or loved one. A coffee shop lingers in the corner with a huge wrap around bar and plenty of table seating behind it. This is a bookstore where you can get lost for hours and wonder where the time went.
Changing Hands is a special gem in this town and not just because it’s a cool local business. It’s because it’s one of the last standing bookstores around and so it’s important to support them so we don’t one day wake up and find that the bookstores have been completely replaced by e-​readers. Nothing beats flipping through the pages of a good book and I hope that our grandchildren can still experience that feeling someday. Now close the laptop and buy your book from Changing Hands instead!