Ukazoo Books

Not impressed with book buyback. Be prepared to receive NO HELP in bringing the books up steps and through the store… and taking any they don’t want out the same way. I got $ 6 for 12 books and had to lug 70 books back to my car. Then, I took 38 additional NEW books inside and they wouldn’t look at them: one transaction a day. And, they DO NOT recycle books that they don’t want. Don’t waste your time.

I used to love this place of wonder and excitement! The buy 3 get 1 free, the buyback, the obscure titles and discovery of new adventures! Now it feels like a sad thrift store. The employees are no longer warm and inviting, the selections consist of books that haven’t been touched in such a long time and the new things that the Barnes and noble around the corner would sell. I used to come here and just bask in the smell of old/​used books and marvel at the selections I would have never started to look for but was delighted to give a new home. Now, it’s a disappointing walk through and uneasy feeling being watched by employees who just look unhappy and can’t be bothered with questions. I’d like this to be a one off visit for me, but unfortunately it has been this way the last few times I have visited. So long to the small business cute book store, I don’t believe I’ll be returning.

They write bad checks!!! Never do business with them and if you’ve already started, DEMAND payment in cash! I brought in 15 huge cases of books myself, they didn’t help me at all (each box up a flight of steps), and in exchange I was given a rubber ball check that the bank wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. Meanwhile they have all my books which they can sell and anything they make is all profit. They have a good racket going ripping off their neighbors. Customers be aware you might be buying blatantly stolen books, because if they do this to me, I doubt I’m the Lone Ranger. Repeat: DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM, THEIR CHECKS ARE RUBBER BALLS!!!

I really like used-​book shopping, and I do a lot of it throughout the year. This also means that I get my used books for very cheap, so I was disappointed to see some of the price marked on the books in this store. Although the store was very well organized by genres, the used books and new books are mixed in together, so you have to look at the price sticker to determine whether or not it was a used book. Also, I felt that the used books were slightly expensive (around 50% of original price?).
The one thing that really pleased me was the reading spaces available. It was totally cool to just sit there and read a book. Coffee was also provided for free! :) There are plenty of leather chairs that will keep you comforted throughout your reading adventures.
If you’re looking for cheap books for any random reads, then this is not the place for you, BUT if you’re looking for a specific title, or want to explore new genres and find interesting books, then this is a very good place to do that!

I enjoy my visits but they have VERY old books that seldomly leave the shelves. I would like to see new material in the computer/​technology section. I’ve gotten a lot of gems from here and like their reading areas. The games they have to play are old, falling apart and need to be replaced. Other than that, the employees are friendly and its worth a trip! Support your local bookstore!

Awful lack of customer service. I have been a long time customer, and previous had nothing but praise for this store. However, since two bad experiences during my last two visits, I am unable to continue with the praise. On both occasions I was looking for specific subjects and asked the clerk behind the counter. They were not busy during either visit since I went during the day. This past time, when I asked I was told, «I’ve never seen anything about that come in» and he didn’t even bother to check on the computer. I also asked were a section was and was told right across from where you where. No further assistance was offered. I would have understood if they were busy, but I was the only customer in the store!!!

I decided to do some book shopping this weekend while in the Towson area and decided to check out Ukazoo. I was quite impressed. There are so many books here across many genres. I was looking for a play Waiting for Godot, and Ukazoo had it in stock! What’s best is that I only paid $ 3.00 for the book!
The atmosphere is great. I could have stayed there all day browsing. There are comfortable leather chairs for seating and space to complete work or to study. To be honest, I would prefer to come here to get some work done in a quiet, comfortable environment. The free wi-​fi is an added bonus.
I will definitely visit Ukazoo Books again when I’m in the Towson area. It was quite a treat to find a nice bookstore with a great atmosphere and decently priced books.

Neat bookstore, easy to find what you are looking for and has a good variety. Lots of places to sit down and read a few pages for the items you are thinking about buying. And I love that it is right next to a record store. CD store, sorry.

This place is great. I would’ve come sooner, but every time I drove by looking for it, I missed it because it was in the back.
I got 4 photography /​travel books for $ 28 because they have a buy 3 used books, get 1 free deal. The books were pretty much like new, not even dinged up corners.
They have lots of plush couches for people to sit and read, at least one table, and free coffee.
You can bring books here for their buyback program, including textbooks, though they may not give much for those. Books have to have an ISBN.

Went here today to look primarily for children’s books. I had no idea what to expect in terms of selection and was surprised to see a pretty big children’s section. The books were separated into sections like picture books and board books, and then within those sections by author. I was able to pick up several of the classics (like Corduroy, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and The Mitten) at a reduced price. There were some books that still seemed to be sort of expensive for used books but most were a good deal. I don’t know if they have this all of the time but when I was there it was buy three used books get one free!

This was my first time visiting this store. I’m ashamed to admit that I live in Towson, and I should’ve made the time to visit this place MUCH sooner!
Things I Liked:
— Leather chairs! EVERYWHERE! Comfort is key here. They want you to chill out and experience the vibe for more than 15 minutes.
— FREE COFFEE! They have a complimentary coffee bar, but it goes fast. I saw a few folks come in specifically for the coffee around 2 pm, and it was allllllll gone.
— Free Wi-​Fi! Who doesn’t love that?
— Relevant inventory. They sell used books. I found the business and sports sections to have classics and more modern books of interest available. So this place offers great inventory for used prices.
— Trade-​in/​Sell Feature. Got old books? Trade them or sell them! Here!
— Art sale! They have local art for sale, and some of it is absolutely awesome.
Things I Didn’t Like:
— Parking is tricky. Small lot.
— Location is tucked away. It’s BEHIND the strip mall.
— Employees are hard to identify. They wear name tags, I think. It’s really hard to identify customers from the «help.»
— The restroom feels like a cell in maximum security. It needs a «woman’s touch.»
I gave them a 4-​Star rating because of the spacious floor plan, the quality of the inventory, and the welcoming environment. For a better rating I would suggest improved employee identification, and an upgraded restroom. But if you like books and want value, you NEED to visit this place.

I love it here ! Great service.
I am happy I came today!
Customer Service is excellent, clean atomosphere, nice setting for small and large groups.

Nice book store. Tons of used books at great prices. Hard to find books as well. You never know what you may come across. Comfortable reading areas and always very clean. The Towson location is very convenient to other shops and coffee as well. If you haven’t been to a Ukazoo, you should really check them out.

I love this place. They have approximately 15 leather chairs. That ANYONE can sit on. ANYBODY can sit on these chairs. They are soooo soooo soooooooooooooooooo soft and smooth and slippery. Be careful not to wear silk pants or latex or anything slippery, you will probably fall off. One of the chairs is my favorite, but I won’t tell you which one. You have to choose your own favorite, that is part of the fun. Also, they had a huge collection of R. L. Stine’s classic series Goopsebump. But they might not have as many now because I bought all of them. I hope they get more in. I can’t wait to see what happens next! ;)
PS: Next time I will take a photo of the chair!

Awesome find. Great selection, reasonable price for used books, capacious store, nice leather chairs to sit in. Weird location though… I am an avid reader and lived in the city for 4 years but never knew it existed. (It’s way in the back of a strip mall.) I only give them 4 stars because their book buy back is terrible… they offer to buy 1 out of 50 books, and offer nothing for it.

OH UKAZOO, how I love thee. Let me count the ways:
1.) This is a bookstore that not only sells new books, but ALSO used books. You can bring in your books from home and trade them in for money or store credit. This is one of my FAVORITE things about this place.
2.) there are areas where you can sit and enjoy book or have a book discussion with either the employees, or other patrons. (OR have a book club meeting there – seriously, I’m thinking about it.) There are comfy seats throughout the store, where you can kick back and read, and reflect. There’s event a faux fireplace mantle that is made out of stacked books! It’s pretty freakin’ awesome. There’s also a room with tables and chairs, where you can set up your laptop, ereader, tablet, etc, and get some work done. Who needs coffee shops, when you can come to this place?
3.) There are THOUSANDS of books here. I’ve found so many books that I had been scouring the internet for. Older (first editions) and even newer books can be found. I’d say that 80% of the books sold here are in «Used» condition, and most are in «like new» condition.
4.) The Staff KNOWS THEIR STUFF. There have been a few times I’ve come in here just to look for book recommendations from the staff. There are some staff members who even seem to specialize in certain genres, like Young Adult, or Historical Fiction. I’ve yet to be disappointed with a book recommendation from the staff.
5.) Speaking of book recommendations, they have a room with a WALL dedicated to book recommendations. Patrons, staff, whoever, can come here, take one of the slips of paper they have in a tray, and write out a quick book recommendation for people looking for their next read. The form is titled «I Really Loved This Book!» and you can fill out the book’s title, the author, and a quick phrase telling people why they should read it/​why you loved it. IT’S AWESOME! Every time I come into the store, I try to fill out another form. I think it’s a great way for book lovers to connect.
6.) They have an ongoing «Buy 3, get 1 Free» deal. Mix and Match, New or Used, if you buy 3, you’ll get 1 free! With the vast selection of books at this store, it’s easy to find some books and take advantage of this deal. Also, they sell new releases for 20% off list price too! Always a chance for a great deal!
7.) They have an ONLINE database. Visit this site:
to keep up to date with inventory, events, and store promotions. THIS IS AWESOME. If I want to check if they have a book prior to me coming in, I’ll visit their store site. Sometimes, they can be a little back-​logged, so I’ll call the store as well if I am inquiring about a book in particular, or to price check.
8.) They have community pride. If you walk around the store, you’ll see that they feature artwork (Paintings, photography, sculptures) for sale, made by local artists. There are also «Maryland Pride» sections too. You’ll find books about Maryland, and books written by Maryland authors. It’s really awesome, because they not only feature big-​named published authors, but they also feature indie authors as well. It’s a great way to support fellow Marylanders :)
9.) The store, the shelves, the merchandise, are so well organized and displayed! The books are sorted by author alphabetically, and 9 times out of 10, I am able to find something without assistance, as everything is where it should be. Even though you can be over stimulated by the many books and shelves and sections, once you get the hang of the layout, you’ll never be lost. Seriously. This place is just seriously amazing.
10.) I am a book blogger, and I travel the country looking for used book stores, and unique book buying experiences. Out of the many states and book stores I’ve been to, I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is the BEST one I’ve been to. There is not one negative thing I can say about it. It’s the bee’s knees!
Honestly, I don’t know why you’d need to go to a big chain bookstore if you have this place in your neighborhood. I go out of my way to go to this store for all my book needs. I drive 45 mins to Towson once or twice a month, and spend HOURS in this store. I could never see myself spending HOURS in Barnes & Noble or Books-​a-​Milion. This place is one of my top places in all of Maryland, and I think that everyone should experience this place at least once, so that they get an amazing book experience.

Military Discount 10%
Ukazoo books is a great used book store. They offer a huge selection of paperbacks and hardcover books. They sit really close by the Starbucks Coffee shop, plus they usually have their own coffee brewing for free.
They have a standard buy 3 get one free deal. Also they offer a 10% Military Discount, something that I have taken advantage of many times over.
They will also buy your used books as well.

Lots of books at the right price, but may or may not have what you’re looking for (or it can be hard to find). Fiction seems to be a better collection (in better shape, more selection) than non-​fiction.

This is the used book store you will want to return to time and again. It’s set up just like a big box book store. It feels more modern and updated than some of the used bookstores I had visited before that are narrow, dusty and dark. They carry fiction and non-​fiction plus children’s books. The books are in good to excellent condition. If you are looking for something specific, it may take awhile since the selection changes. The aisles are wide enough so you can scan books right there or find a chair and pour over a book. It’s a great place to kill a few hours.

Enter with list in hand, or be prepared to spend HOURS lazying about rows of lovely used books. If you’re a bibliophile, you will not leave empty handed: every day is a buy 3 get the 4^th free deal for used books.
Ukazoo is large – and unlike other used book stores, it’s OK to go in with a mission: they will frequently have what you’re looking for. They are well stocked with all the classics as well as an abundant variety of modern fiction/​romance/​mystery/​travel. But, if you just *have* to have the newest, bestest, shiniest new Oprah book club pick, they have that too and well below the price of Barnes and Noble across the street.
I especially love their local section, highlighting nonfiction books about Baltimore and other genres written by local authors, their well thought out staff pics, and their bargain bundles.
The staff is very helpful and will aide you in tracking down even the rarest oddest little book.
Free Zeke’s coffee and Stash teas, plenty of lounging area, rotating local art, games, locally-​made book-​related crafts and cards… this is the great local hangout that every college town should have.
*check out the «fireplace» made out of books!