Martin's Collection

[TacomaDiver]

I found more treasures at Tacoma Book Center the last few times than I have at Powell’s. Powell’s is great but like Ron said, things are priced higher than they deserve, plus they’re starting to look like a Half Priced Books with all of their other merchandising.

We have a chain of stores here called 2nd and Charles that are really bad. Mostly junk merchandise, and I still can’t figure out their pricing. Almost all of their used stuff is marked full cover price (unless there’s a secret you must know about discount or something.)

I miss having a great used bookstore close by.

[RonClinton]

I consider it a victory if I can get out of Powell's without spending. Of course it is only a half hour from my home so I go often.

As someone who has hung out in their Horror and Mystery sections (among others) for almost three decades, I've seen a very significant shift that makes visits there much less rewarding. While this time I left with nothing, I do usually have two or three titles...but that's down from a basketful many years ago.

It sure seems like -- particularly lately -- they are overpricing things that could even remotely be considered collectible. It's gone from always finding treasures on the cheap two, three decades ago...to more often than not finding decent deals once they started funneling their best acquisitions to their on-line store...to seeing interesting books priced at market value or just below...to now seeing relatively uncommon books priced speculatively, above any realistic level they deserve. I get they want to maximize their profits -- and more power to 'em for that, the used bookstore biz is a tough one -- and not everyone is aware of other outlets like ABE, Biblio, Alibris, or even eBay, but there's a reason why I often see the some of the same titles, even a year between visits.

For me, it's changed from a place of bookbuying Nirvana to something that feels almost predatory, and that kinda takes the shine off the pleasure of visiting. I still love browsing there, but it's now become more for the experience of wandering the aisles of the West Coast's biggest bookstore, hoping perhaps to find something that the eagles eyes of their buyers missed and didn't overprice, than any real expectation of finding books to take home. And as a Powell's fan of nearly three decades, I find that a real shame.

Btw, their garage was surprisingly closed (not full, but closed...the metal door was down) on Saturday...do you know, are they renovating or...?

[jeffingoff]

Great adds!! I regret passing on all those ghost boxes, but it also feels good to let some things go. I enjoy seeing them though.

[Martin]

Yeah, my Postman does that occasionally as well…sometimes I feel like I’m playing tug-of-war with the box trying to pull my package out.

I almost contacted H&O about that missing color, but after looking at it and thinking about it figured it must be some sort of deliberate artistic choice, given that it’s the only chapbook that also has the title in color in the image box area. Seeing your picture was comforting confirmation that I was correct.

By the way, I went down to Oregon yesterday, on Saturday, to help my brother move, and stopped at Powell’s in the early evening on my way back to Seattle. Didn’t have much luck, unfortunately, but it was a fun 2-3 hours of browsing.

I consider it a victory if I can get out of Powell's without spending. Of course it is only a half hour from my home so I go often.

[RonClinton]

Yeah, my Postman does that occasionally as well…sometimes I feel like I’m playing tug-of-war with the box trying to pull my package out.

I almost contacted H&O about that missing color, but after looking at it and thinking about it figured it must be some sort of deliberate artistic choice, given that it’s the only chapbook that also has the title in color in the image box area. Seeing your picture was comforting confirmation that I was correct.

By the way, I went down to Oregon yesterday, on Saturday, to help my brother move, and stopped at Powell’s in the early evening on my way back to Seattle. Didn’t have much luck, unfortunately, but it was a fun 2-3 hours of browsing.