Submitted by Rusty_Ferberger t3_113djse in newjersey
Any good used book stores in your area? Anywhere in NJ is fine, as long as it has a decent selection of used books. Doesn't even need to be a bookstore....can be a booth in an antique shop or basement in a church. Thanks!
Have you tried your local library? Not quite the same ambiance as strolling through used bookstores but they do have books year round
I was going to suggest Respectrum Books but looks like they closed for online only
Sussex County Library, the Wantage Branch at least, has a book sale like every Saturday or maybe one Saturday a month.
Montclair Book Center
Been there a few times. Great place. From the outside, the size is deceiving. Looks medium size from the parking lot but somehow quadruples in size once you go in.
PBX (Paperback Exchange) in Belmar. Antic Hay Rare and Used Books in Asbury Park.
Paperback exchange in belmar, there's one on cookman avenue in Asbury Park also
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Montclair Book Center (obv in Montclair haha). Huge selection.
I think I went looking for this place and ended up at Watchung Book Sellers. Thanks for giving me the right place.
PBX is great. Been there a few times. Looks like Antic is temporarily closed?
Huh. Thought I saw them open the last time I was by.
Went to a book sale at my town library and it was a half filled book cart in this giant room. Pretty disappointing considering I live in one of the larger NJ towns. The county one is a little better, but they don't really publish when it is.
Ray and judy book stop in Rockaway boro.
Broad Street Books in Branchville.
Google it and see. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong place
Mt Laurel library has big book sales that take up a whole room Second time books on creek rd in rancocas woods ( where creek mercantile and the other little shops are) has good sci fi n history
Yeah, this is a good one. Been here a few times.
Tried finding this once and ended up at the Watchung book store. Looking forward to getting it right next time.
Mount Laurel has - https://secondtimebooksonline.com/
221 Glendridge Ave - parking is a pain though but there is a meter lot maybe 50 yards before the store on the left. Don’t park in the permit spots, there’s a tow company that I swear patrols 24/7
Going to add a store I visited for the first time last weekend - The Book Trader in Clark. Great store and worth a trip.
Wow, that one is way up there. Anything else worth visiting in the area that would make a good daytrip?
This place rocks - give yourself several hours!!
Old Book Shop Morristown hidden near the BMW dealer behind the Fringe Gentlemen’s Lounge.
Princeton Antiques Book Shop in Atlantic City isn't huge, but has enough and is a cool store otherwise. (Plus it's right near Tony's Baltimore Grill.)
As a plus to Princeton if you call before you go in they have more book inventory then what's in the store, and they have most of their books listed on eBay.
I was also surprised.
We have a couple decent used book stores in Montclair.
Labyrinth books in Princeton
Not in my area but on vacation I visited hooked on books on books in wildwood and thought they had a really nice selection
I saw a recommendation for this place and decided to stop by after the NJ Renfair. I was initially disappointed but once I got inside I was like, wtf!
Act 2 Books in Flemington https://www.act2books.com/
BRIER ROSE BOOKS
Teaneck, New Jersey
There’s Brier Rose Books on Cedar Lane in Teaneck, where I’ve made a few purchases.
Old Bookshop of Bordentown. The owner, Doug, is super nice. He’s especially knowledgeable about baseball and historical mysteries!
Booktrader of Hamilton in Hamilton Twp. Just be careful of the step down right after you come in the back door. I took a nasty tumble and ended up in a boot! Hasn’t stopped me from going back!
Came here to say this
Cool.....Maybe next time, drop a few names to support local business when you get a chance.
You can definitely go to Rockaway and Morristown in one day — Old Book Shop in Morristown is really great.
Bordentown has a quaint little one. Use used to have a larger one that was very musty smelling, and a bit of a fire trap.
https://www.oldbookshopofbordentown.com/
Good one!
Right between the strip club and the jail. Just where you’d expect to find a used book store!
Twice Told Tales in Flemington is great.
With a location like that, it's got to be good!
Montclair book center
Rockaway Mall is a pretty big mall with some big chain restaurants if you’re into that.
Seconded. Place is incredible, and full of NJ history
Second time books Creek Road Mount Laurel. Incredible selection high quality used books.
Selective Seconds is around the corner from PBX. They mostly do furniture and nice dishes, but upstairs they usually have one small shelf of cookbooks. See also the small but nice Center Square down the street for clothes and housewares.
Tons of great hiking in and around there if that’s your thing.
There's a decent used shop in Sparta. Appropriately called "Sparta Books". It's in the same little shopping center as a really fun bowling alley and a couple good restaurants.
Damn beat me to it
This place is great, the owner is very friendly but they only take cash, so stop at an atm first before splurging
Bergen Book Studio is also great, newish to the area, the owner is friendly and offers bookbinding classes as well
Watchung Booksellers are also great (for new books)!
The Bookateria is also nice in Ocean City. It’s jam packed with beach reads in the front but also has a more serious collection towards the back.
Barnes and nobles /j
Panopoly Books in Lambertville.
Bookateria in Ocean City is a great little detour if you find yourself there
Came here to say this! Picked up a first edition of a book written in the 1800s that was an attack on the Catholic church, the book was banned and the author had to go into hiding. I held a piece of history in my hands while the guy behind the counter shrugged and said, "15 bucks?"
The Chatham Bookseller in Madison is a personal favorite. Squeaky wooden floorboards, good poetry selection, good NJ section, ephemera, everything you need in a used book store.
St Claire's in Denville used to have a gift barn as a part of their thrift shop that was mostly books. Worth a google if nobody else responds with more info. It's close to Rockaway.
Came here to say this! It just keeps GOING and GOING and GOING! You can find some great older and hard-to-find stuff, especially.
If you’re ever in Newark, you should stop by Sihana Cafe. It’s an excellent cafe that also has a pretty good selection of used books for sale.
Symposia in hoboken
The Book Garden in Cream Ridge.
Just over the border in Warwick NY is the Eclectic Eye.
It’s still there. It was owned by st. Francis btw
Honestly my favorite part of wildwood trips
The Book Garden, New Egypt
Love this shop.
It is! They've also got an incredible selection of old maps.
Yes! This store is a nicely curated collection of books, and it’s part of the Rancocas Woods Shops and nearby is Ma and Pa’s Mexican!
The staff there is awesome. Great recommendations. Ask them what they have been reading lately.
If you’re in northern NJ, there’s a great one in Nyack, NY.
Chatham Bookseller in Madison! Tell Richard that Eddie sent you!
That place is amazing. I found a first American print of an Areséne Lupin novel for just a few bucks. I don't think people realize how difficult that is to find!
The Visiting Nurses of Somerset Hills (used to be VNA, now AVN because Atlantic health bought them after 100 years) runs a twice annual rummage sale. It has occurred in Far Hills for 100 years this sale. It will be in April to donate and May for the three day sale. It is also done in September for the October sale. The book barn has three rooms plus the outside area. The entire sale is about two to three football fields in size. You should come shop. If you want to spend 25% more, you can shop on the Thursday from the friends and family. You would need a wristband from a volunteer to be able to do that though.
Second time books is everything you want in a used bookstore if your primary interest is SF/F. (About a third of the store)
The rest of the store is good too, but its SF collection is amazing and the kind of thing you generally wouldn't expect to find outside of a specialty SFF-focused store in a large city. (though without the new releases you'd see in such a place)
Not in NJ, Strand Book Store 828 Broadway at 12th Street in New York beats all stores in NJ and is worth a visit. Its a paradise for used books where you can spend days and only see a small subset of their collections.
US had more large bookstores before Amazon took away their sales; NJ still has a few large bookstores including several Barnes and Noble locations.
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Found some gems there over the years! A touch more expensive than some other bookstores but haven't encountered such an extensive collection in one place either.
The parking patrol is merciless there. I park a few streets down for free. More or less for peace of mind. It's a beautiful area so I make it a day when I head there. Don't want to think about the meter. Lots of little cafes and odd stores, cute area to walk around.
I love this place!
Oh yeah relentless! I used to live there and parking was one of the main reasons I moved. Even with a permit, it’s a constant battle.
I agree. This is a really good store where you can spend hours.
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Asbury Book Cooperative (ABC) in Asbury Park, NJ
There is a cool one in Montclair.
The Asbury Book Co-op is actually pretty good. It's got a really good selection of used books.
I've been a customer of theirs before they moved from Allentown, NJ, to New Egypt. It's on Rt 537, between Rt. 539 and the New Egypt Flea Market.
I got to Bookmarked in Whiting.
I just checked to see if I can go to it the next time I was down there. I think they don't have a physical store anymore. It looks like it just directs you to someone's house. The Asbury Book Co-op is very active and opened.
It's downstairs right? I could have sworn that they have only new.
Are they actually opened? Google seems to suggest they're still closed and they facebook says the same.
I'm gonna agree with this. If you do get a chance, go there. They beat the pandemic and are doing well.
Whiting as in Ocean County Whiting? I grew up around that area and would be a bit surprised to find a used book store there.
Yeah, it is in the Whiting Commons with Connolly Dermatology. I live down in Forked River and literally just searched for used book stores in NJ and they came up one day. They have only been there for about a year and a half, I think. Small shop, but a pretty good selection.
Cool. I grew up down there and Whiting to me always meant senior villages. I'll check it out next time I'm down there.
Oh it is still almost entirely senior villages. But there are one or two cool businesses there now too. In the same plaza I think they have a motorcycle leather shop, and there are rumors of a Lidl going somewhere in town in the next few years.
I thought they were but now I'm not sure. It's been a while since I was there.
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Saw that one too. Going there tomorrow. Thanks!
Words Bookstore in Maplewood is great.
Ray and Judy’s in Rockaway on Main Street. Lots of used books as well as comics and some toys/candy/collectibles. Nice owner and staff.
Yea. It’s huge!
CoffeeMug2021 t1_j8pj6mj wrote
The Book Garden in Upper Freehold