Blog Post 2

 Books N' Things

Books N' Things Present Day

What is so majestic about walking into a bookstore and feeling alive? To see countless books on their shelves, waiting to be picked. You open an old door and hear it whine. You walk in and just take a deep breath and realize you are at peace. You smell the aroma of that classic “old book smell.” To feel the creaking of the wood underneath your feet as you walk among the aisles. Books N’ Things allows you to witness this every time you walk through their door.

I had the pleasure of speaking with the owner about what it means to work and shop at Books N’ Things. He gave me the history of what his store used to be before it became Books N’ Things up to what it is today. His bookstore has been standing for over 39 years and is the last bookstore in four counties. The store began up in Zoar village right next to an ice cream parlor. This gave him the chance to allow kids to see what books they might want as well as getting some ice cream. However, business didn’t do well, so he moved down to New Philadelphia in 2004 next to the car lot on Broadway. It wouldn’t be until two years later in 2006 that he moved into the current place it's located. 

Inside Books N' Things

When you first look at Books N’ Things on the outside, you don’t see how it big it is. We only think that its smaller than what it appears to be. However, when you walk in, you can see the endless rows of books that the owner strategically put up. You walk towards the back, and there is another room in the back just waiting to be explored. Within this room, books cover the walls, and there are piles of books up to your hip. 

Why

Why is this place such an essential part of New Philadelphia? It’s just a bookstore. However, it isn’t just a bookstore. It is the last standing bookstore within four counties. Books N’ Things is not just a bookstore. This store has rare books that are out of print, unique binding books such as Canterbury and Eastern, used books, new books, any book that you can think of, the owner would most likely have it. He thinks about what his customers likes, buys them and puts them on the shelf. He can take special requests and can purchase books from so many different places. It isn’t just like a Barnes and Nobles. It allows the customers to special order books that retail chains might not carry. 

Inside Books N' Things

Books N’ Things attract different clienteles from different parts of the community. After a while, he starts to understand what his customers like. He gets buyers that aren’t typically readers who are buying for their kids. He gets customers that are avid readers but aren’t collectors. He gives an example of a woman who comes in every two weeks and buys three dollars’ worth of books from his 50 cent boxes. He also has customers that come in looking for something unique or special that would add to their collection. There are school kids that come in looking for a specific title for their classes, and even the Amish and Mennonite communities enjoy coming in and buying some of the books he keeps in stock for them. 

To those of you who have never been to Books N' Things, I asked the owner, David the Bookseller, to describe the place. He says “It is the unique experience. People have been to other bookstores, but chances are they’ve never been in a bookstore like this one. I carry anything from new books to rare books and anything in between. The fact that the store itself is over 150 years old. The fact that there is a literary cat that wonders around the store. It is just a unique experience, and you don’t typically find stores like mine anymore.”

Books N’ Things is truly a unique experience. It allows readers from different kinds of genres to come in and see what they have to offer. You could get the vibe that it is an old bookstore just by opening the door and walking in even if we didn’t know it was 150 years old. Books N’ Things is something we should all visit if we ever have the chance. I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.