Don’t judge these stores by their covers

Used bookstores are a treasure in Omaha

Bethany Widman

Reading. It’s the quintessential foundation of our learning. Unfortunately we have to pay $15 for a book that we want to read for relaxation or the furtherance of our knowledge.

Or do we?

Thanks to used bookstores across the metro area, you can pick up the same book, gently used of course, for less than you would spend on a bottle of water. Simply pay 25 cents or take in some old books and exchange them for new ones.

“Young kids come in here all the time looking for the classics. Most of the time we have them, and for a cheap price,” said Mary Head owner of Mary’s Used Books on 90^th and Maple. Mary’s Books offers a wonderful environment with a helpful staff to answer any of your reading queries.

“I love going to Mary’s Books. I got my grandma a bunch of books for her birthday from there and now we go all the time together,” said senior Sarah Lathrop.

Freshman Laura Kurtenbach, like Lathrop, likes Mary’s Books, “I like going there because they have good books, hard to find books, cheap books and they are all in good shape.”

Used bookstores like Mary’s are popping up all over the place. Places such as Jackson Street Booksellers in the Old Market, Treasure Mart off of 83^rd and Blondo, Backshelf Books on 60^th and Maple, and Pageturners on 50^th and Dodge are all great places to find cheap and interesting books. Even the Goodwill has a collection of books resting on the white shelves.

“I like going to the Goodwill to find my books. I hate wearing books in. I like opening a book and having a binding already worn in for me. Although they are used, they are still new to me,” said freshman Elise Schaefer.

These places are all wonderful used bookstores that bow to the needs of broke readers of America. However, there has been a decline in used bookstore’s sales recently. The culprit of this pillaging of cheap books…the Internet.

“Although the Internet is a wonderful invention and can help you find rare books, it’s begun to make a big difference on our sales,” said Head. How easy it is to jump on the Internet wearing your pajamas and munching on a bowl of cereal to order the book you have been dying to read for ages instead of getting dressed to face the blustery blast of fickle mother nature.

“It is a lot easier to go online to get a book. You even get it delivered to your door! But nothing beats the smell of a book that’s gathered dust for years in the basement of a used bookstore,” said Lathrop.

Used bookstores will continue to appeal to the broke book lovers across America for years to come, capturing their imaginations with riveting literature at an affordable price.