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Still Think There Are No Old Bookstores in Tyler?

January 8th, 2010

Try Fireside Books

As someone who loves books I’m somewhat ashamed to admit that I never realized just how many bookstores we have in Tyler. One of the better ones is found at 110 East Houston, and has been at that location for nearly ten years. Fireside Books is not for the casual reader who knows exactly what he or she wants.

This is not a chain, where the reader can walk to a carefully arranged aisle and select the latest novel by the trendiest, hottest new writer. This is a bookstore for the reader for whom the six dollar paperback is not sufficient and time is not an issue. With its dusty shelves, and stacks of books scattered literally all over the store, it almost seems not to belong in Tyler at all. And the lack of conventional organization only adds to the charm.

Many of the books found here are of the old and rare variety. The store stocks a great many first editions and signed copies. Local authors and bestsellers are on hand. There are large paperbacks and leather bond biographies. Fireside does not stock an inordinate number of common paperbacks. Not to say they have none; just that they do not make up a very large portion of the store’s inventory, which is rare in the used book biz.

The history section is probably the crowning jewel of the place. There are both familiar and unfamiliar volumes, on a wide range of historical topics. The Texas history section in particular is excellent and features biographies of many famous Texans. All the editions they sell are clean copies; which brings me to another plus. Fireside doesn’t waste the customer’s time pushing damaged or otherwise low quality literature as a means of rounding out their inventory. Every shelf seems to have something worth reading, (unless of course you’ve no interest whatever in the subject matter).

A warning though, for the impatient shopper, on the hunt for a particular title this bookseller may be a bit frustrating. The local chain is probably a better choice for that person. Fireside is for the reader who sees the journey as its own reward. If you enjoy pulling up a spot on the floor and perusing a stack of yet to be stocked books, this is probably for you. But be careful you may end up losing track of time or going over your spending limit.

Tyler’s Book Barn

September 15th, 2009

Well, I mistakenly believed that I had written about all the bookstores in Tyler; that is until I was told about the Book Barn. So out of a desire to do justice to all the small local booksellers I paid the passed over store a visit.

The Book Barn advertises as a used bookstore with new bookstore atmosphere. While I would love to say that the establishment lives up to its mantra, it just doesn’t. I walked through the store and found that nearly the entire inventory was composed of paperbacks which could be found in an airport newsstand. They carried the usual thrillers and tech novels, and of course the ever present romance novels, but the history section was pathetically thin. If cookbooks and self help books are what you’re after, than sure, this may be the place, for you, but you may need to look elsewhere for classic literature, especially if you want a hardcover.

If you’ve read my review of Pea Picker Books, (which can be found under the Tyler blog section of this site), you’d know I’m not a huge fan of that particular store, but at least their huge volume makes it worth checking out. You may even discover some hard to find selections there. Unfortunately, Book Barn’s selection is very small. There are an awful lot of gaps on the shelves, and what they carry is mostly mainstream and easily found elsewhere. The store has yet to find its own niche in Tyler’s already crowded market.

The fact is, there is more to owning a used bookstore than just loving books and having a big library. Book Barn needs to offer something readers can’t find at other area establishments besides promising a lower price. There are plenty of other options offering the same advantage with a better selection. And the atmosphere is not a big enough draw to pick up the slack.

On a scale of one to five I’m forced to give the Book Barn a two. I’d love rate the store higher out of a desire to help a local bookseller, but I just wasn’t that impressed with the selection. For those who are still interested they are located on South Broadway in the French Quarter around the corner from China King. Perhaps other readers will have better luck finding what they are looking for than I did.