Derby Square Bookstore

I shop at this bookstore frequently. I have on several occasions knocked down stacks of books and had to be rescued as I was knee deep in books.This is part of the charm and the guys who run the place are never annoyed because they expect it to happen. They know where everything is and will order it if they don't have it.

For anyone who loves books and appreciates the lure and magic of hidden treasure, this place is definitely worth meandering through. You also have to be okay with 'ordered chaos', though, b/c it's pretty much stacks of books floor to ceiling, which is heaven for some bibliophiles. Sort through and who knows what goodies you'll find?

This is my favored bookstore. I am in my mid 20s and I absolutely love this place. The books are 50 % off unless they have to order it for you then you still get them cheaper. The books are in piles everywhere like in the movies and it is sooo much fun to go looking around because youll never know what youll find. The bookstore is staffed by two older men, who know where to find any thing in that store and are really nice and helpful. If your looking for a new book or an old one or you just want a really cool place to check out this is it.

I'm surprised to read any bad review of this place. For real bookworms like me, it's an absolute gold mine. And so what if you spill some books; I'm sure it has happened before and they certainly are not breakable and you won't hurt you...and neither will the owner, who knows his books. It's a great place to poke around and wander from genre to genre. He's a well read guy and can speak on any subject..our sad world needs more folks like him. This place is a feast.

This is the best place to get books in Salem. Forget about B&N or Borders at the malls, for a real adventure you need to go here. Stacks of teetering books to the ceiling, cramped aisles, a HUGE selection, constant discounts and friendly workers who actually read and know where everything is. Stop in and experience the anti-mall attitude of this hidden gem

PROS: Great selection, low prices, well read staff
CONS: Cramped and small

I went in here a few months back with my husband......and because my husband collects a certain kind of book.....I have been in my share of book stores. You can barely walk down the aisles. The books are ridiculously stacked to the ceiling. It is not a good place for just "browsing". However, if you are looking for a particular kind of book or a certain title ......the owner will help you to locate it. I wouldnt risk pulling a book that I want to look at from the stack though.......I don't want to be the one to knock a whole pile of books to the floor.....better to ask the clerk.

PROS:
CONS: Too many books, piled to the ceiling and extremely narrow aisles

This shop is hard to manuever but I ALWAYS find the book I want there. The owner knows where it all is, just have to ask him. If he doesn't have it, he can get it for you. He always has sales and the books are in good shape for being stacked so high. This isn't a chain store, so don't go in thinking that it will be laid out like a Barnes and Noble.

My husband and I have nicknamed this place "The Inconvenient Bookstore," and that really says it all. The books are in stacks, on top of one another. I don't know what you would do if you ever wanted a book at the bottom of one of those stacks. If that wasn't bad enough, the staff borders on downright surly. I stopped shopping there after the salesclerk decided to tell me, as I was buying a Jack Kerouac book, that Kerouac hated women, didn't I know? I don't know what I supposed to say to that, but I took my change and never went back.