Silver Spring Books

I love this bookstore! It’s really a throwback to the days before Barnes & Noble. If you’re a real bookworm like myself, then Silver Spring Books is definitely a place you must visit.
It’s messy and partially organized. Usually I’d have a problem with that, but when it comes to Silver Spring Books, it’s part of this store’s charm. Whenever I go looking for a certain subject matter, I always have plenty to choose from and then some.
Aside from a great selection of books, the volunteers who run the store are quite pleasant. The older woman who is attending to the store on the weekends, always makes great recommendations. While they don’t bill themselves as a bookstore that sells new books, many of my purchases have been brand new (some still in the packaging).
So if you’re in the neighborhood, you’ve got to stop in Silver Spring Books. You won’t be disappointed.

I am a weird type of book lover. I need organization, and you won’t find a bunch of it here. But you will find gems! Once you get over the shock of «there are books everywhere», you get your footing. I found 4 great African-​American titles up toward the front after working my way up from the back.
The owner seemed to be a curmudgeon in the beginning, but he lightened up, I think, when he saw I was buying and not just browsing. He took his time pricing each book, which was fine, no rush on my end. I got 4 books, 2 of which were thick hardcovers, for under $ 50. I was happy to support a small business.
I would definitely come back, because there were some great gems in there. The «typical» best sellers, and the hidden «I have to have this on my bookshelf» type reads.

Yes, its a mess but that’s part of the fun in a used bookstore. You go along the shelves once and don’t see anything you like. Then you glance down and see (for example) a collection of Flannery O’Connor’s writings down in the Ps.

Hurricane Sandy was coming and I was afraid! The news told of widespread power outages. What would I do without power?! Power = tv, internet, and everything else fun in my apartment! Ah but wait. I remember a time when I didn’t have access to internet and tv all the time. And what did I do? Oh, yes. I read books. And not books from a machine, books made of paper! But where to find an authentic book with Hurricane Sandy just a day away?
Silver Spring Books to the rescue. A real used-​bookstore with mountains of books, both old and not-​so-​old. As far as I know, Silver Spring Books is the only bookstore in the Downtown Silver Spring area. But just because this place was not a Barnes and Noble did not mean I would not find something great. And I did! I found three great books that I started during the hurricane (thankfully with the lights on).
This place is cluttered and a little dusty. But there is something really great about searching for books you didn’t know you need. And when you stumble upon a book, located under a stack of romance novels, that was placed there by God-​knows-​who, you feel like that book was put there especially for you to find. And that is the best feeling there is.

The man working in the store wasn’t very friendly. You kind of have to be with small businesses, otherwise people will go elsewhere… they didn’t have what I was looking for and the prices weren’t spectacular. Probably will not go back, what a shame!

What used bookstores should be. Good sci-​fi section. Wish the store were a little bigger.
If you ask for help finding a book, they’ll check each owner’s separate shelves. There are two or more owner-​sellers. (One left recently; not sure if her spot has been replaced or if the other two enlarged.) The owners take turns manning the store for each other.

I love this store! I agree with previous posters about the smell and the sheer amount of books available. It’s quiet, and the shipowners were extremely helpful in providing recommendations and locations of books. I had to stop myself from buying too much but I will be back.
The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because there doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason in how the books are organized, which is fine when you’re just browsing for whatever, but tends to be frustrating if you have a particular title or author in mind.

I was so happy to see a used bookstore in my neighborhood. After taking my first browse and stroll, I was slightly disappointed in seeing the selection. There were not any books that I really had any interest in. Their fiction and literature collection was very small. The categories were limited, and I didn’t find one book I wanted to purchase. Darn!

This store is really weird. The person working here is more interested in talking to himself than to the customers. There seems to be a huge supply of romance novels and teen romance novels, but little else. Assuming you are looking for something other than a romance novel, there is NO organization, so good luck finding a book. Seriously, this place gives used book stores a bad name. Even though I hate big-​box corporate bookstores, I would rather shop at the Borders down the street. No, I will not be back.

i like the musty smell of age
and the tactile feel of the page
as i turn the words with my hand
as their meanings do land
in the bowels of my mind
there it is, i hope to find
the trees felled into an ancient sage
instead of the glowing screen’s presage
i am not ready to say good bye
that is how i feel when i, every so often, come into to this concise, efficient used book store. the Sprung has rung, but this little store battles on while the buildings around it collapse.
there isn’t an owner, but a collection of owners who share the space and sell their broken in books in a united effort. they have a decent selection to choose from. everything from sci-​fi to romance to economics to history to fiction to religion to children’s books.
i was in last week and got to talking with the elderly woman working behind the counter. i noticed that the old Roger Miller restaurant across the street was replaced with another African restaurant. she told me that Roger Miller couldn’t hold on and their bookstore was just holding themselves above water. the property tax assessments keep going up and the rents keeping going up, along with the assessments.
they’re going to force us out and have the chains come in and replace us independents — she told me.
that sentence kept replaying in my head as i walked out the door and felt my iphone swishing around in my pocket.
i will come back to this store…
i only hope it is still there when i return.

This is a pretty typical used bookstore, one of the few remaining ones in the DC metropolitan area. It’s packed with books and has that trademark «used bookstore smell,» which isn’t such a bad thing if you love books! The organization here is a little insane — if you’re looking for a specific category or author, you may find yourself looking in three or four different places! This is because the store actually handles books for multiple used book dealers, and they each get their own area of the store. So books by Robert Heinlein, for example, exist in a section for each of the sellers. I understand that this makes their inventory system easier, but it’s confusing and not particularly customer-​friendly. I always suspect that the book I’m looking for is somewhere in the store… but I can’t find it.
Prices are good, higher than online used bookstores but competitive if you consider that you don’t have to pay for shipping or wait for your books to arrive. Unlike some bookstores, this one has a pretty ample selection in every category and I haven’t found any major holes in its inventory. They’ve got everything from dry technical literature to the latest paranormal romance novels.
Service varies greatly depending on who’s working when you visit. There are staff members who will leave you alone and others who are very chatty. Hours are different nearly every day of the week, so call ahead if you’re planning to go (especially in the evenings).

Cluttered and overwhelming. I liked this place on my first visit, and need some more time to make it through the stacks.

This place is exactly what you think of when you think of a great used book shop. Cluttered, dusty, books piled to the ceiling but somehow you can find what you want at a totally reasonable price. They’ve got plenty of classic and contemporary lit and an entire wall of romance novels. Can’t speak to their nonfiction, though. Their hours run later than pretty much every non-​restaurant business on the street, so that’s another bonus. I never see anyone in there, so if you’re reading this go support a local business!