Black & Read

I love my bookstores and go to many of them often. I like black and read for its cluttered charm. Their prices are fair and I always leave with a stack of books for under 20 bucks. They have a lot of other media but I’m just here for the books.

Excellent selection of all 3 music formats (I did not see 8-​tracks, but they may have them). Knowledgable and helpful staff, but classification of artists and groups is always subjective. Prices were fair. I would organize the cassettes, however.
On the book side, it was very well organized, and the staff was knowledgable and helpful. One must visit here.

As a fan of the bigger Black and Read store in Arvada, I decided to give this a try… First of all, they’re only open on Saturday’s if that serves as any indication… As has been stated by other Unilocalers, this is nothing more than the dump off for the junk from the larger, better store on 80^th and Wadsworth. It’s the equivalent of a Good Will. No organization whatsoever, not to mention pretty dirty. I get that the material is used, but would it kill them to at least alphabetize the inventory and provide some organization? Books are with the books, yes. Movies are with the movies, but they’re all thrown together into a pile. As I walked out disappointed, I said goodbye to the old dude behind the counter; he responded and shrugged his shoulders as if saying, «What’d you expect?» True, I guess I should have known better.
There’s nothing more that I can say that hasn’t already been said… Merely a junk store and nothing else. Drive 15 minutes North and check out the larger, better-​organized store.

Black & Read 2 is just a junk repository for their bigger store up north near 80^th and Wadsworth. A large portion of the center of the store is devoted to old used and deteriorating VHS videotapes. Seriously VHS??? Who the heck still even has these? Nobody. That’s because NOBODY wants them.
They have some very well-​worn used books, not really well organized. Mostly garage sale junk here. Lots of used (and I mean USED as in played to death) vinyl, cassette and CD’s. I even saw a couple of plastic totes filled with old sun-​faded 90’s Star Trek action figures that looked familiar.
The old guy working here playing his twangy hillbilly music which was as grating as cheese.
And they are only open on Saturdays. Like I said it’s kind of like they are having their weekly yard sale hoping to get rid of this junk. Judging by the amount of dust and sun fading though most of it has been sitting here for years and will likely be for many more.
Sad.

I’ve wanted to come into this place for a while since I love me some used reading/​music/​videos, and luckily Husband wanted to go to Rickoli’s which is a door or two down. We popped in here and took a gander since the brewery was late in opening.
The first thing that I noticed was there was very minimal organization. And by minimal I mean the books were with the books, the records were with the records, DVDs with DVDs, etc. I didn’t see any signs or anything indicating alphabetical organization or genre, so that makes it difficult to peruse.
I also noticed the quality of some of the books was questionable. I picked up a book that looked waterlogged and thought it better suited for a recycling bin, but there it was.
Prices are inexpensive which helps, but I don’t think I’ll be back unless they get some alphabetizing/​genre organization happening.

Crap. Total crap.
Don’t waste your time. Stock is comprable to Goodwill/​estate sale. Looking to add to your Henry Mancini or Glen Miller collection? This may be your place, if you feel like spending hours digging through piles of unsorted stock.

This place is only open on Saturdays and is nothing at all like the cooler, hipper Black & Read in Arvada.
I mean, I guess it’s okay and all, with a bunch of vinyl records, VHS tapes and books you’ll never see anywhere else … but that’s because nobody in the world would ever want to buy them. Except maybe the four sixty-​something year old dudes looking at the records.
The cashier guy was cool though, and the music he played on his 1980s boom box was very laugh-​worthy and different. But I wouldn’t go back … there’s nothing there that I want.

OMG!!! Black and Read is nothing short of freaking amazing!!! Was that enough exclamation points, I
don’t think so! I’m going easy on you all. I love a hunt, so have time when you go in to
this store, I am newer in town here so you all must be hearing about the one on Wadsworth and 80^th everyone is speaking of. I am really not sure which one i was in, and could care less as I am in love with this store.
The first time in, I was looking for a rare Butt Hole Surfers VHS video you really isn’t available anymore. So I did not find it as I was surely not expecting to. I perused around for quite a while and found a a Screeching weasel video from the 80, an Mentors video and only because I knew them back in the day, The family «A Love Bizarre» album, and «A Child’s Garden of Grass, A Pre– Legalization Comedy» album I have been looking for for well over 20 years. I peed my pants when I saw that!!(not really) After an hour on that side of the store, holy crap to my surprise a second side: the read side.
I walked through a corridor and books, books, books, galore. If I had a tent I would have moved in. I found frank Lloyd write books for five dollars. Vintage trailer books at reasonable prices, do it your self books a treasure of books.
Art, glamor, grease monkey, humor science, High art for cars, vintage ford cars and parts manuals everything my heart desired. I only got through two isles.
I will return, I love a bargain and a good hunt! The staff is awesome! You find seriously rare things!

Don’t misunderstand me, Unilocalers. I’m a fan of Black and Read (see here:
). That said, the location at 44^th and Wadsworth is more warehouse than sister store. It’s only open on Saturdays (the real thing is right up the street, fortunately), and the selection is paltry at best. The staff is plenty helpful, in spite ofnthr limited and sometimes eccentric inventory they have for sale.
If you’re looking to stock up on 30 copies of Speed on VHS or a vintage Donald Trump board game, you’ve come to the right place. But otherwise, stick to the real Black and Read, a little further up on Wadsworth.

I like the Black & Read’s main store better. The main one is up Wadsworth around 80^th. Perhaps for several different reasons I liked the main one better. 1) The main store is much bigger and therefore has much more selection of books, movies and music to pick from. 2) The main one used to rent out crazy weird movies that you just couldn’t rent anywhere else. Many of these rentals were also for sale too. They don’t do movie rentals anymore there though. But I mean this was the only place where I found a copy of the Star Wars Christmas Special to rent where Bea Arthur (Yes! The same one from The Golden Girls) is a waitress in a cantina serving aliens. It makes even less sense from there.
This location is much of the same just on a considerably smaller scale. Both locations are worth frequenting but I don’t have to tell you which one is my favorite!

This is the B&R outlet/​thrift store only open on Saturdays. All record albums are $ 1 and the books, DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs and games are dirt cheap as well. Go to the main store at 7821 Wadsworth for the BIG selection– that store is open 7 days a week.