Al’s Old & New Book Store

I was looking for exactly this type of local bookstore when I moved to Wichita. I really like the feel of this bookstore along with their collection. Also, they are willing to help out if you are looking for anything in particular. They has got all the things I have been looking for: a local bookstore that actually cares about selling books, wall-​to-​wall books, and a comfy feel where you can easily spend a lot of hours. I only wish they were open a little later, which I understand is hard as bookstores is barely surviving the digital era. It’s just that I don’t get to go there as much as I like. :)

We walked in on an overcast Saturday afternoon and were greeted immediately by the shopkeeper, who asked us if we were looking for anything specific. We had a short list of titles we were wanting to buy and she gave us a quick tour of the store. The shopkeeper knows her inventory well, and speaks of the books as if they are all her friends. And though at first glance it doesn’t look as if the wall-​to-​wall, floor-​to-​ceiling books are organized in any manageable fashion, it is. Even if it weren’t, this is the kind of place you want to get lost in for a couple of hours anyway.
I walked out with another used copy of The Sun Also Rises for $ 2, and my partner picked up a used hardback copy of Walden for $ 6.
This is the kind of business that makes you yearn for the times when everyone specialized in a trade. We are now of the time when people can buy their books, jewelry, and tires in the same place they buy their toilet paper, and we’re supposed to be happy about the convenience.
I will be back time and again, on lunch breaks, weekends, and any time I’m near Delano with some time to kill and a couple dollars in my wallet. I only hope Al’s can continue to withstand the Walmart era and serve us locally devoted bibliophiles for years to come.