Before we drove there, I did a little research on-line to find out more about this bookstore with [...]]]> I had seen ads in the Boston Globe with the headline “Got Books?” and I thought “Got curious!” … the family and I headed up to Burlington this past weekend to find out what it was all about.

Before we drove there, I did a little research on-line to find out more about this bookstore with the attention-getting “Got Books?” slogan.

Books are 10% of the original price (that’s right, 90% discounted), with a minimum price of $1.00.  Audiobooks are $3.50, and there are some new overstocks and remainders that are priced slightly higher, but are still bargains.

The Used Book Superstore is in a strip mall on Cambridge Street, easy to get to from Rtes. 128 and 3A.  They’re open Tuesday – Saturday 10-8, and Sunday 10-6; closed on Monday.

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All the books in the store are donated; Got Books doesn’t buy used books to re-sell. Look at this big purple box that was outside the door (I should have asked one of the kids to stand next to it for perspective, it’s over 6 feet tall!); the store will place a free book collection container at any business that wants to host one, various sizes are available.  They offer free pick-up service throughout New England; the collection vans have that fun “Got Books?” logo, too.

When we stepped inside, I was impressed by the size (at 13,000 square feet they claim to be one of the largest used bookstores in Massachusetts), and the organization.  Hardcover books are shelved separately from paperbacks, and fiction is shelved separately from non-fiction.  Grouped alphabetically or by subject, it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.  Or, at least to find where what you’re looking for should be.  Not surprisingly, I didn’t find any recently-released books; they get new stock daily, so like any used bookstore it’s fairly hit-or-miss.  I did see several near-pristine copies of popular fiction, such as novels by Carol Shields, Anne Tyler and Anita Shreve.  I’m pretty particular about the condition of used books I buy, so I was happy to snag a few!

The children’s section is large and open.  There’s a small playspace with a chalkboard and a few smaller tables and chairs for the kids to look at their books while Mom and Dad keep shopping.  Board books were in this low divided table, organized into broad categories for popular characters such as Clifford and Blues Clues, themes like holidays and big sister/big brother, and series like Little Golden Books.  Kids videos, early readers and chapter books were on the shelves behind the table.  My kids chose some great books, including every book in the Beacon Street Girls series for just $1.00 each.

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Of course, when you let my kids loose in a bookstore, they scatter like pins at the end of a bowling lane.  As LM4 was crawling under the board book table, J looked at me and said “a little help here?”  I smiled and explained that I couldn’t help because I had “research” to do.  He rolled his eyes and muttered something about herding cats …

Got Books has another location in Lawrence, Massachusetts, which is open only on Fridays and Saturdays.  All money raised at this store benefits charities in the northeast.  This page lists several of the non-profit agencies that have benefited from funds earned at the Charity Book Sale, and some of the ways that these agencies have been helped.

Got Books has pledge to send 25,000 books to troops overseas this year.  They hold a “Books for Troops” night on the third Thursday of each month, and invite the public to come in and help fill boxes.  If you live in eastern Massachusetts and have a family member or friend serving for the U. S. oversees, you encouraged to contact Got Books about sending a box to your soldier.  The store offers discounts to teachers and the members of the military.

I thought we were visiting a used bookstore.  It turns out that we were visiting one part (the “for profit” store) of a multi-tiered company.  The profits from the store we visited pays for rent, transportation, gas, postage, wages, etc. (the cost of doing business); every penny that comes into the Lawrence store goes to charity.  Both stores also help to recycle books in every way possible, rather than send them to a landfill.

I’ll leave you with this overview video from their website:

What do you do with your books when you’re “done” with them?  Do you give them to a friend?  Goodwill?  Library book sale?

Do you have a special bookstore you’d like to share in a Spotlight on Bookstores post.  Please contact me to schedule it!