As one reviewer has said, it isn't Powell's, but that's not necessarily a disadvantage. For one thing, you won't have to pay for parking. For another, you're generally paying a lower price for the... More

As one reviewer has said, it isn't Powell's, but that's not necessarily a disadvantage. For one thing, you won't have to pay for parking. For another, you're generally paying a lower price for the same titles. I love a good used bookstore, and I can't think of a better place from Portland north to the Canadian order for spending a long time just looking. In some rooms, the shelves stretch to the ceilings, and they're jammed with books. I have every faith that you'll find something you like, often a book you had no idea you'd find. The only reason I don't give the Tacoma Book Center a five-star rating is that you don't get a lot when you trade your own books in (although it's better than what you'll get at Half Price Books). All in all, well worth the drive...just make sure you make plenty of time for browsing.
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The Tacoma Book Center has a huge selection of used books at very reasonable prices. You can easily spend hours in there browsing the wide variety of books. The Tacoma Book Center is very well... More

The Tacoma Book Center has a huge selection of used books at very reasonable prices. You can easily spend hours in there browsing the wide variety of books. The Tacoma Book Center is very well organized and books are easy to find. Another bonus is that the staff is just friendly enough to not get on your nerves while shopping or browsing. Overall I would say this is a great used book shop and would recommend it to all book lovers.
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This is my favorite used book store. First of all, they have a very large collection of books which are organized on floor-to-ceiling shelves. Any category you can think of, they have a book. The... More

This is my favorite used book store. First of all, they have a very large collection of books which are organized on floor-to-ceiling shelves. Any category you can think of, they have a book. The prices are reasonable, too. If I need books for my high schooler's class, I check this store first. The location is exceptional, too. They are located one block from the Tacoma Dome and are near the Freighthouse Square shopping complex. But, the best part of this store is that they will buy your used books and give you cash or store credit [usually twice the cash amount]. The owner will gladly come out to the parking lot to sort through your books and choose which ones he wants to buy from you. Sometimes, they buy a lot of my books, other times not many. It all depends on what's selling and how many copies they already have. Before I ever donate to Goodwill or have a garage sale, I always let these guys pick through my books first.
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It's a little bit cramped feeling and there's a distinctive sort of musty smell from all the old books, but it's heaven on earth if you love to get lost in the stacks of old, rare and just plain... More

It's a little bit cramped feeling and there's a distinctive sort of musty smell from all the old books, but it's heaven on earth if you love to get lost in the stacks of old, rare and just plain neat books. If a shiny bookstore with a coffee stand is your idea of bookstore heaven, avoid this place. It will have many of the newest books, but an awful lot of its stock was printed before Barnes met Noble. They also offer top dollar for used books.
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Ok, so it isn't Powell's or anything, but I'm not complaining. Huge store with rooms and rooms of used books, all sorts of genres. Great place to look for books for college lit classes, I speak... More

Ok, so it isn't Powell's or anything, but I'm not complaining. Huge store with rooms and rooms of used books, all sorts of genres. Great place to look for books for college lit classes, I speak from experience here--oftentimes you can even find the "right" edition. Definitely talk to the guys behind the counter, and be amazed at their knowledge of what books they have in the store and where they are at. For collectors, they have quite a few good antiquarian titles as well. Everything is well categorized. Check this place out!
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