What a delight visiting Jan's Books. As a newbie, I only know it from their new location in Raleigh Hills. What's strange, is that most of the space used to house my favorite thrift store, run by The Cat Adoption Team...but I digress. I had the incredible opportunity to talk with the shop's owner, Lori. She is a major book lover, is extremely knowledgeable and has the best organization system for her inventory. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she has areas within the store for us. I love knowing where I can find an array of queer books by genre, including a small selection of new books. Vast majority of the inventory is used and the prices are extremely reasonable. I can see why customers are loyal to this store. I was so impressed, I bought a few books and also signed onto be a monthly member. This helps ensure that we keep these unique small businesses in business. I'm putting my money where my mouth is and supporting them. It's a trek for me but it's my new book home and I highly recommend them. Friendly staff, easy parking and very reasonable prices! If you love books, you will love this place! read more

Arcade Book Exchange - This is their LGBTQ+ Romance Section. They also have a queer book group! - Bookstores Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This place is so fun and not that far from the main street at all. They have a really wide selection from history to YA fantasy to cookbooks and lots of romance. Note though that a lot of sections are labeled romance but aren't actually romance books. Definitely a hidden gem for all book lovers! read more

This is the kind of store that you grab a coffee and spend a lazy afternoon browsing through tons of book treasures. There are so many books to browse and the staff is so helpful with recommendations and ideas. I never leave empty handed and I always look forward to coming back. read more

When my family first moved to Hillsboro, the lone bookstore on Main Street--Jacobsen's--closed almost immediately. On the far, more transient side of town, the Barnes and Noble near 185th also shut its doors, to be replaced by an In and Out Burger that never came to fruition. Neither of those developments spoke well of the intellectual curiosity or literacy of this town. I understand that Hillsboro has invested heavily into the tech sector, and that many of the STEM folks don't necessarily value a rounded education or arts and humanities. It explains much of the unpleasant and draconian turn our society's taken in recent years, but when the local library system cares more about its "library of things" than the actual volumes it contains, it's can be daunting for someone accustomed to communities where personal libraries are larger than some of the branches here. As a result, the Arcade's services here are invaluable. Sure, the population can ride the Max to Cedar Hills and hit Powell's, pop into one of the myriad bookstore in Portland or continue killing proprietary reading by handing money over to Amazon, but the team at Arcade absorbed a bunch of Jacobsen's supply and supplements it with plenty of its own. I freely admit that its broadest categories--romance, mystery, historical fiction, Oregoniana--are not my favorites. But their literature and poetry sections are well curated and rotate more frequently than I'd expect. Also, the best part of a local bookstore is that if they don't have something in stock, you can simply ask for it on order. You get what you want and you kick them a little something extra for their trouble. Since moving to Oregon full time, I've been coming here with my family as regularly as time allows. They've helped me track down books written by favorite authors and friends, they've provided gift certificates for birthdays and holidays and they have the best selection of counter candy in the city. The front-desk banter provides the perfect background for browsing, while some of the antiques spread throughout the store hold gems within their drawers and cupboards. Word on the street is that the current owners are retiring, and I wish them well. They've been running the store nearly as long as I've been alive, and that's a considerable stretch of time. The more promising word on the same street is that the owners of another Washington County literary institution--Jan's in Beaverton--are taking over. If that's the case, I expect our best-kept secret down the hall will become a far more active member of the community in the near future. A thriving community should value its cultural institutions as much as its homes, industry and education. Hillsboro has not always held these pillars in equal measure, but recent developments at Arcade give me hope for the near future. read more

This place is wonderful. They have a huge collection of books. Lots of mystery, which I enjoy. A hardy science fiction and fantasy section, which is always a must. Tons and tons of romance, which is not really my thing. A good classics section, decent children's section (not the best for infant/toddler books), and in my opinion a bit lacking on the non-fiction and history. You can easily spend quite some time browsing in here. It's a great floor-to-ceiling collection of books. They take trade-ins that give you credit toward your future purchases. Support your local bookstore!! read more

The person in the store was amazingly helpful! I was so happy I went into the store! She recommended a book for my book club which made my club very happy! I would encourage everyone to support this small business! read more

The Arcade Book Exchange is my favorite kind of used book store - everything is sold for 1/2 the cover price. Trading books in (which I haven't done yet) gets you 1/4 of the cover price in store credit. There are rows and rows of books in here. I will say that the store seems to have a disproportionately large romance section, but they still have plenty of other books. Their children's book section is in a tiny little nook off to the side that is perfectly kids-sized. Obviously, the selection varies, and you may not always find the book you are looking for if you are searching for something specific. If you're a voracious reader, this kind of used book store is for you. It's one of the fun places to pop into if you're walking around downtown Hillsboro. read more

Arcade Book Exchange - Inside the store. - Bookstores Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Great store, lovely lady owner! The best local place to buy books

I can't go to downtown Hillsboro without stopping by this place for a few minutes. It's half a block from the transit center. It's a little hard to find - it's inside a tiny shopping center, and it's at the end of the hall. But it is SO much bigger than you think it is when you first go in. I like their selection of literature for young people the most. They also have a few games sometimes. I haven't done any trading. Seems to have a fair amount of book turnover, so it's worth stopping in frequently. read more