The store has flaky hours, rampant clutter and mediocre prices but an eclectic offering of used…read morebooks in a unique space. Overall, Cross Street Book Shop is worth a visit, but be prepared for it not to be open when you think it should be. It wasn't until my third visit that I found it open, and even then, the owner said he'd been about to shut the shop up for a few minutes while he ran errands until he saw he had potential customers coming in. I could barely get in the door because books were piled everywhere. There are uncategorized books in the aisles as well, though the books on the shelf are in some semblance of order. Literature is grouped together, and non-fiction books are grouped by subject, though they aren't rigorously alphabetized. I have shopped at Friends of the Library shops where paperbacks in really good condition are 50 cents and hardcover books are $2 or $3, so I find the prices at Cross Street Books to be a little on the high side for used books which aren't even all in great condition. Some books are indeed in great condition, but in other cases, paperbacks are yellowing and curling around the edges and are still marked for $2-3. On the other hand, there was an outdoor bargain table the day I visited, and the owner said he often will haggle if you buy a large batch of books at one time. There are some pretty obscure out of print books here, so it's worth a look if you can't find the book you want elsewhere.

I have no idea how this place is still in business. No one is ever in the store because it's almost…read morenever open. For a while back in the day the building was condemned as a fire hazard because it's literally packed to the rafters with books, and the aisles are packed with books. 17 years ago I gave him my number and asked him to keep an eye out for Tolkein's Histories of Middle Earth. I saw him write it down on a sheet of paper. Still haven't heard back.

The store is a BLACK book store. It is meant just to be that. It's purpose is to get books to US…read morethat may not be available in main stream stores. For Charmaine to give a three star review based on the fact the book store is purposefully not catering to those outside of this is an issue to me. More than not things are catered to everyone BUT us. We have someone who opened a store to do this and you get someone non melanated who wants to criticize. Do like we do and MOVE ON, it's not catered for you, accept that and keep it moving. I LOVE this bookstore and the owner, Carlos as well. I find what I need/want, and also can grab body oils that smell so nice. In fact seeing Charmaine's review makes me know I need to get my but in there this week and make a visit. This store prospers just fine without you Charmaine. It has been around for years. We know where to go. KRS-One and J Prince found it great enough to come visit, and drop some knowledge. Had you bothered to ASK you would have seen, what you were looking for wasn't there he can order and get. Instead you leave a mediocre review.......darn shame. I guess the name of the book store did not give a clue...BLACKstone Bookstore and CULTURAL Center. Did you really think it was your culture that he was speaking of with this name?

Local black-owned bookstore in downtown Ypsi. As soon as you walk in, you are welcomed by a…read morewonderful aroma and chill music. The shop is small but stocked with a nice variety of books for the casual readers and those readers who want to dig into some deeper, intellectual, or political material. They also have art, apparel, jewelry, music, incense, and body care products for sell.

Hedger Breed, owner of White Raven Books, is one of kind. Highly recommend that you call him when…read more you are moving and show him the books you may need to give away. He picks out books that you may not realize have market value and takes them away to (hopefully) appreciative new readers. I had a very good experience interacting with him--and even made some money on my books!

White Raven is the best place in Ypsi for rare, collectible, scholarly and other hard-to-get books…read more The store is located at 117 Pearl Street, but is open by appointment only. If you don't call ahead, there definitely won't be anyone at the store when you get there, so don't just show up and knock on the door. Hedger Breed is an interesting character and he knows a lot about books. One day I walked in and asked him where he keeps the old stuff, and he showed me a book printed on a Gutenberg-type press, and another book almost as old with copperplate engravings of the destruction of Sodom. Text was in Italian, so I couldn't read it, but holding books that old in your hand, and feeling where the movable type bit into the vellum, it's a little bit sublime. Didn't have enough cash on me to buy those books--still don't. But fortunately, Hedger always keeps boxes of $2 books around, and those are worth going through.

In a day and age when bookstores are being run out of business by Amazon and other online…read moremarketers, it is good to see an old-fashioned bookstore stocked to the ceiling with titles ... all new books in a wide range of genres ... leaning academic or at least intelligent nonfiction with only a bit of popular fiction. We were not surprised to run across this kind of bookstore in a major college town like the University of Michigan. The store is located on a corner in a busy area of Ann Arbor, and covers two stories ... a first floor and a basement ... both well stocked. The staff was very helpful, especially with their "staff picks." We'll visit again ...

The staff here are very kind and the selection is pretty decent for a cute little downtown…read morebookstore. I love to purchase the shelves and find something new, although I found the layout slightly confusing, and I found various books and multiple locations. The little tags that talk about unique aspects of the book are a really nice touch. I did find it to be slightly biased politically, but I'm not sure what you can expect in downtown Ann Arbor. They did have a beautiful special version of a book that my best friend from Australia loves, so I was able to pick up that copy. I can't wait to send it to her. When I told her about it, she cried. The book is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much Literati for stocking such lovely products! Sidenote - this bookstore used to have delicious oat milk, lattes and unfortunately, they do not the café upstairs anymore. I do like that they got rid of all the tables where people would sit for hours on their computer computers. Now there is more room for books and I enjoy their selection of YA, cookbooks, and other genres. This is the same bookstore. We brought our Canadian friends too to browse, and it was very fun also. Thank you so much Indie bookstores. We love to stop in!

In a day and age when bookstores are being run out of business by Amazon and other online…read moremarketers, it is good to see an old-fashioned used bookstore stocked to the ceiling with titles. This was a very nice bookstore with a wide variety of genres, most appropriately stocked and identified. Not surprising we'd find it in a major college town ... University of Michigan ... and this one was a delight. We'll be back ...

What a cute bookstore! I just happened upon it while walking the street and stopped in. There are a…read moreton of books and not a lot of space to walk. But things look generally well-organized. I love the collection of Easton Press books, vintage books, and signed/rare books as well. They have a pretty good selection. They also sell postcards and other small things, and have a discount cart outside.

This place is a wonderful resource for book lovers. Whether you are looking for a specific genre,…read moreor a specific author, a book can be found here. If you are a book lover, this is your place. This place also accepts books whether it be a childhood book, a recent find, an old favorite, a college textbook. I found out that audiobooks are also accepted for sale but go very fast as purchases due to commuters especially in the Ann Arbor area.

From the owner: Family owned Used and Rare Bookstore with over 100,000 books in stock. In business since 2000.read more

Nice atmosphere, fun to browse, but they didn't really have the selection in the genres I'm…read moreinterested in.

This is the best used book store in Ann Arbor. When I was here, I would visit weekly with my…read morefamily. The owner is great and will curate things for you, in a tasteful helpful way.

Best. Esoteric. Bookstore. Ever! I vow to never visit Ann Arbor without coming to this bookstore…read more It's not huge, but it has awesome sections like psychology, religion, spirituality, magic, healing, even nutrition. It approaches life from a holistic, metaphysical but still grounded approach. It also has some oils, candles, and cool decorations like ankhs and things you can hang in your home for protection, like the evil eye, and what not. Upstairs I think they have tarot readings or something along those lines, I've only been up there to use the restroom. They also have a small discount section, oh and a little bit of jewelry! At least some of it is handmade locally. I find the staff to be very kind too. Give it a try!

We walked in here just out of curiosity. We were glad we did! It has a lot of items in my…read morewheelhouse including a strong connection to the spiritual side of nature, rocks, and books! I was able to purchase some stones for my collection. Some really beautiful items as well as some fun stickers and much much more. There is something for everyone in here The woman working the counter was so friendly and engaging. When I told her that we were just visiting she gave me some wonderful information about the store. She seemed to have a bit of positive pride and enthusiasm for the store that I real appreciate. Upstairs they have created a space for artists to showcase their work. Highly recommended.