For the price, can't be beat!…read more The model is simple: donate your books (up to 7 boxes per visit). They give them away for free! According to their website, you can't take more than 150,000 books per visit, so don't be too greedy, you bookworms! They sell 1-2% of donated books to cover overhead, but everything else is volunteer basis, keeping The Book Thing a free community even once a month. Be prepared to wait in line. We arrived at 11:45 so most of the big rush had faded. They let people in on the hour, with a max of 100 people in per time. If you arrive after someone leaves, they can let you in to finish that hour out. You could make a day of it - there are several cafés, breweries, and restaurants in the area that you could visit before or afterwards. Inside there are three rooms - red, blue, and green. They are organized by genres. A warning: this is not for claustrophobic people. It gets crowded and while people are generally polite and respectful, you will rub shoulders with plenty of other bibliophiles. My kids enjoyed it, though Child #1 was a tad overwhelmed and Child#3 wanted to get out of his umbrella stroller and run around! They all picked out something that was just for them. My wife gathered several books and I picked up a couple for myself. When you leave, you need to count your books and tell them that number (for their record-keeping) and your ZIP code. Other than that, it's a great deal, not to mention a fun way to meet other folks in the community. One parent reminisced about how her (now grown) daughter used to love a series that my middle child was looking at. I overheard one woman asking about a particular genre and a volunteer told her that those usually get picked over pretty early. So while there is more of a wait and higher demand closer to opening time, it sounds like there are some choicer items that are available then. DONATION - there is a small one-way road that leads around the back. After the morning rush, it seemed like it moves quickly. There's a small parking pad where you can pull up and give your books to some volunteers. Parking - it's Waverly, so pretty much street parking and you will have to look. We lucked out and saw someone leaving their spot right by the donation drop-off, so we were able to park close. If you have a bunch of books that could use a new home, come donate them here! If you are curious about grabbing some new books for yourself, drop on by! Just check the website for specific dates - it can vary from month to month what's available.

Such a cool community completely FREE resource in the city! I first heard about bookthings in 2023…read moreand this was my second time coming here. It has been in operation since 1999 and filled with volunteers and they now own the building. It's only open once a month now but I guess it used to be more. As a tip - go closer to the hour like on the :45 mark otherwise be prepared to wait an hour. People from all walks of life come here. This operates on donations so I dropped off my books and got in line. It is a bit overwhelming and the books are organized in categories. It is fun to browse but there is a chaotic energy that I don't always love. I don't think I would go back - I much prefer the little libraries! After standing in line, when you walk in, you do have to adjust to the brightness. It's a completely free resource. You can take as many books as you want. When you check out you just tell them the total number of books and your ZIP Code. It's amazing this free resource exists - make sure you don't hoard (like the two women in front of me who were on their fourth entry of the day). Make sure you partake in the recycling of the system. Take books back take new books and keep this amazing free resource in the community.

Abruptly closed with no refund for prepaid summer classes. Absolutely terrible experience.read more

I had the exact same experience as the other review. She abruptly cancelled summer camp and…read moreindicated that we would get refunded for the remaining weeks that were cancelled. However, she has done nothing but lie about getting our money back. Scam artist.

This is a teacher's candy store! Being the responsible and thorough person that I am, I owed it to…read moremyself to walk down every.single.aisle!. The staff this Sunday morning was attentive and asked me multiple times if I needed help with anything and eventually I did! Lakeshore is a brand RETAIL store. You're going to need to know where you can splurge , what to add on your classroom wishlist and have a game plan. If you don't, you'll definitely spend more than you'd like! The game plan today was to bring the hubster with me today. That allowed me to stick yo my shopping list and be out in 20 mins... but not before I did my preliminary scouting mission for my next SOLO visit!

Too expensive and discounts are non existent compared to their prices…read more You get spammed with messages once you give your number to the store. I will most likely not be returning.

Happy to support our local hometown store! They always have interesting new toys, puzzles and…read moreeducational games that you won't find at the big box stores, plus there's a full range of scholastic supplies for teachers, which makes this store very unique for our area.

This place has a great selection of interactive and unique toys you can't find anywhere else! The…read morestaff is super friendly and knowledgable and I always recommend this store to my family and friends!

Excellent for homeschool items and teachers ! The prices are decent and it's a fantastic store !…read moreThe owner and employees are so helpful in guiding you towards options. The only possible negative is the amount of items in the store ! It can feel cluttered

I'm frustrated with this place but they are the only teacher store in the area. Had some lamination…read moredone and went to pick it up but they were closed during their open hours. I make a point of shopping local, but I will be finding my supplies elsewhere. When I finally picked up the project I made, there was an obvious defect in the lamination. It looked like water had been spilled on my poster before the lamination was done. The cashier insisted that I still had to pay for it even if it was their fault. Bad customer service. Hate that I may have to resort to buying on-line or going out of the county in the future.

Extremely high level of personal service! I called the store with a question about learning…read morematerials and the salesperson Melissa actually climbed a ladder to get me my answer! I felt as if Melissa really cared about my project.

My new favorite place to buy teaching supplies. This place is sooo much better than Becker's. They…read morehave lots of teacher discounts. I can't remember ever receiving a discount at its competitor, Becker's. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Amazing resource to find workbooks and other resources to support your kid (great selection of…read morethings). The owner of the store is a former teacher and is super helpful and knowledgeable. In addition, the support materials are laided out very nicely and very competitively priced compared to other stores and even Amazon!

From the owner: We can help you find that perfect item to make any subject easier and fun to learn. Laminating…read moreservices are available for small to large scale pieces.

I visited here today and I loved it. Dustin and Nathan were super generous, kind and had great…read morecustomer service. They supported my non-profit tutoring initiative immensely and made a big difference for kids in Mauritania. Couldn't thank them enough.

I've been going here for 27 years now. Wonderful neighborhood store with office supply, copy…read moreservice, and post office. Good people, great service. Love this place!!

Fabulous store with absolutely wonderful selections and customer service!! One stop shop for all…read moreyour educational needs. Plus a scraping booking section that is phenomenal! For whatever school projects your children need to tackle- this is a store worth checking out!

Not bad. We drove by after eating at Shady Maple and we were pleasantly surprised. I gave this…read morestore four and not five stars because there was no play area for kids. This store is a mix between a book store and good teachers paradise for supplies. If you are a fan of Jesus with a side of educational tools and toys this place is for you. Owned and operated by Amish, we were two of three folks in the store that were not Amish. When you first walk in, you definitely get the religious vibe, then you move further in the store and you are in a parents dream for Melissa and Doug toys, all the workbooks you can dream of, and there are even potty training tools with incentive gold stickers. Highly recommend stopping if you are a parent looking for educational tools to further your child's development. Competitive prices.

I am glad I came here instead of Walmart the day before Thanksgiving. I needed cake rounds for 2…read morecakes and found exactly what I needed in the bake aisle, which is straight to the right as soon as you enter. After I found what I needed, I was set to go. There was a line and only one cashier, but they did mention the option to self-checkout, which at first I didn't want to use, but ended up utilizing it. I had an issue while trying to use the app for my coupon, but one lady did come and help. But if you don't mind missing out on traffic, go to Michael's for your bake needs.

Plenty of parking. The workers are always attentive and helpful. You can do mostly self check out…read moreand check out with a cashier. I wish the yarn section was bigger but I was able to get what I needed. I like the old school feel of this location.