My heros of a bygone era, local and mega chain bookstores used to be where you'd go to find the latest and greatest print media. Used bookstores on the other hand, were where you'd go digging for treasure among aged tomes and other peoples' cast offs. Perhaps that's what's keeping West Side Book Shop around. When the instant gratification of new novelty is clicks away at your fingertips, the promise of unpredictability, mystique and snippets of nostalgia draws customers to enter its doors. The space isn't large, really more of a living room transformed by wall to wall shelves and mini mountains on the central surfaces and displays. Here you too can own a piece of history or simply extend the life of a book or periodical. Sometimes you can find a rare edition or obscure title. Past times I've been there I haven't had much interaction with the staff though they were pleasant when checking out. The shop is located in downtown Ann Arbor so parking can be a pain, though if you're not too picky and prefer not to pay, you can always park a little further in the more residential areas and walk over. There are plenty of structures and lots too. They'll be celebrating 50 years in 2025. Hope they continue to be celebrated in Ann Arbor for years to come! read more

West Side Book Shop - Inside June 2022 - Bookstores Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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What an amazing little gem in the heart of Ann Arbor! There are so many books stacked all around. Had a great feeling and I have bought some great books from there. In my experience, this is one of those places where the "book will find you." Great place to stop in and look around. Prices were not too bad on the purchases I've made. Highly recommend! Will definitely be back! read more

West Side Book Shop - Bookstores Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Cool little bookshop that I swear I've never seen before, even though I went to UM and have been coming to Ann Arbor for forever. I had some time to kill today before dinner in A2 so I stopped by. There are books stacked EVERYWHERE so if you're claustrophobic this is maybe not the place for you. I thought I had explored most of the bookshop but then kept finding more and more rooms. It kind of reminded me of your grandparents' house or something - lots of treasures to be found, if you look hard enough. I didn't end up buying anything this visit but would like to come back and look at some point. No bathroom for visitors btw but there's a door that says "Employees only" and I'm pretty sure that's a bathroom (based on sounds I heard ...). Overall, cool place to look for used books, and I recommend stopping by at some point. read more

West Side Book Shop - Cool maps - Bookstores Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Used bookstores, like record shops were ubiquitous and plentiful before the serial economic bubble bursts began. Weathering the trends and defying change, Jay's West Side Books has outlasted every single neighbor on its West Liberty block! That's awesome. Sure Old Town has been there awhile, but this store predates them to the days when it was Mr. Floods Party with the late Shaky Jake Woods chillin' on the steps. The old brick architecture befits the well selected collection within. Filling several rooms, the store caters to all tastes from casual reader to antiquarian artifacts. The map and photograph room features nineteenth century native American photos with original cartography of a forgotten time. Ask for assistance please, these artifacts cannot withstand your greasy little mitts! Please support the ever dwindling breed of used book dealers. Ann Arbor is still a national destination for book dealers, but we've lost so many stores since the 2000s. David's Books was priced out of downtown and exists on the fringe near the Produce Station on State, well outside of downtown. State Street Books is belly up and a few others whose names I forget. Nevertheless, West Side Books draws a surprising amount of foot traffic. read more

There's a map room in here that is my favorite corner in Ann Arbor. I could stay in there for hours. The bookseller is pleasant and helpful. The place is small but that's the case with most used books stores. Just cases of books piled high to the ceiling and not a lot of room. I personally like this sort of intimacy when browsing books, and there wasn't another customer there during COVID. But please just check out that map room. It's legit the best. read more

I stumbled upon this little hidden gem after my morning coffee. Meeting Jay and stepping into this bookstore was the highlight of my day. I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were novels everywhere from floor to ceiling. I couldn't ask for a better new find! read more

A good place for rare and collectible books. On a previous visit I picked up a volume from 1906 called " San Francisco's Horror of Earthquake Fire and Famine." It's a nice rubbernecking disaster book with first-hand accounts of the earthquake and some photographs. Also got a book about shipwrecks on the great lakes, and I have my eye on a couple of historic maps in the back room. Make sure you head to the back of the building, there are two more rooms with art books, photography and other things. Not cheap, but they keep a higher quality of books than some of the other bookstores. I don't think they make any effort to have paperbacks here; nor is there a huge selection of fiction. Another bookseller from the area commented that West Side Book Shop is the kind of setting that book people dream of: a really distinctive building, lots of nice wood shelving inside, and the tons of old books. read more

West Side Book Shop - Bookstores Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

A real throwback to another era. Was browsing they have a locals section that was interesting. The clerk that must be the original owner was engaging and nice to talk to. You can feel the history in here. They didn't have a book I requested but he wanted to find it from his network of friends. Real old school. read more

This is a crazy good used book store, my favorite among the many such used book shops in Ann Arbor. This one sets itself apart with its enviable selection of rare and out of print books. Yes, prices are really high on those types of books, but the guy that runs this place is super knowledgeable and knows where everything is located, despite the vast number of literary tomes lining the shelves. I think that's a rare feat because his inventory is unreal. He's given me a couple of good deals in the past and he's fair when it comes to trades/buy backs. He's fair about pricing and trade and knows a book's intrinsic value. Check out the back room, it's chock full of interesting stuff. There are a lot of great non-fiction titles and an awesome collection of art history books here. I check this store out every single time I come back to Ann Arbor, without fail. Its' a "must do" during every trip back to A2. read more

This is a great used booked store. There was a variety of genres, and also some treasures, such as the old maps. Wonderful place to be around books. read more

I always enjoy taking a peek in here. The last time I was here I saw a book about garden gnomes that I wish I had bought for my friend who loved the movie Amelie. The books seem carefully chosen, in great condition, and is more of a rare and collectible book store rather than a used book store. I love the aesthetic in the space, it is near the Old West Side (hence, the name). They also have very knowledgable and friendly owners. It gets a little dark and creepy in the back, but there are some gems to find. read more

Well, I've been coming to West Side for close to thirty years. I came first with my parents in my teen years - and was about as bored as you'd expect a teenager to be in a speciality book shop. As I got older though, I realized what made West Side truly unique - you quite literally have no idea what you'll find here. The owner finds obscure and of the wall stuff no one else does - looking for ancient Sumerian research texts? This is your place. Like Currier & Ives Native American lithographs? Also available. Bottom line, what makes West Side great is also what gives it four instead of five stars - hard to find stuff on dusty shelves for high dollars - and if you took a time machine back to 1985, you'd give the same review. read more

This is one of my favorite bookshops of all time. It's a great place to browse on a weekend afternoon. Their prices are a bit higher than your average used bookstore, but their books are usually in excellent condition. They also often have hard to find or unusual books - I just found a first edition James Thurber collection for $15.00. Their back room - as another reviewer noted - is full of (expensive) prints and photographs. I can't afford anything in there, but it's always fun to have a look. read more

A very cool spot to drop in on a lazy afternoon. It's my girl's favorite bookstore so I brought her here to pick out some art books for her birthday. You'll need to dig around a bit but they'll have something you'll like. The gentleman who runs the shoppe was very pleasant to deal with. read more

The place is the quintessential Ann Arbor used book store. I spend much time here perusing and buying nothing just to kill time while waiting for a table at the fabulous restaurant across the street. West Side Bookshop is full of beautiful old books and usually devoid of other folks except the grumpy old salesperson. He looks like a professor, so I would imagine that he probably had several PhDs under his belt. He has that scholarly intelligentsia look. One day, I went in there by myself with the intent of saying a silent goodbye to a place I enjoyed and purchasing a book that a person I knew had wanted. Entirely unexpectedly, the grandfatherly grumpy old man smiled and struck up a conversation with me. It made me remember this boy, JHJ, from whom I learned the importance of "acknowledging" other people's existence. It's the minimal respect one human being should give to another. Perhaps, this old man seemed grumpy before because people did not "acknowledge" his existence. The normally shy me actually talked at length with this stranger. No judgment, just one human being acknowledging the existence of another. It was the closes thing I have ever had to being JHJ. I ended up purchasing 3 books (don't worry, the authors won't miss the royalties - they are all dead). A couple of Henry James' (btw who is my ideal husband - suspiciously gay and writes/travels for a living) non-fictions and Kafka's "The Trial". The friendly grandfatherly man insisted on giving me a discount. Even with the discount, I think the books would have been much cheaper had I purchased them brand new from Borders, but you know, age is something money can't buy. read more

After living in downtown Ann Arbor nearly 2 years, I finally wandered into this place, having been enticed by the 50% off hardcovers sign posted outside the shop. The store is quaint and charming in all the ways you want a used book store to be. Plenty of nooks and crannies, a wide selection of genres, though limited if you are seeking specific authors. The ambience alone makes this place worth a look, but also the wonderful customer service provided by the gentleman who runs the shop. He greets every customer that walks in and offers information or assistance, but is never overbearing. At check out, he was very courteous and friendly. Just the right amount of friendly chit chat, then out the door. In addition to the superb service and enchanting atmosphere, the prices are more than reasonable. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Piles and piles of books. But also glass-fronted cases with rare or at least unusual books, so it's a little bit more fun to shop here than at most of the other used book stores in town. Strong categories: history, fiction, travel, foreign countries. Weak in children's and young adult books. Perhaps just a little better organized than the others? read more

I haven't bought anything from this bookstore, but I love browsing through it! It's almost maze-like with its piles of books on every square inch towering all the way to the ceiling. It looks disorganized and cluttered, but it's fun to look around. They have a wide range of genres, and they have some rare/antique books in glass cases as well. read more

West Side Book Shop - Bookstores Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

This bookstore is what you should hope to find in a used bookstore: stacks of used books in great condition at reasonable prices and from many genres. Admittedly the books tend to be historical in nature, but there is a wide selection. Additionally, the proprietor of the shop is a fellow bibliophile and a pleasure to interact with. All around a great experience and worth a browse. read more

there is a wildly delicious energy here. if I hadn't already fallen in love with Ann Arbor, this would have done it.

This is a beautiful bookstore, but customer service is lacking. My father recently visited a2 from out of town and specifically asked to stop at this store because he bought a nice collection of books here a little over a year ago. We were fine browsing without any assistance, but when we left and my dad stated, "Have a nice day" the clerk ignored him. I thought maybe he did not hear, so I repeated the statement and was dismissed with a glance and an abrupt, "yeah" from the clerk. Clearly he did not feel we were worth his attention or time and he wasn't interested in extending any courtesy. This was disappointing since we do appreciate the store and considered doing additional business here. We will not be back though, and since I am a local I will be sure to spread the word; not surprisingly I have recently found out from other local patrons that the elitist and dismissive attitude we observed is commonplace with this clerk/owner. read more