Buy, Sell, Trade at Bookman's in East Tucson

Bookmans has been in Tucson for quite some time and is one of those places that I regularly drive past but never think to stop. Until the day that I did some holiday cleaning!

Bookman's is well known in Tucson for their famous commercials - the owner, in a safari-type hat, touting, "This is Bob from Bookman's.." inviting everyone to come in and see what it's all about. Known for buying, selling and trading used books, over the years it has grown into more than just a place to look for used books.

Typically, I donate my not-needed-anymore items to charities, but this time wanted to try something new! Putting all my old records, books, and CDs and DVDs, I ventured off to the Bookman's on the eastside of Tucson located at Speedway/Wilmot on the SW corner in the Beyond Bread Plaza.

Prepared to individually bring all the boxes and bags into the store, the nice clerk behind the counter presented me with a special cart for trade customers so items can be brought in - in one trip! The next step was relatively simple as well - just place your items on the trade counter, get a number (which is handwritten on a card from a used card deck!), and how much stuff you have determines how long it takes for the staff to evaluate it for a "price". My goods took less than 20 minutes!

During the wait, my daughter and I took a stroll around the store! She headed off to the Kids Corner (sorry about the fuzzy phone photo!) stocked with loads of books, games, crafts, stuffed animals and comfy chairs to sit in along with a separate area just for the little tikes.

I ventured off to check out the rest of Bookman's and was quite surprised by the uniqueness of this so called "used book store".

Here is what I discovered:

EVERYTHING (just about) is for sale!

And they have a lot of EVERYTHING!

Each area is sectioned off by the type of books stocked on the shelves - for instance, this is the "Art Book" area - in the middle of yet more comfy chairs, is a boat display and a life-size statue.

Towards the back of the store, there was a Gallery!

OK - that's a fancy word for some not so fancy stuff - you may have even seen some of the items at a garage sale! But, this was easier to browse through than a yard sale and everything was nicely displayed making the not so great items, appear to be some sort of treasure! Here are some examples of what was being sold at the time: a photograph of a Hummel figurine, placed on wood and varnished - $4; a homemade cupholder - $1; a set of dishes, still in the box - $6.

Here are clown portraits (I wondered if the artist and I had the same art teacher!) - priced at $8.

Then there was a wide assortment of dishes, cheese cutting boards, dolls, more paintings and just let your imagination run wild - you'd probably find it! And everything is priced GOOD!

Right around the corner from the Gallery, there are public meeting rooms. The rooms a pretty good size - even big enough for a birthday party of 20 kids! When I worked at the Multiple Sclerosis Society here in Tucson, we established a Men's Group - just for men who have MS! After the Society closed it's Tucson office, I learned that the Men's Group carried on their meetings and recently began using Bookman's every Saturday morning to get-together!

Just past the meetings rooms, you'll find loads of CDs, DVDs and then a Hot Spot. Yes, there is WiFi, but the Hot Spot is also the place for the latest arrivals and the hottest, newest items for sale! Doing a second walk through, I came across some calendars for sale, jewelry, magazines (many were as new as last week), t-shirts and there was even an Oprah Book Club section. And, yes, more comfy chairs all around the store.

The section with no chairs? The electronics section - I found everything from xBOX gaming equipment, DS Nintendos, TVs, MP3 players, and even an old-time PacMan game! Along with computers and a wide assortment of accessories, these items, though not the most up-to-date, are relatively inexpensive if you are thinking about trying gaming but don't want to go for the most expensive items out there. You'll find what you need here to get started!

I also found a few fun things that surprised me - for instance this old time, AM Radio made to sit on bicycle handlebars.

Heading back to the trade-in counter, I was presented with a cash or store-credit option for my goods! After taking a look around the store, I decided I would be back and opted for the store credit (and because really, the cash is never as good as the credit!).

If you have not been to Bookman's or if it's been a while since you've visited, and you have goods to sell but don't want to have a garage sale; or better, if you are a little behind on the latest books, or movies or gaming trends - this is the place for you!

I will definitely be back to use the store credit and see what treasure I can find the second time around!

Copyright Gabrielle (Kamahele) Rhind, protected by COPYSCAPE 2008. If you want to reprint parts of this - just email me for my permission rhindohana@msn.com . Buying or selling Tucson Real Estate? Click info@gabriellerhind.com and let me know how I can help you!