Places to Buy Used and Old Books in Oregon’s State Capitol

If you are planning a visit or moving to Salem, Oregon, and interested in used and collectible books, there are many places to shop. Though the area’s used and rare bookstores carry some new titles, their emphasis is on used and older books. Here are some locations to browse and shop for literary treasures.

Readers’ Guide to Recycled Literature
Located at 1105 Edgewater NW, Salem, Readers’ Guide is my favorite used bookstore in the area. It is family owned and friendly, and situated in an older house with five or six good-sized rooms full of books, plus numerous nooks of additional volumes. The stock includes a nice mixture of good quality used and new fiction and non-fiction books. You will find literature classics, mysteries, science fiction and fantasy, westerns etc. The store also has a large collection of children’s books of all kinds plus ample coverage of most subjects – history, art, crafts, science, music, religion, metaphysics and more. Prices are good and they offer a generous book trade-in credit program.

The Book Habit
This interesting used bookstore is located at 390 Liberty Street NE in the Pringle Plaza. It is housed in a small two-story building overflowing with over 100,000 books. Selection features both fiction and non-fiction titles in most major categories – something for most any interest. The Book Habit also has a great selection of like-new books for children.

Paperback Exchange
Located at 1201 Commercial St SE, this used books store focuses on romance, historical, and other fiction paperbacks. Their selection is large. They also have some non-fiction books on a variety of subjects.

Friends Store
Within the Salem Public Library, at 585 Liberty St S, is a small bookstore run by a volunteer group, Friends of the SPL. Books in the store is donated by local citizens or discarded by the library, and range from poor to excellent condition. Prices are extremely low. Though the store is quite small, it holds a well-attended yearly book sale that offers thousands and thousands of paperbacks and hardcovers at rock-bottom bargain prices.

St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store
Located at 3745 Portland Rd NE, this secondhand store offers a nice books section of many titles loosely categorized by type of fiction or non-fiction. Prices are low, averaging only a few dollars. When book hunting at St. Vincent’s, be prepared to spend time browsing most all the shelves, as categories are broad and books can sometimes get misplaced.

Goodwill Stores
Two Goodwill stores in the area have bookstore areas within them. They are located at 3535 Lancaster Dr NE, and 3840 River Rd N, Keizer. The Lancaster store is the largest. Prices of books are reasonable, often selling for less than $5.00. Books for sale at the Goodwill stores do not qualify for their weekly half-price bargain color items however. The books are categorized loosely into major areas of non-fiction and fiction. They include a good selection of children’s books, romance novels, religion and self-help, reference, business, cooking, history and more.

Booksmart
This friendly store located at 4908 River Rd N, Keizer, offers several rooms of very fairly priced used books in most categories of fiction and non-fiction. Titles are in good condtion and the store also has a helpful book trade-in policy.