East Village Books

This bookshop is really cute, they have used books, postcards, records etc. It'd located in East Village, which is a really cute area in NY. It's a small bookshop but has tons of books. We found some really cool astrology books there! You enter by going down a couple of steps and then into a world of books. I believe it was cash only, so bring your cash! I'd like to go again whenever I'm back in NY.

East Village Books is a used bookstore, planted on St. Mark’s Place. the store is small and stacked from floor to ceiling with books, cds, dvds, postcards and more. the store is pretty cramped, a little rough around the edges, and feels a bit like a store before big box chains took over the world. EVB also buys books (check the website for what is being bought). the store is strictly cash only. the store has fans (no ac) so during the heatwave the inside was a bit steamy. customer service is pretty much nonexistent here. staff or owners really won’t budge if you are looking for something. i had a couple of questions and got hand gestures and pointing as a response. eventually i found what I was look for by searching the store on my own. while i didn’t expect the employees to find stuff for me, i did think that a few uttered words would be worth their time. a little effort on the staff’s part would have been appreciated but i get it. i did end up finding one of the books that I was looking for…the discount on used paperback books is just okay at best. a book that would normally be $16 new at retail would be $12 used at EVB…and you’d likely find that same book for like $4 used on Amazon. prices are reduced on used books but not as deep as i thought. perhaps in the future, the folks will eventually try to be a little bit more personable. normally i’d give two stars any place that has customer service that is this lacking. however the world needs bookstores so I am rounding up to three stars. and this experience was a reminder that i need to renew my library card. the staff here seem to resent having to interact with customers. idk—maybe i am reading this store wrong. however it is their business, and they will likely keep running it this way as it is their prerogative.