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United StatesMarylandBaltimoreBook Thing of Baltimore Inc

Book Thing of Baltimore Inc

3001 Vineyard Ln, Baltimore, MD 21218
4.8(545)
Open 24 hours
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Info

"cultural"
"entertainment"
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Phone
(410) 662-5631
Website
bookthing.org

Posts

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T. B.T. B.
I packed up my family of 4 this morning and drove over an hour to Book Thing. We found nothing specific that we were looking for...but boy did we find books that we might have otherwise not considered reading. And I think that is the real magic of this place. Yeah, it would have been great scoring a Stephen King or Michael Crichton book, or the Betty White book that's I oddly enough am obsessed about reading lol, but I didnt... and I am totally ok with that! I can not wait to read my new finds. I was amazed by the cleanliness and organization of the Book Thing. You will have to search for books (we were there for about an hour. I would have stayed longer if not for my meddling kids 🤣), but the genres are pretty well defined. There was more than enough space to accommodate the midsized crowd. People who love to read and have an appreciation for books seem to follow a code when it comes to browsing. This crowd was no different than one you might come across in a paying book story. There were large fans to help with air circulation. I can imagine that it could get plenty stuffy otherwise. I was most surprised that there was no weird old book store smell! Nothing! I've been driven out of used book stores by rancid smells lol. Parking was tight but not impossible. We found parking on our first pass. If you have the option of driving a sedan rather than an SUV, go with the sedan. Note: Do not park behind the building with the paintings of the ASL hands. That is a tow-away zone. Signs are placed around the store but they are not glaring. We will definitely be returning. Next time we will likely make a day of it and visit the harbor. 8/3/19- Just got back from another trip to Book Thing! I got there right at 9am and found most of the books on my list...then treated myself to a few indulgences lol. Visit this place!
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Edward ZarkowskiEdward Zarkowski
I took my daughter and her friend to The Book Thing for the first time in April 2024. It was an easy process with many friendly and very helpful people to guide us through before and once we entered. It really is overwhelming to see how many books are there for anyone to take. So nice. The girls each chose 4 books and we left shortly after that. The checkout process was super simple too. The next part, wasn't great. After we jumped in the car, we drove around back to the donation area. There was a small lot, a pop up tent and a few people working. I parked and hopped out with 2 bags of books we were going to donate. I walked up to the table and the man working there told me they were not taking donations... that it was after 2pm. It was 2:10, ok. However, the tent was out. The doors were open. People were working and taking books in off of the tables. Others were picking up boxes of books off the ground. And the SIGN THAT SAID "DONATIONS" WAS STILL ON THE STREET. I asked If I could drop off since they were all still there, still picking up books and still moving them inside. He said "no". I said, but your sign is still there saying that you are taking donations... Are you telling me you don't want my books? He said no. So, I took my books back to the car and left with a bad taste in my mouth and a bad impression of this seemingly lovely service. Too bad.
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Eithne McDonaldEithne McDonald
This place deserves all the love and support it can get. Flood it with donations, both monetary and books! The volunteers are friendly and run it so smoothly and efficiently. 1) Get there early. Not only will you get in quicker, you will also be able to park closer (street parking only). I came 2 hours before opening and was third in line. 2) Bring a rolling tote bag - it's easier on your shoulders/back. 3) Talk to people in line. They're book lovers too and you might make a new friend! 4) They let in about 100 people at a time. You only have 55 minutes to browse and select your books before you have to leave and/or get back in line for another round of waiting and free books. 5) Donate your old books, CDs, magazines, and binders. 6) Tell your friends!
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Reviews of Book Thing of Baltimore Inc

4.8(545)
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5.0
7y

Do you like reading? Do you like books? Do you like browsing for new books to read? Do you like taking books home for FREE without having big guys in uniforms chase and tackle you to the ground?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, Go to the Book Thing of Baltimore! It's run by volunteers on weekends. There is a wide array of books, sorted by category. The largest section is hardback / paperback fiction, but there is a section for everybody (e.g. US history, world history,...

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5.0
6y

I packed up my family of 4 this morning and drove over an hour to Book Thing. We found nothing specific that we were looking for...but boy did we find books that we might have otherwise not considered reading. And I think that is the real magic of this place. Yeah, it would have been great scoring a Stephen King or Michael Crichton book, or the Betty White book that's I oddly enough am obsessed about reading lol, but I didnt... and I am totally ok with that!

I can not wait to read my new...

   Read more
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5.0
8y

💚💜💚💜💚 love book thing since back in the book farm days. I was so sadden to hear it had a fire but so ecstatic to hear they are back . Left baltimore for a while and not to long ago came back and when I heard about what happened and that you guys were pretty much ok and are back I had to come by and visit . Things are a little different from when I last came but again that was alloott of years ago , I was so happy to see so many ppl there as well. Congratulations and welcome back....

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