Toadvine Books — Local services in Berkley

My new favorite bookstore. It looks small, but this is definitely a case of "it's bigger on the inside!" Shelves are tall and every square inch is used. The book selection is excellent. There's no chaff or filler anywhere. I have found things at Toadvine that I have literally been seeking for years, not to mention a lot of amazing things I didn't know existed. There are some fascinating rare books in the cases up front, and in the back room is a great selection of YA / children's books and graphic novels. The graphic novel selection includes classics and important works by creators from around the world. The staff is always helpful and welcoming and are great to talk to about books! Prices are quite reasonable. Toadvine also buys books and gives fair trade value for things. Perhaps best of all, Toadvine cares about, and supports, local authors. There are comics and novels by local writers, book editions from local publishers, and they also host author events in the back room. This place is a treasure, so go...

I hesitate to share with the world how spot-on this bookstore is, but my family loves this bookstore above all others. The front of the store is organized chaos filled with a constantly changing supply of clean, fair-price copies of hard-to-find and out-of-print gems. The back of the store is a children's room overflowing with hundreds of children's books that spark my kid's wonder every time we visit. Everything in the store is reasonably priced from the bargain area, new books on discount, rare collectibles cabinet, and all the shelves in between. The owner and his staff work hard to curate the changing inventory of new and used books. Because the store is on the smaller side, everything feels carefully selected to be worthwhile, with fewer of the filler pulp titles I find in many other bookstores. Although I like less competition for those hidden treasures, I can't help but support this local independent bookstore and share what an enjoyable experience this place will be for anyone who loves to...

I have been to the store a few times and while they have a large collection of everything which is great, they dare I say, have too much. It is hard to walk around because books are on the floor, weirdly organized and I feel claustrophobic in the store. Signs are not big enough to show what the sections are. But the biggest issue I have had is when I come in I’ve not been greeted. Or even looked at. The people at front always seem to be talking to friends and fail to acknowledge customers walking in. This was true during Witches Night Out. Secondly, when I requested an author they had no idea. I had to spell the name (which is an easy basic name and popular author) but she was so distracted she seemed to not care. I so badly want to support local but I feel like I need to belong to a club to walk into the store. I appreciate the variety and number of books, but the customer service is...