The Dusty Bookshelf - Lawrence — Local services in Lawrence

I love used bookstores, and this one has a nice and varied selection. However — and this is a first for me — the vibe is oddly uncomfortable, more like the stereotype of a silent library than a bookstore. During my visit, the staff were mostly silent and seemed to actively avoid any kind of engagement, only uttering the occasional robotic "hi, welcome in." I witnessed one woman simply comment that the cat was cute while the employee at the desk was holding her, and the employee immediately turned around and faced the other direction. It's hard to describe how weird the atmosphere was, so I'm sure some people reading this will consider it some kind of figment of my imagination, but it was very real, and though I bought three books I'm very happy with, I have no desire to return. The two people I was with also noticed the antisocial behavior of the staff and we laughed about it afterwards, but in the moment it wasn't fun.

It truly had a very obvious effect on all the customers — we were all extremely quiet and sort of tiptoeing around each other, as if we were exploring some kind of simulation of a bookstore and we didn't want to do anything that might disrupt the illusion. Amazing how something so seemingly insignificant — the antisocial (you might say passively hostile) behavior of the staff — can have such a palpable effect. And as someone who isn't the most outgoing person to begin with, that's not something I typically notice or particularly care about, which should indicate how exaggerated and obvious it was...

My 74 year old mom loves your store. She has shopped there dozens of times and has gotten her grand kids and herself lots of treasures throughout the past few years.

She brought me in on Wednesday June 29th to show me the store. I had about $50.00 worth of books I was getting ready to purchase.

Imagine my disappointment (after having shopped for over half an hour) when my mother asked where the restrooms was located and she was told "We don't have a public restroom....if it is an emergency you can go across the street to The Eldridge or next door to the pizza place" I said that I thought I just heard a toilet flush toward the back of the store to which the clerk replied "We don't have any PUBLIC restrooms."

I set my books down and said "then I suppose you don't have my business, either." I don't think the staff even noticed.

How can you accommodate small children that may be potty training and other buying customers if you can't offer a bathroom to those who are paying customers? I understand not allowing people to walk in off the street just for a restroom, but to deny a 74 year old woman who is about to purchase from you, I do not understand.

I hope you change your policy on this matter. It would be a shame to lose more clientele (or worse....have a child or someone with less control make a mess on the floors) based on...

Dusty Love

Middle of the week shopping is made for new discoveries in neighborhoods. During my big birthday year of travel, I found The Dusty Bookshelf to be a wonderful, clean, spacious feast for the eyes. Even with my love for my books, as an author, I would enjoy just hanging out here to write. The store reminded me of a movie set as tomes peeked out from the shelves or sat like small towers piled up on the floor. With a resident cat that can throw an attitude, I found the black ball of fur curled up in a cushy chair. At a nearby table, sat an old typewriter in need of use. It was love at first sight. The staff was kind and helpful, leaving me to wander and ask questions. In my search to read a different genre, I found myself in the children’s section looking at the Nancy Drew series, (don’t judge!) one I never read before. Just as I was about to pay for the books, postcards and bumper stickers that had gathered in my hands, stacks of books that hadn’t made it to the shelves were at my feet! The clerk allowed me to go through a few of them like an out of control child. Overall: If I lived here, the staff would know me on a first name bases. Stopping at The Dusty Bookshelf was one of the...