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Acorn Bookshop
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
1464 W 5th AveColumbus, OH 43212
Neighborhood: Grandview Heights
(614) 486-1860
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 11 am - 7 pm
Sat-Sun 11 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
10 reviews for Acorn Bookshop
10 reviews in English
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Review from Matthew B.
Columbus, OH
4/5/2012 2 Check-ins Here
As a Mythic Ideal, Acorn Bookshop is hard to beat. For a wide selection of used books there's just no better place to go. Half Price whats? Never heard'u'em!
The staff at Acorn is always charming, more than eager to help you find what you are looking for, suggest things you never thought to look for, and plumb into the hidden basement archives for the stuff that there's no room for on the stuffed-over-capacity shelves. My two last visits to Acorn saw me just wandering the aisles in a daze, trying to take it all in, trying to remember what I might want to read, and resisting picking up a million books on subjects I never considered reading about until seeing some zany forgotten book on the subject at this very store.
Maybe this place is already considered a Columbus institution, but, if not- get with the program, folks! This is THE place to browse, amazed, at dead-tree print in our town. There are other bookstores, but there are NO substitutes for this place! Acorn is my default used book store and it should be yours, too, so stop by with a few hours to kill and just TRY to take it all in! -
Review from Mike B.
9/1/2011
I've been helping my grandmother clear out my late grandfather's collection of magic books from the 30's - 70's. Acorn came with a high recommendation and delivered with what I considered to be a more than fair price on the collection of six boxes that I brought them.
They have a fantastic selection of collectible and rare books, and a friendly helpful staff that has vast knowledge to help you find what you need, and estimate pieces from your collection. -
Review from Stac M.
2/5/2012
They know their inventory and can tell you right away if they have a book or not. If they don't have it, they are willing to take your name and number. The staff is knowledgeable, the books are plenty and the shop is a local treasure.
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Review from Kyle J.
6/4/2011
This is the bookshop of my dreams!
No seriously, this place reminds me of every bookworms wetdream. Soft wonderful music plays as you wander from aisle to aisle. The smell of old books invades every sense. The place is stacked literally to the ceiling with books. The organization is a little scattered so you usually have to ask someone if you are searching for something in particular. I am more of the wander and peruse the titles type.
The shop has many second hand paperbacks as well as some very nice hardcover sets (I saw an older collection of Dune for around $80). There are also a few DVDs and a neat music collection throughout the shop. The first time I went, there were two piles of books marked 'free' outside that would have made great coffee table books or decoration for a large bookcase.
If I want something specific I will go to a chain. If I want to discover something wonderful, I will go to Acorn. -
Review from Carla D.
Columbus, OH
1/10/2009
My first impression of Acorn Books was, "Whoa! That's a lot of books!" Or at least it seems like that with the stacks being so tightly packed in there. Needless to say, it was a little overwhelming at first. Then I saw the signs that explained what genre of books was in what aisle and it started to make sense. Prices could be found inside the jacket cover and ranged from under $10 to $50 and in some cases much more.
There were new editions and classic editions. Collector books are on hand as well and can be pretty pricey. A copy of Ernest Hemingway's Farewell to Arms was going for $1000.
I was happy to find chairs to sit in and just read a book. Classical music was playing softly in the background, which would allow one to relax and not be disrupted while reading. Around the place were pictures, postcards and bumper stickers that had quotes with a sense of humor. Curiously, there were some bottles of hot sauce by the checkout counter. I wondered if they were with the cooking section, but they weren't exactly.
You can take your older books and sell them to Acorn Books. They also take donations and Acorn Books takes books to the local libraries, as well. -
Review from Randy S.
Canal Winchester, OH
8/8/2008 1 photo
A trip to Acorn Bookshop is all about the hunt. Categories and sections fail as shelves overflow with books and stacks of texts pile up. This used bookstore is a maze of a place.
It's clear that Acorn's focus is collectible volumes -- neat old printings, out-of-print books, signed editions and the like. If you're looking for the latest paperback edition of a Kurt Vonnegut novel, you're out of luck. If, however, you're in the market for a leather-bound version of "Slaughterhouse Five," Acorn might just be the place to look.
I'll go as far as saying that Acorn is the best source for rare books in Columbus. The practicality of such a distinction is arguable, though. For most people, Acorn is a fun place to spend an hour or so, but C-bus has better bookstores. -
Review from Peter C.
Columbus, OH
7/30/2008 6 photos
Compared to other local establishments like Half Price Books, Acorn Bookshop is an unfathomable mess of books that you'd need a trained sherpa to navigate. Just take a look at some of the pictures I've been kind enough to post to get a better idea of what I'm talking about. It will seem daunting at first, but once you figure out what's going on you're in for quite the treat. To put it in layman's terms, the selection of cheap, used paperbacks here is mind-boggling.
Like a good thrift store or used record store, the thrill of the shopping experience at Acorn is the hunt. I started off in search of some pulp novels from 40's/50's author Raymond Chandler , and found myself engulfed in a sea of sci-fi novels about twenty minutes later. If you aren't interested in making LeVar Burton proud by letting the muse of literary wanderlust lead you about the store for an hour or so, the staff here is incredibly useful in aiding your search for whatever it is you may be in need of. What's interesting is that they'll rarely lay a finger on a computer to browse their inventory for you; it's almost like they have a divine sense of what their walls do and do not contain. Freaky, yet incredibly useful. If you're in the mood to casually unearth dirt-cheap paperback classics on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I assure you that Acorn will not disappoint. -
Review from Caitlin P.
Columbus, OH
1/2/2011
This is a really interesting out-of-the-way bookshop. This is not really the typical used bookshop of Columbus. Acorn carries primarily carries vintage/first editions/antiquarian books. Which is good if you want a unique title or something special, but if you're looking for "used" books ala paperbacks or whatnot, you're not going to have much luck. Even the paperback section here is vintage paperbacks that are pricier than most other bookstores in the area. I did find an out of print paperback and the first volume of the Diaries of Virginia Woolf for about $10 total, which I thought was a pretty good deal. I wouldn't go here all the time, but if I'm ever down that way I would probably go back to browse some more. It's the kind of place I really don't know what I would find next.
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Review from Haroun K.
5/27/2008
A pretty great selection of old paperbacks in fine condition, many of which are out of print. To me, this is what makes a good used bookstore: finding these books for a decent price that you wouldn't find at Barnes and Noble or Borders. The owner was also very nice. The only issue I had was that some of the prices seemed maybe a dollar too high. But with the economy the way it is, I guess she has to make a living...
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Review from David M.
Powell, OH
12/23/2009
Being a Columbus native, I frequent many bookstores (not the chain bookstores) such as Village Bookstore, Karen Wickliffe Books, and Acorn Bookshop. I also visit the Book Loft from time to time.
Acorn Books is my new favorite. The shear volume of books is what peaks my interest. The onsite book historian, Jack, is very knowledgeable and fun to talk with. The store has many hard-to-find books, as well as a few popular recent publications.
During my recent visit, I was welcomed with cookies and a 10% discount on my purchases that day. Exciting!
