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Cellar Stories Book Store
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
11 reviews for Cellar Stories Book Store
In response to your comment, Erin, it is called Cellar Stories because some years ago it was further up the street (nearer to Weybosset) and located...in the cellar. Keeping the name - well, I suppose it's a tip of the hat to the old operation.
Wish I could tip my hat to the older feller behind the counter. You're right. He IS a difficult man to deal with. But I patronize the shop because from time to time I do find some real bargains. And at times I find books of no particular collector value marked amazingly high. One has to shop discerningly. For all that, it is so much fun that one sets aside such concerns. I'll return. I always do.
As others have mentioned, don't go to Cellar Stories (let me continue), being a bibliophile if you want to have a productive day or need to be somewhere within a few hours.
Collecting things these days is takai, muy cado, and just plain expensive. I collect first or early editions of my favorite books. This place has amazing prices and quite a diverse selection. Needless to say, it is small so I cleaned them out of a few things early on in my three year stint in Provi (sorry fellow James Tiptree Jr. fans).
That being said, Cellar Stories is kind of like that Oregon Trail computer game, if you overhunt game in a small area, your next hunting trip you will indeed return to the wagon full of hungry kids with dysentery empty-handed. Godspeed!
It really is the best used bookstore in the state.
Get a parking meter or lot with at least 2 Hrs on it because you will lose all sense of time.
The place is stuffed full of great books and a few sections that really stand out.
Children's literature
Foreign Language (books written in)
Cooking
Music
Pulp Fiction
My favorite part was the memorabilia section. They have old postcards, show programs from Trinity Rep. If you dig deep enough you might find a placemat from Rocky Point. It's rich with Rhode Island history.
Very helpful staff. Join the mailing list if you live nearby.
The idea of Cellar Stories is better than the actuality.
Pros: usually a good selection of vintage Playboys and lots of interesting mid-20th c. erotica/pulp; I once attended an outdoors sale they were having with really great, cheap books; the children's section is elevated and has a little chair that's nice to sit in.
Cons: all of the "mainstream" used books seem way, way too expensive given their condition and wide availability. I'm sure there are some rare or justifiably expensive books here (especially the art and architecture books in the back), but when I come here to find used copies of books I've wanted to read I'm always sorely disappointed by the high price tag. Also, the older man that mans the counter (is he the owner? I'm not sure...doesn't matter, I don't like him) is consistently dismissive and rude, while the younger female employees seem wiling to help, if not enthusiastic.
All in all, I romanticize the idea of this second-story walk-up bookstore but repeatedly find that it's not really all that it could be.
It marks me as a real old-timer that I remember this place from when it was actually located in a cellar a few blocks down the street.
The move to a "new" location (some years back) has allowed the store to expand into Providence's premier location for used books.
It's a destination store that can be a happy place to spend an entire Saturday. Make sure to talk to the staff, they are your best guides through the stacks.
Sure a lot of used bookselling happens on the internet now, but for the unexpected pleasure of finding a new idea in an old book, Cellar Stories can't be beat.
I finally made it to Cellar Stories and was pleasantly surprised. I can almost never find books that I am looking for. However, within five minutes of being in the store with some direction of the proprietor and a small ladder I found two first edition books I've been looking for for a while. To top it off they were $20 and $12 and in great shape. Impressive.
not a tenth of the size of the strand in ny, but at least ten times as good. why? i'll tell you why:
mushrooms and other fungi
gardening without poisons
the complete book of home freezing
the squash cookbook
grand total: $19.43
in addition to that, they had four out of print books on mushrooms that no self-respecting mycologist should be without.
they had vintage smut novels that looked hilarious (i wish i could remember some of the titles)
minus one star because i felt like i was being watched most of time i was there and i didn't feel like i looked very sketchy that day.
Why call it Cellar Stories when it's located on the second floor? Perhaps because this shop makes you feel as though you have found yourself in the basement of an old, eccentric book lover. It's messy as heck, with every bit of available space crammed full of used books. The selection is so fascinating that it is easy to spend an hour pondering a single shelf (check out the old children's books if you don't believe me). Trying to look through an entire section, such as the wall of science fiction with considerable space devoted to local boy H.P. Lovecraft, takes much longer. The prices are good, the staff is helpful, and the store is open later than many downtown businesses, allowing you to browse the evening away.
fun way to lose time during lunch
Best used book shop in the state. Lots of bargains. Near corner of Matthewson and Washington Street, on Matthewson. Great!
amazing. i could get lost for hours. and by could, i mean have.
