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Old Book Barn
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
2 reviews for Old Book Barn
A lot of times, I typically run into two types of bookstores... one type is ridiculously cluttered in which the owner just tries to stuff as many books into the store as possible, and the other is the snooty bookstore where you wouldn't find many mainstream books.
The old book barn is neither. Also, this place is freaking huge. Humongous. Every so often a trip to Champaign warrants a visit to this place. They have a huge collection of books and they have many books that are hard to find.
The people who work there are great. They obviously enjoy what they're doing and are more than willing to help you out with anything. So long we find ourselves within an hour of this place, we'll probably find our way for a visit.
The Old Book Barn used to be a well-curated treasure trove of great finds, cool "theme" rooms, and a fun place to spend the afternoon. Decatur is no hotbed of book curation, so I have to keep this in perspective. However, the place has really gone downhill over the years. One of the most annoying things about the store is that it became a virtual sycophantic show palace devoted to the unbelievably lousy writing of self-proclaimed ghost expert Troy Taylor. For a while they might as well have renamed themselves The Old Troy Taylor Barn. Anyway, there aren't many used bookstores in the Decatur area, and so this place is worth a visit if you are in town and are a book fanatic. But don't expect much.