The Boulder Bookstore located on the West end of the Pearl Street Mall Nov. 11, 2008. (CU Independent file/ Sam Hall)
With countless bookstores in Boulder, choosing just one to visit may prove difficult for some students.
Boulder contains various types of specialty bookstores, independent bookstores and major chains.
Barnes & Noble and Borders offer a classic, large bookstore experience on Pearl Street and the Twenty Ninth Street Mall, respectively. Both stores contain a café and free Internet access. Besides having cheaper prices than most privately-owned stores, both stores contain a wide variety of specialty books, best-sellers, music and DVDs.
As far as specialty books go, Boulder offers a wide variety of stores. Specialty bookstores include Juniper Books, which sells scholarly books, collected books and other various rare and used books.
Other stores include Bertram Books and Far Western Frontier Books, which both sell used books. Specialty stores on Pearl Street include Happenstance Books and Curiosities, which specializes in rare and used books; Beat Book Shop, which specializes in rare and used books from the Beat period; Left Hand Books & Records, which contains books and items from the political left; Lighthouse Bookstore, which contains spiritual and New Age books; and Red Letter Secondhand Books, which also specializes in used books.
Hayley Samuelson, a 20-year-old sophomore broadcast news major, said she loves going to the Beat Book Shop.
“They have books from the Beat generation,” Samuelson said. “I’ve been there four to five times in the past three weeks.”
Samuelson added that the books are cheaper there and that the store has rare books as well.
Two major independently-owned bookstores on Pearl Street are Trident Booksellers and Café and Boulder Book Store. These stores have selections that rival the major chains and both have cafes attached to them. Both stores have events regularly.
Boulder Book Store also has a wide selection of music and DVDs.
Kasey Newton, a 19-year-old sophomore English major, said she prefers buying books from Trident.
“I like the atmosphere,” Newton said. “I like that it had a coffee shop, so you can read and have a coffee.”
Charley Ballard, a 23-year-old junior history major, said he prefers going to Boulder Book Store.
“It has a large selection and good prices on used books,” Ballard said. “I also like that it’s privately-owned.
Karl Hoffman, a 20-year-old junior Chinese major, said he usually goes to Boulder Book Store.
“I went and bought a Cormac McCarthy book and the guy who worked there was telling me about it,” Hoffman said. “The new Barnes & Noble is also sick. It has a price edge.”
Lauren Mathews, a 20-year-old junior anthropology major, said that she also goes to Boulder Book Store.
“It is unique and funky,” Mathews said. “It’s not like a Borders.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sara Juliet Fruman at Sara.fruman@colorado.edu.
