The Southsider Voice
Visit us at these places!
  • Home
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Sports
    • Car Nutz
    • Stilley Goes Trackside
    • Southside Deaths
    • Personal Recollections
    • Reminiscing
  • About the Voice
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Classifieds

Readers welcomed

4/6/2016

0 Comments

 

Indy's oldest used bookstore is adjacent to Garfield Park

Picture
SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY B. SCOTT MOHR Mike Stafford has operated Books Unlimited Indy for four years at 2629 Shelby St. Right behind him and to the right is a signed Debbie Harry doll. Harry was the lead singer for Blondie, whose biggest hit was “Call Me,” which was No. 1 for six consecutive weeks in 1980 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Picture“The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell,” circa 1880, has an embossed cover.
By B. Scott Mohr
Editor

Boasting more than 14,000 books and an assortment of movies, compact discs and knicknacks, Books Unlimited Indy offers a welcoming environment to anyone wanting to browse in search of a good read.

“People say they can’t believe how many books I have, but I tell them that I just have a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the books out there,” said owner Mike Stafford, who has operated the business at 2629 Shelby St. (634-0949) for four years since relocating from Shelby Street and Southeastern Avenue.

Stafford has been in the business 40 years, but not always full time. He operated a scanner for Image Technology Corp. and said he is “pretty good on a forklift. My dad, Jim Ware, got me started in the book business. He helps out around here on Mondays.” 

Customers are always asking him where he gets his books from. “I just tell them everywhere.”

Pointing to a book titled “The Walking Dead,” Stafford jokingly – yet with a serious tone – says, “That’s not about zombies; it’s about small-bookstore owners. We are a dying breed, but I am seeing an uptick in business. I am not greedy; I just don’t want to fail. I want to make enough to pay the bills and a have little for myself. Fame and fortune isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

A smile came to his face when it was mentioned that sales of Kindle e-readers had dropped 10 percent.
He is not an avid reader of books per se, but he has perused thousands of comic books.

“Everybody needs to read something. We need to do things besides watching TV and playing computer games. Reading is a great alternative to the crazy world that we live in.”

Stafford takes pride in his shop and says he is very picky about the quality of his material. “I carry topnotch stuff, and I sell it for about 25 percent of what most half-priced bookstores sell their merchandise for. I don’t have a huge selection of movies, but I have some good ones.”

What he enjoys most about being self-employed is that he doesn’t work for a corporation; the drawback is the lack of security in knowing if he is going to make it.

He noted that some of the leather-bound books are enclosed in plastic because he doesn’t want them to be touched.

Stafford pointed out the workmanship that went into books published more than 100 years ago. “The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell,” circa 1880, has an embossed cover. “You never see that anymore,” he said.

One might assume that since his inventory is always changing, there would be clutter everywhere, but that’s not the case. The shop, open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and noon-3 p.m. Sunday and Monday, is clean, neat and organized ... the perfect setting for browsing, as books are sorted according to their subject matters.

Rob Taylor, a regular customer, says, “You never know what you are going to find on the shelves. There is always something new. This is the neatest used bookstore in the city. Everyone needs to stop by and see what Mike has to offer.”

And for patrons who are in the mood for something good to eat after visiting, The Garfield Eatery & Coffee next door is known for its delicious food.
​
“They are good folks, and they have been really been supportive,” Stafford said. “You should give them a try.”

Picture
John Robertson is an occasional patron.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Arts & Entertainment
    Lead Story
    Sports: 500
    Sports: Basketball
    Sports: Track

    RSS Feed

 DROP OFF: The Toy Drop 6025 Madison Ave., Suite D
Indianapolis, IN  46227  |  317-781-0023
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17187, Indianapolis, IN 46217

ads@southsidervoice.com | news@southsidervoice.com
Website by IndyTeleData, Inc.