This past weekend, my top-tier chum from the Kingdom of Sussex and I had the great honor of…read moreparticipating (for the second year in a row) in the NJ Bookstore Crawl, one of the greatest events in all the lands. An absurd amount of planning/discussion went into this, but ultimately boiled down to just visiting the three participating bookstores in Sussex. Broad Street Books was my favorite of the three Sussex stops, simply because it had the most personality and options, which to me are the two central tenets of a successful bookstore. Honestly, I'm surprised every single bookstore doesn't focus on these aspects of the business model, but it is what it is. My chum and I got here within minutes of opening, a little after 10am on Saturday. There were a few other suspected Crawlers on the premises but given the location and time of day, this was unsurprisingly one of the quieter stops on the day's adventures. My chum actually dropped me off at the top of the Sussex Rail Branch Trail down the street a month and a half ago for training purposes, and I didn't have a clue that there was a real downtown area to Branchville a little further down - just on that basis alone, the crawl rocks. My chum lives a few minutes away and was familiar with this area and the bookstore, so we parked and got over there very easily. From the outside, the building looks like it used to house a bank but these days there are literally books all over it, including a tasteful display outside by the window. As soon as I walked inside, I got Strand vibes, which is pretty much the highest compliment I can give a bookstore - I went to college in Greenwich Village and the Strand was one of my favorite places to go; their $0.48 bin was the stuff of legends (which I hope they still have). But if you've been there before, it's disordered chaos showcasing an obvious love of literature, with literal stacks of books and so many options, both old and new. Same here. It's cluttered and looks like the basement library my dad had when I was growing up - awesome. As soon as you enter, there's a staircase to your right that's covered in books and isn't really accessible (which is fine, you're not there to climb to the second floor), and then tons of narrow labyrinthine passageways in several rooms for you to explore. THAT'S what bookstores should be about, at least in my opinion. In terms of the actual books, there's a lot of variety, both fiction and non. I tend to gravitate toward fiction, and - full disclosure - one of my toxic traits is that I judge books by their cover. So I had a lot to play with here and think about. The classics/older fiction section was abundant, but ultimately I went with the 2016 novel The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead because it won a Pulitzer and Obama said nice things about it on the cover. I haven't read it yet, but even if I end up massively disliking it, we don't blame the book purveyors for that. A pleasant purchase. The overall personality of Broad Street is interesting too, and it dovetails nicely with why I DO like indie bookstores and genuinely want to advocate for them, even though part of me has trouble justifying paying typically higher prices for the same product as, say, Amazon (which I know is heresy to utter). There's an interesting Lord of the Rings/fantasy theme that they really hit hard here, and my chum actually ended up winning a surprise door prize as the first purchase of the day, I believe an LOTR-themed paperweight, which she was enormously excited/proud about. Another big selling point for me - not every bookstore I've encountered in my two years on the Crawl really did too much beyond barebones participation/inclusion on the list, so I think it's cool these guys had some cool promotions and whatnot. Only constructive feedback? One of the owners was on the premises (which is a definitive positive in and of itself on what has to be one of the more important days now on the NJ bookstore calendar going forward) and had arguably a little TOO aggressive of a sales pitch. I would just respectfully suggest that you let the books do most of the selling - we're in there for the Crawl; don't worry, we're buying at least one book, and my chum bought more than that. Really awesome bookstore and I honestly don't know if I would have even known it existed without the event. Top marks for both. Get up here if you can.

Super used bookstore! The owner we met was so friendly and knowledgeable. Great selection and…read morereasonably priced. I purchased several books. We're from South Jersey and would love to visit again!

A great spot to visit while we were wandering the area after lunch. The store has a thoughtful…read morevariety of used books organized into easy to browse sections, plus some new books, journals, crafty items, clearance shelf, etc. The owner, who happened to be wearing a shirt decorated with books, was friendly and knowledgeable about his collection. Exciting to see new business in the area (it's less than a year old).

I LOVE this little spot. It's just so open and welcoming, and the selection of books is quite solid…read more- some indie stuff, some local stuff, some bestsellers, some things that SHOULD be bestsellers - and all pulled together by delightful staff who manage to be friendly and attentive without crowding or pushing. A definite gem. I'm so glad I found this little bookstore.

My top-tier chum from the Kingdom of Sussex and I went to all three of the bookstores in Sussex…read moreparticipating in the NJ Bookstore Crawl last weekend, and Sparta Books was our final stop (which, if you map it out, logistically makes a lot of sense). I wish we'd kept going into Morris County because unfortunately, this was our least favorite stop and left a slightly sour note on the overall proceedings. My chum is actually a semi-regular here and a rewards member, so she knew exactly where to drive us for this one (unlike our slightly ill-fated adventures with Lafayette's Black Dog earlier). Sparta Books has a non-descript exterior essentially in a strip mall, and we were a little disappointed not to see any indication from the storefront that they were participating in the Crawl (and to an extent, I AM reviewing them within the context of that event since they chose to be included and it's how we ended up here last Saturday). That was also true within the store as well, though I think one of the employees did reference the Crawl or ask my chum if we were participating. No signage or interesting promotions, unless you count the book pencil included with our purchases - and maybe you do; mileage may vary, etc. Beyond the limited participatory aspect, I just didn't think this place had much personality and it seemed like they were still sort of moving in based on some of the clutter toward the back of the store. For me at least, it just didn't seem inviting. Similarly, this was the most difficult spot for me to choose a book because most of them just didn't look particularly appealing, coupled with the limited selection. By far out of the three bookstores we visited, this one had the least amount of books and the quality just didn't seem that great. For instance, it wasn't easy to find acclaimed literature, but Travis and Jason Kelce's recent book No Dumb Questions and All of Our Dumbest Answers was prominently displayed. Ultimately I selected Madeline Miller's 2011 novel The Song of Achilles as my purchase (continuing to judge books by their cover) because it was the winner of something called the Orange Prize for Fiction. We'll see how it goes. The biggest issue I had here though went beyond personal literature preferences or lack thereof - it was service, which is not a problem I anticipated nor can I recall experiencing at a bookstore before. That's something I'd associate more with a bar or restaurant than this type of merchant. But when we got in line to pay, there were two women behind the counter. One was handling purchases, though it was a pretty slow process from what I could see. Despite the fact that there were multiple people waiting (I think one other person besides us), the second woman was just chattering away obliviously with a friend, who may have ultimately been a customer but wasn't buying anything in the moment. If you can multi-task/kill two birds with one stone in that regard, go for it. But to just flat-out ignore the fact that you have customers just standing there with literal money on the table is just bad business and didn't leave the best taste in our mouths. It took us close to 10 minutes to pay, which is ridiculous. The whole point of the Crawl is to promote indie bookstores, and by and large that's something I try to do so we as a society aren't just exclusively suckling at the teat of Amazon. But as my chum pointed out after we left, just because it's indie doesn't mean it's good, and since every store by definition is going to be different, some of these places are going to vary in quality. I think of bookstores and coffee shops as businesses that people really tend to grade on a curve, but I just can't justify doing that when at the end of the day, a) there was barely any acknowledgment of the Crawl aka the reason most of your customers are there that day, b) there weren't many books comparatively speaking and c) the customers weren't universally treated with attention and respect. You'd understandably expect any other consuming-facing business to have a solid inventory and good customer service - why should a bookstore be held to a different standard than that?

Finally decided to stop here after driving by the sign for "Books" for literally years. The store…read moredoesn't appear to be very large from the outside, but, you may find yourself slightly overwhelmed once you walk in. The books are practically floor to ceiling in some areas with many of the shelves being two stacks deep. Books are organized by genre and first letter of author's last name. Genres range from Mystery and Romance to Classics and End Table books. There is also a room full of children's books and a decent selection for young adults. I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere of the store. It is relaxed and fairly quiet. No one comes up to ask what you're looking for (although you can ask for specific titles/authors if you need) or eyes you while you're digging through the stacks trying to find exactly what you want. There are several step stools around to help you reach the highest shelves and be sure to grab a shopping basket at the entrance, as you'll likely need one. Remember, all of these books are used and come in varying conditions. All of the books that I purchased were in good to excellent condition. For the price of $3 per book, you can't beat it. He even accepts trade-ins, which then brings the price down to $2 per book, if I understood correctly. He accepts cash and credit. I have no complaints at all and will definitely be going back to gauge how often the stock changes. Thankful to have a used bookstore nearby. What I spent today on 12 books wouldn't have even gotten me 3 at Barnes & Noble.

I visited The Book Trader a few days ago. What an experience!…read more First of all, they have every type of book imaginable. From cookbooks to sci fi, from fantasy to biographies, from adult romances to children's picture books! You could find books from the 1600s all the way until the 21st century. The Book Trader is exactly what its name says: it trades books. You can bring books, which they will give you store credit for and then you can buy books for cheaper than they would cost in a regular store. This was such a great idea, in my opinion. I traded in 2 books and bought one. Now, aside from being separated vaguely by genre and authors' works being mostly together, there is no other sorting system to this store. Books, as you can see in my pictures, are all over the place and it is very hard to walk around parts of the store. If you want a specific book...good luck! Also, make sure you have cash on you. The store only takes cash and checks.

Tons of used books available, and the owner was extremely helpful. Very reasonable pricing and they…read moreeven offer a trade back program (bring books you bought back for credit towards another purchase). We will definitely return when we finish reading what we picked up in this trip!

Another B&N trip to help promote my partners book for author signing time…read more We were set up right to the side of the entrance so made it very convenient to get people's attention. A lot of people wanted to help get her book into the school systems. As for the store itself, well marked and easy to navigate around.

I believe in always recognizing kindness and always paying it forward. I just had the BEST Customer…read moreService experience and I didn't even get what I went in the store for. Zack, you are the most patient, considerate and pleasant person I've met in a Very, Very, Very Long time!!! You searched my selection, found options for me to attain it and even looked up and got the ISBN number, so I can be guided to the exact selection for the best value. I appreciate you and I thank you for showing me, people like you still exist and it doesn't take much to make someone happy!!! I valued your effort, more than you know!!

So a beautiful place and a great selection. I stopped in while on assignment in the area. The staff…read morewas friendly, the store was clean and the books were abundant.

Across from the Sullivan County government offices, in an unassuming little boxy building, is a…read moreperfect used bookstore: giant and varied inventory, good turnover, great prices, and lots of places to sit and read. If you didn't know it was there, you might not ever notice it-- but now you know.

If a coffee shop is connected to a bookstore, you know I have to go to it…read more After a 5 mile hike in the nearby state park, we came to this local downtown area to get some coffee and food. This location had fresh baked pastries on display and we decided to stop in to try a few. The staff were really sweet and explained everything that they had on display. We came later in the day so they were an hour out from closing, but still very kind. There is so much seating and games and different souvenirs that you can purchase in this café as well. You can definitely taste these pastries were made from scratch based on the dough and how flaky they came apart. If you come here, definitely get the spinach and artichoke pastry!

A really cute coffee shop it is sort of like an organic type of a place that also offers pastries,…read moregourmet foods, books plus other items for sale. They also offer healthy juices and teas. Really a cute place to visit when I am in town.

A wonder filled old farm house where I browse for hours.. Monique orders me anything I'm interested…read morein...I can afford to enjoy reading books.

We had driven by this place a number of times before we needed to kill an hour in the area. From…read morethe outside, it had seemed like a bookstore + antiques and knickknacks. But upon entering, much to my surprise, I found the best organized used bookstore I've been to in a while. Everything is organized by genre, then also alphabetized not only by author but also title--which isn't unusual in a normal bookstore, but in a used bookstore, it was such a treat! Yes, there are more mysteries and romances than other types of books, but we found some fantastic ones. We left with half a dozen hardcover books in great condition for $16! Monique and her giant dogs (who were behind the counter) are very friendly. When I want new books I think I will order them through this store (which is a service she offers)!

I love this place... I purchased several rare collections from this shop and found the prices…read morepretty good, but of course when you see something that you really want and know it is hard to come by price doesn't always matter. What matters is the wonderful collections. Hard to find books to impossible to find books, well almost impossibe... and some pretty amazing old prints in the back of the store are excellent buys as well. I think what holds me back from giving this place 5 stars is the fact that I've been going to this store for about 5 years, I go about once a month and often bring friends PLUS have made some rather pricy purchases (meaning between $50 and $295) and each time I walk in I expect the owner to know who I am and everytime I walk in she acts like she never saw me before. I think she should get to know her customers better, I mean, just because I'm not interested in her big white poodle doesn't mean I'm not interested in her book collection... The other gripe I would have would be I onced asked her for a book that I couldn't locate and she did an internet search and found it and turned to me and said that I should go to eBay. If I wanted to go to eBay I would have. What I wanted was for someone to get the book for me and have it delivered to the store so I wouldn't have to be home to receive it. Its called customer service!

oh boy, I love me some indie book stores! This is a good one with a nice selection of…read moreantique/vintage hardcovers and in the back, a surprisingly beefy room of paperbacks. Especially well-represented were mysteries and westerns. One of the owners is also a professional bookbinder. I'm taking off one star for the insanely cramped space...you have to be careful moving around in spots. But it's totally worth it to score that one item like....a book on the Beatles with rare photos for only $15! (of COURSE I bought it!) Have I mentioned how much I love places like this?