I feel like I've been left out of a huge secret (that I now believe shouldn't be a secret at all) between when I got to Salt Lake some twenty years ago and 2025 when I finally stepped foot into Central Book Exchange... but I will just say I'm glad I found them when I did. Calvin and the whole crew are super friendly, caring, and--this is clutch for bookstore folks--great at helping readers find books they'll love. The curated collection in the main room is truly well-maintained and sourced, and they've got a ton of catalogued backroom-stock, too, so if you don't see something, be sure to ask for it! They've got a convenient ordering system and text me when my books are in. They buy used books for credit in the store in the form of a point system that is easy to understand. They have local authors and publishers (present company included!) in the store on a regular basis and especially on Sugarhouse Art Walk nights. The music is chill (instrumental math rock was on last time I was in the store, yay!), and the vibe is comfortable. Most importantly, I felt welcomed and like I could find a book for me in CBE. Check them out! read more

Very kind owner and beautiful store! Highly recommend to those in the Salt Lake City area.

This place is a gem! I loved seeing a place that lets you put books you don't need anymore into new, loving hands. The employee was bubbly and SO helpful. They clearly love what they do. Books are priced well, and I could see myself coming here for my next book haul. read more

Central Book Exchange - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

GREAT bookstore!!! Small but mighty!!! Clean and well organized, friendly staff and an excellent variety of books!!!

I love popping in here for books whenever I can! It is always friendly and there is a great rotation of books. I look forward to trying to trade books in soon. read more

Love shopping here! They have an excellent selection of books to pick from. Their points system makes it really affordable to shop, as well. The staff is always willing to help you when you're in there. They are very friendly and make great book recommendations. I also love the wide variety of LGBTQ+ books available. They're also dog-friendly, which is an added bonus. Definitely will continue to shop here. read more

What a lovely bookstore! I love used books, which was a huge part of their selection, but they also had quite a few new books as well! Staff was so friendly and helpful, I definitely felt like a valued customer there. read more

stopped by here to trade-in my book to hopefully get another one and it did not disappoint. for one book, i was able to get two books for only $10! more popular books don't get points applied to them but the cost of the books are much lower than other places - around $10 compared to my local bookstore being half the cover cost. the employee working was also so gentle and polite, he took time to explain the system to me and had the same demeanor with all other patrons. this place is lucky i didn't have room in my luggage, otherwise i would be dragging half the store out with me! read more

Really like their selection and was talking to the owner and is a really great guy. I'm going to be going here more often

Such a cute little nook! They have a great selection from philosophy to horror to contemporary fiction. The books are all very reasonably priced, and you can also sell your used books if you'd like! It's nice to still see independent bookstores that buy and sell. My favorite genre is contemporary fiction, and they had such a stellar collection. I kept picking up more and more titles that I wanted to buy! I ended up purchases two, Little Bee and The Hunting Party, which I'm so excited to read! Definitely stop by and pick up a few books! The weather is getting cozier, and a book is the perfect company on a snowy day :) read more

Central Book Exchange - so excited to read these titles - Little Bee & The Hunting Party - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Great selection and well organized with lots of popular authors. Staff was very helpful. Would recommend.

Fabulous store! The employees are so helpful and knowledgeable, and do their best to help you find exactly what you're looking for. They also take donated books and offer a points system that you can use towards purchases. It's so cool, and a great way to clear space on your bookshelf for more purchases. I highly recommend browsing here for your holiday shopping! read more

Central Book Exchange - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Mom was looking for a specific fiction book and she didn't want to wait for one of the online sites to find it and ship it, so we made our way to Central Book Exchange to look around and hope that they had it. Unfortunately, they did not. But they did have a ton of other gently used fiction and non-fiction and while Mom hunted around, I found something interesting to read and a comfy seat with a view of the street. read more

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Central book exchange, really? Sugarhouse's original locally owned since 1968 is not what they claim to be. Visiting their shop on a Wednesday afternoon, they were not buying books. It didn't matter what I had. Special addition, brand new and collectors items in my bag and they were not willing to take a look at them. The only reason I came here was because of the yelp reviews stating that they were buying books. I live 30 minutes away and made a special effort. Now just frustrated... I wanted to help give the local economy in sugarhouse some stimulation, however, I will be now taking my business to Amazon for their buyback program. Salute! read more

Central Book Exchange - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

This is a good bookstore made better by its proximity to a bad bookstore that gets good reviews for seemingly no logical reason. CBE pays homage to current liberal cult idol as well, but & this is big, this place is an actual bookstore that sells good books, has a good selection, etc. Associate super helpful as well. read more

Central Book Exchange - Books about the great & maligned warrior king Ulysses, a puppet & a pencil. - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

This is a hidden gem, and I'm surprised it took me so long to find it! They have a nicely curated selection, decent prices and a nice mix of used and new. I found the exact book I was looking for which doesn't always happen in used bookstores. I was also delighted to find the staff helpful, knowledgeable, and very passionate about books. What more could you ask for? I will tell you. It is brilliantly located near Tea Zaanti and Sugar House Coffee. I had myself a regular Sugar House day with coffee and books. read more

This was a fantastic book store! It had the best collection of used books I have ever seen and reasonable prices! I would definitely recommend going! read more

Central Book Exchange - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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The Central Book Exchange is absolutely fantastic. I was lucky enough to happen upon this store while strolling through the neighborhood my son lives in. My taste in literature is a bit off the beaten track and I can't tell you how many times Ive asked for a specific author only to be met with blank stares. After an incredibly warm greeting by the associate at the register, I asked my question (fully expecting a blank stare) "Good afternoon, do you have any Bukowski?" The associate smiled and nodded. Nodded as in YES, of course we have Charles Bukowski. I almost had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Bought the book and also received a couple good restaurants ideas and was directed to a delightful coffee shoppe nearby. Such great genuine customer service. read more

Why would I ever buy a new book? Very well organized tons to choose from, even their sparse shelf of poetry which I was hunting for today. Check this place out- the vintage store next door is cute too. read more

My favorite little bookstore in the heart of Sugar House! They have many awesome finds and such kind employees. The young man who works there has had so much patience with me as I contemplated if I wanted to spend money on more books. From Sci-Fi to Romance Novels to Parenting books, they have a wide variety of books. The young man suggested I reach out to Sci-Fi and read Dune by Frank Herbert. He convinced me by saying Timothee Chalamet would play the lead role in the upcoming movie! Employees here have great knowledge on what they have in stock and you can sell your books here. He was right about it being a "real page-turner"! read more

It was nice to stumble upon a book store that wasn't Barnes & Noble. They have a great selection and all the books are nicely organized. The staff was welcoming. read more

The store itself is spectacular, but the staff is even better! Another customer wouldn't leave me alone today and an employee working, Jack, made sure I felt safe and helped me find some new books. Thank you for a great experience! read more

I visited Central Book Exchange about five times, and on all but one occasion, the employees were cold if not outright rude. What kind of bookstore employee turns her nose up at James Joyce, Obama's "The Audacity of Hope", and Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude"? It feels as if this bookstore is looking for some extraordinarily rare and priceless book. If your book doesn't measure up, they couldn't care less about you. The selection of books is fine but the prices are not what you would expect from a used book store. Do yourself a favor: Find a different used bookstore, shop online, or donate your books to DI. read more

SELL YOUR BOOKS FOR CASH. DO NOT ACCEPT "POINTS" BECAUSE POINTS ARE SILLY. Hey it's a really nice book store. Very pleasant on the inside. They seem to have a good selection of used books. But in Thor's name, avoid the point system. Tell them you DO NOT want points. Tell them, you want cash. They a fairly willing to buy used books for cash. I'd say on average if you have a book you want they'd give you a $1.50 for it, which is really not bad for selling a used book quickly and easily. Here's the key, don't go in and ask for points, cash is worth more. Wait until you're done selling all the books you can, then you can talk to them about points. You've got to be shrewd. So basically I was just left with mass produced cheapo paperbacks and cookbooks, so I thought, "oh what the hell may as well redeem them for so-called 'points' whatever that means." Turns out that "points" is some sort of kooky scheme system. It's not store credit, it's a discount program. So I thought "Ok, sure, whatever, better than nothing." Then it turns out points don't work on every book, just some. "Ok.... so I can get discounts on select books, like a sale but not really?" But THEN it turns out that you have to redeem a random smattering of points, like 15-30 points, in order to get the discount on the select titles. That's the equivalent of exchanging 4-6 books for a discount on one book, and a typical discount will bring a book from $12 down to $8, so that's like a discount of $1 per book. It's better to just get cash back. I'd say that I basically "donated" ~68 books, after selling what had market value, to this business for discounts totalling maybe $68 that can't be used all at once on any book you want. But ultimately, not bad if I was a regular customer there. I got more cash back for my used books than I expected, which was nice, but only because I am a pushy and obnoxious person. BUT WAIT: Here's the kicker that will drive you nuts. The points will give you a discount that will only bring the price down to the "Trade Price." Or basically, the sticker value of a book on Amazon. Anyone remember that episode of King of the Hill where the used car salesman says to Hank, "I'll sell you the car for Sticker price, and not a penny a more!" Yeah, basically that. TLDR: Avoid points whenever possible. Points are.... POINTless. Get it? But they did provide me a valuable service which is I got some cash and the rest of my unwanted books found a loving home in a hipster bookstore. read more

There used to be a lot of these, small, independent booksellers dotting the landscape, then one by one, they slowly fell off, left with a necessary high overhead and not enough foot traffic to sustain it. Some of them had new books, some used only, but all of them were scrambling. A lot of them tried punch card or points systems. I think I still have some of those old punch cards from now defunct places. This one, I believe, still does a point system. This was always one of the oldest ones and frequently would be light on inventory, but was always worth a look. That is still the case today and, in some ways, this is like a time capsule in which the same problems that plagued it before, sort of random organization (what little of it there is) system, too deep of shelves which hide books behind books, but it's a wonderful place to spend time and a fun place to browse. It formerly had animals kind of hanging out, which seem to be gone now, but there remains a love for the written word. Several displays proudly broadcast some of the older books, some of the classics, including a few of which I've found in no other brick and mortar. Despite the incursion of the internet stores, who offer both superior selection and frequently pricing and who have all but leveled most of the other contemporaries, yet it soldiers on in the heart of Sugarhouse, sign battered and weathered, but still standing...at least for now. read more

Guy guys guys. I dig this place. Great selection of hard and paper. Good mix of classics and modern. Pretty ideal for any small independent bookstore. I'll be back. read more

Central Book Exchange - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Good local used bookstore with a nice selection. Cozy atmosphere and the staff is helpful but don't hover which is great. Classics and sci-fi are around $4-6, contemporary $8-10, travel $8-10 (lots of other genres too but those are the ones I was interested in). You can also trade/exchange here. Cool place! read more

Central Book Exchange - Inside the store - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

I love this nostalgic book store! The staff is so friendly, they will order you whatever book you want if they don't have it in the store. If I ever need a new book to read, I go here, no doubt. read more

I had to drop this store one star (and i was considering 2). Not because i don't still love it, i do. The staff is always super helpful and friendly especially the dog that is there from time to time. The reason i had to drop a star is because when you trade books in you are given store credit. Store credit can be applied to only certain books in the store as identified on their price tag. Very few and stress VERY FEW books are eligible for you to redeem credit. So i have a bunch of credit there that i can never use unless i want to read some grocery store checkout line romance novel. I mean, i guess maybe in 35 more years when I've graduated to that genre i can come back and use my credit. The other problem i have with the credit is that in the off chance that i do find a book i can use credit it on, it doesn't allow you to outright purchase the book with the credit. it's always 20pts+ $5. Or 15pts+ $7. Whaaaaat? Why? I've never been to a book store that does this. There must be a method to the madness. You're credit is essentially just a discount. A coupon. And i've literally had "coupons" there since 2015.... (The only books they actually buy are text books which i assume they sell online.) read more

Seriously one of my favorite spots. If you are in the SugarHouse area you must stop by the shop! As a young adult they had everything I could want and more. Plus, the lady that works there is incredibly knowledgeable and kind. Each time I stop in I find myself leaving with 3 books or more!!! Go grab a coffee next door then go wander through the stacks! read more

Cool place, didn't feel like the prices for the books were all that great or the trade in value. They have an odd system where you can't do straight-across book for book exchange, you just get a "discounted" price, and if you insist on a book for book exchange, your trade-ins have less value. Seemed odd to me. There was an awesome hole in the wall used bookstore where I grew up in Chicago where you could just trade straight-across book for book and keep a running tab if you turned in more than you wanted to spend on that visit. That's how I wish it worked here! read more

Yeah this adds a new dimension to my library- so glad Ichecked it out. I decided that I didn't need so many books, and it's fun to browse for new books and talk to the staff about the selection. read more

Central Book Exchange - Bookstores Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Very nicely decorated, quaint little book store. Sells mostly used books in good condition. You can also bring your lightly read books to trade in for points. Mass market paperback = 3-4 points, good quality paperback = 5-7 points, big paperback = 8-10 points. Points can be used to buy other books in the store. Price is moderate, depending on the condition. Just a note though, the points-redemption system only works on selected titles. You have to pay for the others. read more

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This place is where I will always go to get books, I have found a ton of books there, for some amazing prices. The staff has helped me find everything I have wanted and have been so helpful to get me exactly the condition I am looking for. I highly recommend for anyone as I think it is such an awesome store. read more

How do I even begin to explain what makes a great bookstore? I can't all I can say is this place is one of the best ones I have ever been to and I seek them out. The staff is so nice and willing to help you find your book. Don't let the size of the store fool, you either; they have a warehouse in a different building that has thousands for books to search through on their website (which by the way is awesome). They have a great points system for trading in books and getting new ones from them and they can also order you stuff if by some chance they don't have it in stock. read more

There's nothing I love more than the smell of a used book store, there's something about a used book, where it's been, inscriptions for people who were loved dearly. This store had so much soul, the staff are friendly and know you by name. I do wish that I could get more sometimes with the books I've decided to part with, that being said, they're prices are still fairly reasonable. I love love love Central Book Exchange read more

Love this store and the staff and owner are always super friendly. You can tell they have a passion for books. Support your local businesses! read more

A nice, smallish used book store. Prices not super cheap but not expensive, either. Lots of paperback popular fiction.

Lovely independent book store, a bright and inviting store. It's not a sit down and read kind of store, but a nice browsing store. Staff was quite friendly but not overly attentive. An impressive collection of second hand books that seemed to be priced rather high. (For example, a Penguin paperback, slightly worn but in good condition, with minor marks inside by a pen or colored pencil, at a price slightly higher than the original cover price? Uh, no.) For trade-in, there seems to be a point system that is redeemable for some but not all books. If I lived in the neighborhood, I would likely be in here a lot but wouldn't do much buying for the prices I saw. read more

really lovely little bookstore. Dropped off a few books for exchange and they are super friendly and nice and there's a great selection inside. read more