Please see my review of the Strand for more context. The Strand is a mega store that says they…read morehave 18 miles of books. Nice store. But Mercer Street Books & Records is a place with heart and soul.
While the Strand might have tons of new stuff, Mercer has some quirky, delightful, and downright weird stuff. Niche stuff. Magazines that are 20 years old (we are talking about art, music, and culture mags, not Vogue or People). Worn and well-loved used volumes of poetry, film. Languages (huge German and Spanish section). Some records, though nothing recent. Mostly things from the 40s-50s-60s, maaayyyyyybe some a little older. Show tunes. Soundtracks. Patty Duke.
Fashion, design, music (Jazz, rock, British Invasion). Was bummed there was no hiphop section, but I'm not sure I should have ever presumed there would be one. Religion, fiction, history, and more.
Mostly organized. Loosely may be a better word. Makes it more like a fun treasure hunt, the way things are arranged. Maybe in the design section, you might find a random copy of, "Making Dinosaurs Dance" or a Netter's anatomy coloring book. Both are in some way about art and design, but they are unexpected discoveries. Mercer is smaller than the Strand, but not as busy or as crowded, at least not on the Wednesday night I went.
As I said on my review of the Strand, the person I presume to be the owner of this shop was there working the register. I could be wrong about the owner part, but I could tell the guy was old school LES and village. Beatnik hat, scarf, vest, round rimmed glasses, beard.
As far as value, a lot to be found here. Good prices and some interesting finds. And loved that they were playing jazz. Whereas other stores might feel commercial and crowded, this felt like a hidden community spot.
