Well played, Miller Memorial Public Library…read more We were looking for used bookstores & found a place in Hamden called "Second Hand Prose." Sounds cool, right? It's. in. the. library. Gah. Unfortunately, said store was closed. Instead, there was a small area near the checkout desk with an unexciting selection available for sale. So there is - or was - a used bookstore-- just not in the way we thought.

This is a great used bookstore. It is almost a literal hole in the wall, located in an old factory…read moredown a long hallway. The books are used but all in fantastic condition. The aisles are narrow so only one person can occupy the space at a time, but it just means you have to look at other books waiting your turn. The prices have a range depending on type, age, and genre but are pretty easy to figure out. Those that do have special pricing are also clearly marked. The shop doesn't have set hours so definitely follow on social media. Not only is it fun to see all the new books that come in, they're very clear about when a sale will come along.

Great used book shop. They're done an expansion for add to their overall are which allowed aisles…read moreto be expanded for easier movement. All books are in great condition and very from an average of $2-$10 with children's books at .50, occasional $1 finds and signed copies or harder to find/newer books being over that $10 average, which is perfectly fine. Still a great overall discount usually and the experience is always great. Always busy!

Our bellies were full and we needed to burn off some calories while in downtown New Haven, so my…read morefriends took my wife and I over to Grey Matter Books since we are big readers and don't care to just walk into the Barnes and Noble down the street. From the moment you walk into this place you are slapped in the face with the lovely smell of used books. This shop is filled from front to back with thousands of used books all separated in little sections. This place definitely doesn't have a ton of newer titles, but is definitely the type of place you can spend an hour or so in just digging through everything and finding some weird and quirky reads. Overall, Grey Matter Books is a very solid used book store with a wide array of different types of books. Although I didn't leave with anything (I live in LA so I can only travel with so many new books, which is a shame) this place is definitely somewhere I'll continue to stop at when visiting Connecticut in the future.

I had been to their "main" (original?) store in Massachusetts, and was so excited to see them as I…read moredrove through New Haven. In fact, even though they were not participating in the Dessert Crawl I was there for, they were my first stop. I made such a smart decision. This store has the same type of fantastic inventory you find in Massachusetts, just fewer ducks guarding it. Every space that can reasonably hold a book shelf has one. It's clean, well faced, and has the occasional folding chair to sit and take it all in. The clerk let people browse quietly, which was more appreciated. The prices were written on the inside cover, so it was nice and clear. I'm excited to go back for the next Crawl and include this store as a stop!

We had a small hiccup at first since I didn't realize their hours were limited, but I received my…read morebook and couldn't be happier with it.

From the owner: We specialize in science fiction, science (particularly astronomy), 18th and 19th century texts,…read moreand history although we have books for just about everyone in all fields from Romance to Children's Literature. 5% of all yearly earnings are donated to charities supporting neuro-divergent communities and communities affected by trauma.

We love Syd's! Just…read morepulling up to their location with the welcoming signs for book lovers makes it apparent you are about to walk into a vast collection of books! We were immediately welcomed and shown the book sections. Syd's has an active social media presence and shows new books coming in. They had just had their sale so they no longer had the book but I'm glad as their sales were so successful l! I got one book for just $3! What a value and so excited to help their mission. You can donate books at any time and we saw some had been left at the front door and many people stopped in to drop off books while we were still there!

As a local author, reader, and small business supporter, this place is top tier…read more The selection is large! You may have some issues finding some specific books if you're looking for a particular title, but overall a massive selection of a range of authors. Since this is a donation-based bookstore, they typically have only 1-2 dublicates of a title. The value is also very good, with the books --even new ones-- being well under market value. The prices range from $.50-$9 on average and you can buy brand new books for cheap! Much better than Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Great if you just want a book to read or find children's books! The service is outstanding! Very friendly staff that love to strike up a conversation. Locally owned and a nonprofit so the owners are very passionate about reading and books and the town itself. Always fun to stop buy and have a chat while browsing and checking out! Will be returning and donating whenever po

Good used bookstore. Reasonably priced. Very friendly staff. Good selection and a searchable…read moreinventory

I visited Books & Company recently for the first time & completely fell in love with it…read more Apparently, this store used to be in Hamden, but the owner retired & sold the building & the company. This is the new location & new ownership. I had never been to the prior store. I spent a whopping two hours in this little shop. It is set up & well curated like a fancy bookstore, on par with my experience at shops like Athena Books in Greenwich, CT, and Martin House Books (formerly Savoy) in Westerly, RI. It's on the smaller/boutique-style size, so don't expect a massive range of genres, like one would find at the Book Barn in Niantic, CT. There's no coffee shop, but there is a Keurig & water available, and a handful of chairs to sit in. The used fiction books were in good or very good condition, easy to locate in their sections, and priced around $8 for hardcovers if the book retailed $24+. I got two recent NYTimes bestsellers that had been on my wishlist. The children's & young adults books were also well selected, and I bought a handful, ranging in $2-$3/each for paperback & hardcover. The price stickers easily peeled off all of my books without leaving any residue, which I very much appreciated. The gift selection was perfect for stocking stuffers or small mailed gifts, including for nerds, gamers, and musicians. There were bowls full of stickers, $0.25 each, and postcards, $1 each. Funny magnets, like Mincing Mockingbird, were a full $3 cheaper than at other gift shops (e.g. Bowerbird in Old Lyme, CT). There were also some handmade gifts from locals. There's a shelf near checkout with wrapped mystery books. I thought this was the common "buy a date with a random book" thing. It wasn't -- You picked one for free with the purchase of any book in the store. The wrapping is a hint related to the title or theme, and a lot of the wrapping was sustainable, e.g. reusing a helium balloon body or old calendars, etc. I was surprised that the mystery book wasn't tied to a minimum purchase amount (and I wonder if it will be sustainable for the shop's bottom line, I have to admit). I was further amazed that all of the wrapped books were advertised as being at least 3.5+ stars on GoodReads. My mystery book ended up being a pristine paperback copy of "The Time Traveler's Wife." There's a selection of greeting cards as well, but I found those to be the only spot the store was lacking; they were expensive at $6+, and I've seen a lot better selections, e.g. at The Bowerbird, with a larger range of independent artists, at more affordable price points $3-$5. I normally buy a lot of greeting cards when I come across ones that aren't the big box brands (Hallmark has a massive monopoly, omg), but I didn't buy any cards here. There was a free section near the front door, and there was a fill-a-bag sale rack near the front. I asked the cashier/owner a lot of questions, and she was very knowledgeable and helpful. I heard her speaking with others who came in & from my understanding, when you trade in books, you get half their selling value in store credit. All in all, this is one of my favorite used bookstores I've visited, and I will definitely travel to the area again before the holidays to visit it. I would highly recommend it! If you like to shop used/vintage/antiques, there's also a little store next door in the same plaza, but it doesn't have A/C. This book shop does have A/C. =)

Great selection of books to choose from. The owner Jill was very knowledgable about the books my…read moreson was interested in. We will definitely be back!

Stumbled across this bookstore on our way to dinner. Owner was pleasant to talk to. Plenty of books…read moreto choose from. Only wish I had more time to browse the shelves. I will return to do so!

They employ people that have disabilities to provide them with actual work experience and they have…read morereally nice books for very cheap! A lot of children's books as well. Everyone is so nice there and I love that it double as an amazing cause.

most adorable local book shop. i picked up a few books and also noticed they have fun classes and…read moreevents.

Small shop but packed with tons of great stuff, pleasant staff, great place. Very clean and…read moredisplays are appealing, you feel like you're in a gift shop rather than thrift. fun items on the dollar rack, and nice jewelry

From the owner: We are a nonprofit thrift store that supports our Ministry, Hand To Hand Direct Care Ministry, Inc…read more We help people in need in our community with free furniture, household items, and clothing. Referrals are required.

Connecticut Foodshare Headquarters is located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Connecticut Foodshare…read moresupports individuals and families from one end of the state to another by addressing root causes, creating long-term solutions, and distributing nutritious food through local partner programs to alleviate hunger. I got the opportunity to volunteer at Connecticut Foodshare from a fellow foodie who invited other foodie content creators. We had a great time, and we were able to help families all across the world. We had to go through an assortment of foods to ensure they were good, and we made boxes with assorted foods. We packed 16,637 pounds of food that would provide 13,864 meals for families. I'm excited that we had the chance to volunteer at Connecticut Foodshare, where I became an integral part of a team and provided essential support to those facing food insecurity.

Connecticut Foodshare HQ is located in Wallingford, CT with 85,000 square feet of space running…read moreoperations with 120 employees and gets assistance majority from volunteers. They have a beautiful mission to deliver an informed and equitable response to hunger by mobilizing community partners. I got the opportunity to volunteer with a group, all invited by word of mouth to sort produce separating spoiled products from the good ones. The staff were incredible with giving us the information we needed to directing us on how we can assist multiple families in need. At the end of the day, as a group we boxed 16,637 pounds of food that would impact 13,864 meals. That's incredible for 3 hours! It is amazing work and I commend all their staff for what they are doing every day to feed families in need!