The Gem of the Main Street promenade. Exquisitely helpful and friendly, amazing variety, and bookish atmosphere. I love to shop and order my new books here. read more

This is a great little store where the owner is very involved and helpful. She doesn't just sell books, she is an avid reader and helps with recommendations. With the big players vanishing, it is nice to have smaller places that still have the vibe. I just wish she was able to stay open later. read more

Quaint and small town used book store with a homey and cozy feel to it. The store is ran by a friendly local who you can tell knows about books and loves what she does. Only wish the store has a reading section for those who can't wait to begin reading their new selection. Picked up a great read and will be back for more! read more

Second Time Around Used Books - Used Bookstore Near Me - Merced, California

I came here to get some new books to read. It had been a few years since I had come back and wow do they have a great collection of books. I love the prices and of course the smell of the store. Very friendly staff and I will be back when I finish these three! read more

Second Time Around Used Books - Used Bookstore Near Me - Merced, California

Cute shop with lots of books at GREAT prices and the owner is so kind, knowledgeable, and helpful!!

This is now my favorite used bookstore. Not only do they have a great selection of books that are well-organized and in great shape, the customer service is OFF THE CHART! We were greeted by the owner (which has never happened to me in a bookstore) and helped to find some great new reads. Very reasonable prices and a clean store. If my wife and I are ever in Merced again, we're stopping by for sure! read more

I love this store so much. It is really well organized inside and super cute. I have been going here since I was a kid and it never disappoints. They have a great selection of books. If you're looking for it, you will probably find it. All of the people who work there are super kind and helpful. Come to this store before you order something online! The prices are good and I don't want this store to die! read more

I have been coming here for years. I hadn't had time to do a good ol book swap in a ehile and when I returned I was shocked. The kids section now sucks and my favorite employee, the one that.recommended the greatest stories, I found out is no longer there. Though the girl was helpful and great with my kids I am still sad that I don't have my book buddy anymore. read more

Second Time Around Used Books - Used Bookstore Near Me - Merced, California

Terrible experience. They have an item, on the shelf, and the price is $75.- So, I talked with them about the fact that I wanted to use credit from my trade in books which totaled more than $150.- The value they gave me for the books I turned in to sell to them (books I no longer needed and wanted to trade for the item). No, they just took it away, even though they had known I was paying down my credit for this item...They basically stole from me, because I gave them books which they bought from me for $150.- value, and will in turn sell for probably around $500-$600.-I have no use for people like this. In Europe, a used bookstore will pay you either cash for your books, and at a FAIR value, or if you want to trade for other books they have, they will give you more in trade value. Not here in Merced, book lady just wants to take your money, take your books, and give you HALF of the value. UNETHICAL if you ask me read more

This delightful used book store sits happily on Main Street, between a trophy shop and a hot-tub store. Usually there's a cart out front with paperbacks on sale, and the front display windows show classic and popular books. They have sections for romance, mystery, cookbooks, history, classic literature, chyildren's lit, ethnic lit, poetry, and I think a few more. Price-wise, if you're taking a lit class in college, some of the books on sale might be cheaper than buying a book online (if you include the cost of shipping). The owner, who recently passed away, was a book-lover who would sit and read while you browsed. Now, his employees are keeping the store open. There are a few chairs scattered around, a good selection of old classic books, and it's peaceful and quiet inside. It is CASH ONLY, and there's an ATM a block or two away. If I had my way, I'd put a few more chairs in there to make a sort of lounge, and I'd serve coffee, but in all, this place is great, and I'm grateful we have a decent used-book store in Merced. read more

It was my first time in here with my kids looking for children's chapter books and I'll definitely be coming back . Everything is organized well rounded selection and just a cute book store ! The main thing I enjoyed was the customer service, the lady greeted us immediately and came to see if there was anything we needed help with , gave some suggestions and was able to help when we needed it . She was such a delight and was great with my kids .She also said they have a credit system when you bring books in which is awesome. We will definitely be coming back ! read more

I was looking for a specific book. She didn't have it but I found one outside in the reduced price section and one in the religious section and then she and I got to talking about one of my favorite authors. She is VERY knowledgeable about so many books. So I bought a book by favorite guy. Then as I'm leaving I look in the front window and I found a copy of a book for my Wizard of Oz collection. Wow. I will be a frequent customer. Not that I need another book. read more

This bookstore quickly became one of my favorite spots in Merced when I first moved here last year. The woman who helped me was so knowledgeable and accommodating. When she couldn't find a book I asked for, she offered other suggestions. She even gave me a discount for buying a bunch of books at one time. When I go to this store, I use my Goodreads app on my phone and ask the sales clerk to help me find the books on my to-read list. It's perfect. They may not have everything, but I will always check here before going to Barnes & Noble, so I can support local small business. read more

The only place I buy books. They don't have as much as a new book store, but they do have RARE stuff that you can't find anywhere, and they have it for cheap. I've yet to see a book there that wasn't in great shape, and upon checking online after an impulse buy (which I do waaay too often), I've always found that I got an amazing price. The staff is generally very friendly and helpful, and seems to know a lot about what they have in store, as well. FYI: They take cash ONLY. And when they tell you a price over the phone, they usually don't tell you the tax, so...you know, bring a few extra dollars. Oh, and if you bring in books to trade in, they give you half the value of those books towards in-store credit - not exactly a fair trade, but I don't see other places taking trade-ins *at all* anymore. read more

My sister came from out of town and was looking forward to buying some books, we had our 2 small children and from the minute we rang the door the older lady working seemed annoyed we even came.She hovered over us and continuously followed us . When the kids grabbed a book she took it from them whether we wanted to buy it or not. When it was time to check out she was naming off whatever price she wanted not even acknowledging the price in the book, she even tried to charge us for the books we did not want. Needless to say we left without the books and we definitely wont be returning if shes working. read more

The lady working followed my children and I around the entire time I was in the store. It was the most uncomfortable feeling ever. She kept asking me to carry my one year old daughter. For safety reasons she would tell me. I will never return to this store. read more

Medium bookstore full of books. There was lots of novels but I was looking for computer related books.

You know, i have been a patron of Second Time Around since I don't know when.. Easily found next to Bob Newhart Square there is a whole new world of fantasy, mystery, educational scary and children books and much much more waiting to be explored.. just outside the door you will always find a rack of books 3 for 1 dollar and the best part of this wonderful little store is that you can trade your books for 50% discount on your next purchases.. So before you go tossing books that are no longer interesting to you make sure you take them to Second Time Around.. you never know what you'll find in return. Always a loyal patron T Bliss read more

Second Time Around Used Books - Used Bookstore Near Me - Merced, California

Never ever will return here, the older lady was rude. Me and my siblings felt very unwelcomed.

Cute little place with tons of books, but only giving it 4 stars because they only had 4 of the 11 books I needed for my 2 Literature classes. Anyway, the one girl working, Alyssa, was super helpful. I gave her my list of books and she found what they had for me. She's really nice and friendly too, even gave me a high 5 for being a Lit major! She also said they'll order any books they don't have from Amazon for you since they have that prime membership. read more

just an awesome bookstore..any questions ask Alissa she's got the answer..also her accessories always on point. the store didn't have the book i was looking for and she took the time to find it for me elsewhere. read more

I went in with my daughter and the older lady working was very unfriendly and seemed irritated when I asked the price of a book I wanted to purchase. We left and will not be returning. read more

Rude, unwelcoming, felt like I wasn't allowed to look around bc the lady stood there staring and hovering. Left as soon as possible. I always support independent bookstores but they are missing out on hundreds of $ from me and my family. read more

They are the rudest people who own this store, you have to ring a bell to get in, and the lady followed me around the whole, time .... Never ever will go back .. Less than a star read more

PLEASE buy books here, we LOVE this store and want them to be around FOR EVER. (Thank you, Lysa (sp?) for your help today!

A good selection of books, very well organized layout and it also gives off a welcoming, comforting vibe. The owner, Nancy, was absolutely amazing! A great personality and a great conversation made for a very memorable customer service experience. Will definitely be coming back! read more

I was so pleasantly surprised at how charming this book store was. I'm a frequent purveyor of used bookstores and Second Time Around has one of the most unique collections I've seen. They have a of variety of genres and carry lots of classics as well as currently popular books as well. The quality are just as good as new for many of the books and are reasonably priced in my opinion (around 7 dollars). I was able to find some lesser known books from my favorite author that I've never been able to find anywhere else! Just be warned that there is a 15 dollar card minimum. read more

Awesome place to just be at, never mind all of the great unknown novels we have yet to read. Excellent help and very knowledgeable staff. Someone commented rudely about the buzzer to get in. Unknown to that somebody is that a transient is very violent downtown and has pushed the elderly owner around and flung entire shelves of books to the ground. Sadly this is how some of our businesses have to react to the huge number of mentally flawed transients. read more

Great selection! I got the novels I needed for school and some classics just for fun! Nice, friendly service and amazing prices, beat Amazon and definitely beat Barnes and noble. read more

Amazing selection and awesome employees!! Helpful and so sweet!! I cant believe the quality and quantity!! Will recommend again and again!!

Went to these guys to see if they have text books for merced college. They 1 book out of 3, and the price was really good. I will check back every semester to see if I can save a little money on textbooks. They recommended to call in to check if the text book is there. read more

This is the perfect spot for anyone who has ever lived in a big city and longed to have that feeling of just browsing old, sometimes dusty books... a true feeling of nostalgia for all of us who really love to get wrapped up in a good book on a cold winter day, or like to peruse this type of media on a summer day by the pool. For the price of one online book, you could fill a backpack here! read more

It is a great little store in downtown Merced and the people who work there are always great and helpful. FYI they only only take cash.

This is an excellent second-hand bookstore, located on Main Street in Merced. Since its purchase by Nancy after the owner died, the store has become very organized and is a pleasure to visit. There are some new books, but it's mostly second-hand. One of my favorite areas is "trade paperbacks," which has hundreds of titles, all alphabetically shelved. There's also mysteries, biographies and autobiographies, travel, self-help, essays, classics, cookbooks, audio books, children's books, you name it! She has thought of everything. It's all very well organized, clean and tasteful. There's a huge free parking lot in back, in case the street has no parking. This store is definitely is one of Merced's redeeming features. read more

On a drearey Saturday afternoon in January we had 4 children who were really looking forward to a trip to the bookstore. These particular children absolutely LOVE to read and we figured with a very nice write up in the local paper and a 4 out of 5 stars review, this would be a wonderful experience and we felt good about supporting one of the Mom and Pop shops on Main Street. What a disappointment! From the moment we walked in the door, the store clerk appeared very annoyed to have CHILDREN in the store. As our kids looked at the books and were very excited to see some of their favorites, the clerk hovered over them huffing and straightening books just as their little hands moved past them. OK, maybe the books didn't go right back to exactly where they were found so I took a breath and tried to think of the hovering as assisting with my eventual clean up. However, when the oldest of my children asked if there was a particular book in the store and the clerk responded with a pointed finger and "Well, if we did it would be over there in the Children's section." without any effort to look up the title or offer to help find the book, my patience grew thin. Everything in me wanted to gather the kids up and leave this store and never return, but the kids had been looking forward to this all day and I didn't want to punish them because of a store clerk's bad attitude. The two youngest children found a favorite book and asked me to read it to them. There was a small but sturdy chair in the Children's section, so I sat down and started reading. After about 2 pages, the store clerk came over and said, "I'll go grab a stool so you don't break the chair." EXCUSE ME??? Perhaps, "Ma'am I would be happy to get you a stool." or just about any other approach would have been better than what sounded like "You're fat a$$ is about to break that chair." At that point I was D-O-N-E! We did let each of the children pick out one book but I guarantee you, that will be the LAST book we EVER purchase from that store and I will share this story with anyone who will listen. I attempted to call and speak with the owner on the following Monday and discovered that the store clerk we dealt with WAS the owner. VERY DISAPPOINTING!!! I would NOT recommend this bookstore. read more

such a sweet collection...books are awfully decorative!

This store always has an awesome selection at great prices. It's usually hard for me to only leave with what I originally planned to buy. They always have what I am looking for plus a dozen other great treasures. read more