To read something unique, buy used books
Chop Suey has more than 45,000 books in stock, from used and antique books to local publications, to newer titles and graphic novels. Photo by Ali Jones
Used bookstores are the best place to get your hands on something personal, that’s traveled through the decades to land squarely in your hands ― or something rare, printed only a few hundred times hiding among god-awful young adult novels.
Richmond is host to three used book stores within easy walking distance of VCU. Richmond Bookshop, Black Swan and Chop Suey all offer unique services and products to students in particular.
RICHMOND BOOK SHOP
“There’s still an undercurrent of people who like to smell a good book,” said Kathryn Pritz, owner of Richmond Bookshop. “A lot of people, the younger ones, still buy books. Jane Austin, Herman Hesse, Salinger, Hemingway. Young people like those.”
Pritz and her husband bought the store in 1995 after the previous owner, who’d been running the shop out of 808 W Broad St. since 1969, passed away.
“You have to diversify. There are people not specifically interested in books, but you have to bring them in,” Pritz said.
According to Pritz, this means in addition to fiction, non-fiction, antique books, and a huge collection of graphic novels, their store also sells vintage postcards from as far back as 1908, posters, tapestries, pop culture curios and even a few items of their own invention.
“We had art students coming in saying ‘I just need a picture of this, or a picture of that’ not always a full magazine or poster,” Pritz said. “We call them bag boards.”
Bag boards are small, laminated posters with images printed that feature glory shots of popular bands, icons and objects of cultural fascination.
According to Pritz, the biggest challenge to business is the elimination of parking on Broad St. Business is good during the year when students are around, but during the summer most businesses sit and chew their nails. But, with parking eliminated what business they do get from people passing through on vacation will be lessened, she said.
“A lot of our stock comes from elderly people dropping off books, but they can’t carry boxes for four or five blocks,” Pritz said.
BLACK SWAN BOOKS
Black Swan Books, opened by Nicholas Cooke in 1995 at 2601 W. Main St., specializes in rare and antique books. According to Cooke, the shop is named after Richmond’s founder, William Byrd, who was nicknamed “Black Swan” by one of his many lovers.
“We’re really passionate about Richmond, and we want Richmond to find out about that passion,” Cooke said. “The goal is to get young people hooked on the crazy of antique books.”
According to Cooke, there’s a popular misconception that rare and antique books are only for wealthy people. There’s a huge selection of books available at for $20, just like there’s books for a $1000, Cooke said. It depends what you’re interested in.
“This is a family business. We want our shop to be comfortable for people to come in and look around,” Cooke said. “I can put a book in your hands signed by Mark Twain, if you’re into that.”
While Cooke does stock from walk-ins and trades, he said he gets a large chunk from estate sales, auctions and people moving.
“I go into basements, I go into attics and tool sheds. It’s like a treasure hunt,” Cooke said. “I’m excited opening every box.”
CHOP SUEY
Chop Suey, founded by Ward Tefft in 2002, has been located at 2913 W. Cary St. since 2006. It specializes in local art, literature, and music curated for the Richmond crowd.
“When I was a student at VCU, there weren’t too many options for used books in town, so I would end up scouring used bookstores in other cities,” Tefft said. “This is the bookstore I always wanted for Richmond when I was a student.”
Tefft said with more than 45,000 books in stock that stretch from used and antique books to local publications, to newer titles and graphic novels, Chop Suey offers a unique environment for those interested in art of all kinds.
Chop Suey has also hosted a gallery space for artists on its second floor since 2002, usually for month-long exhibitions of both established and emerging artists’ work.
“This year we have turned the space over to local artists Noah Scalin and Thea Duskin for 10 months so they could put up a long term installation based on Madame Zoe’s psychic parlor and home,” Tefft said.“I love being around good art.”
SPECTRUM EDITOR
Jesse Adcock
Jesse is a junior print journalism major and Arabic and Middle Eastern culture minor. He has walked in the valley with no water and bitten the heads off of snakes.
