Left In Lowell

Anyone friends with me on facebook knows that lately, I have been bemoaning the outage of our new TV for the last couple of weeks. Boy, is that a trying experience. Yeah, yeah, I know that everyone should cut down on it and there’s a lot of life outside of TV, but it is the thing that gets you slowly awake in the AM, numbs your mind after a long day of coding, and gives you that thing people call news all weekend…well, except insofar that it appears the Mr. and I get our news almost totally from online these days, because we didn’t miss that so much.

Anyway, a couple of friends had mentioned this new used bookstore in Nashua on DW. I’ve been on a reading kick lately anyway (even when the TV was workin’) so I decided to check it out last week. It was, to say the least, the most books I’ve bought in a single outing…ever. Awesome. If you’re like me, a voracious reader who likes to own books (the library never appealed to me…I like to reread my beloved books until I practically memorize them), this is your new Mecca.

They also have used DVDs (nothing I was too interested in though), a lot of kids’ books (I thought of my nieces!) and a great section full of old, classic, or rarish books. (I nearly, nearly was insane enough to pick up an old hardbound copy of Ulysses. Almost. I was tempted. Then I came to my senses.)

I did get some classics, though I spent most of my browsing time in the fantasy/scifi section. Heaaaaaaaaaven. Even found one of the few Ursula le Guin book I don’t own. I suspect I will drive the Mr. out of the house with the shelf space I will be taking up from now on. (Political books? *toss* Philosophy? *recycle* And are we reeeealy using these oversized orchestral scores?)

Also, opening soon (next week?) down the street some, is a Savers - a gigantic used everything store. I got a sneak preview, they let me in to browse. Looks like some really great clothing, including a whole section of kids (those kid’s clothes are damned expensive new), furniture, knick-knacks, pots and pans and kitchen stuff…you name it. Both stores also team up with local nonprofts, though they are for-profit enterprises.

I find it ironic, or maybe just telling, that both these stores opened up where once, two great pillars of electronics stores existed. Savers is at the old Circuit City, and the Used Book Superstore is where the Tweeters used to be. And yes. They both take up all the space inside, to tell you how large these recession-driven stuff sellers really are and how much extremely affordable used goodies they hold.

Reduce, reuse, recycle! Savers and the UBS certainly can help us with that second one.

Update - By the by, if you land at the store at the right hour, you might spot a certain former young city council candidate! I almost forgot to mention. I also had a great long conversation with another young employee who was stocking the classics/rare section, it was a treat to be around people who love books as much as I do.