Tag: Arcata

A Brief Guide to Four Humboldt Bookstores

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Humboldt County’s population numbers less than 150,000 people. Naturally, there aren’t a ton of stores. However, the stores that do exist have a certain rural appeal unattainable in larger cities. As I mentioned in my brief note on bookstores, bookstores in particular serve an important purpose in small towns.

With that in mind, here are the four main bookstores in Arcata and Eureka, each with their own unique brands:

Tin Can Mailman-

1000 H St, Arcata, CA. The Tin Can Mailman has served Arcata for over 40 years. The store houses an eclectic collection of used books of all types, including textbooks for students. They also have a trade-in program for store credit or cash. Come here if you’re looking to save money, or find lesser-known titles from better-known authors. Website here.

Northtown Books-

957 H St, Arcata, CA. Just across from the Tin Can Mailman in Arcata, Northtown Books can satisfy all of your new-book needs. Around since 1965, Northtown Books packs a punch in its small space. While the store might not have everything, if Northtown Books’ curated collection doesn’t contain what you’re looking for, maybe you don’t need it anyway. Website here.

The Booklegger-

402 Second St, Eureka, CA. The Booklegger brings a cozy, dungeon-like aesthetic into its space in Old Town Eureka.  The Booklegger’s name suits it well, as the store offers used and rare books that you might not find elsewhere. If you’re looking for an older, used title, try the Booklegger. (No website.)

Eureka Books:-

426 Second St, Eureka, CA. Eureka Books offers an historic experience with your bookstore-browsing. Located in a Victorian store built in 1879, Eureka Books carries new, used, and rare vintage books. Of the four listed stores, Eureka Books carries the broadest collection, with two open stories. Come here if you want to find pretty much anything… Or if you want to check out the fortune-telling Zoltar machine out front! Website here.

 

Hopefully, this gives you some idea of what to expect from these stores. Each has its own offerings and its own unique tastes. If you can, check them all out!

A Brief Note on Bookstores

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The Tin Can Mailman stands strong in the the rural city of Arcata, California. The Tin Can Mailman has served Arcata for over 40 years.

You’re walking down a street. You see a used bookstore. You wonder why you’d want to go there. You approach the store, and step under a sign like the one above. 

If you weren’t aware, bookstores in the U.S. and across the globe are in decline. Over the last decade, chains like Borders have closed down, while Amazon has grown its share of the book market, both physically and digitally. Part of the decline in bookstores has to do with our decline in literary reading, but part of it also has to do with where we buy our books. Simply put, the state of the independent bookstore is fragile.

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Books line the shelves, cramping the small building up into the second floor. The Tin Can Mailman offers books of all types, including textbooks for college students.

You stumble in. You look around. You see some things familiar, many things foreign. You grab a book off the shelf and flip through it. 

Such is the beauty of a real, physical bookstore. Real bookstores have character, and they offer you an experience curated by other humans, not just algorithms. 

At the bookstore, you find something you like. You think, why not?

So you look at the cover for a price, expecting a prohibitive price of at least $15 dollars. Then you spot, on the inside flap, the hand-scrawled price of just $7. Not bad.

You go to the counter. You get a compliment on your book choice. You leave with a new book, and it becomes one of your favorites. You later come back and pick out more books, finding some gems and some bombs. The bombs you sell for store credit.

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Walk around a bookstore long enough, and a book inevitably calls your name. The Tin Can Mailman offers reasonable prices and a trade-in program, in which you can receive cash or store credit for your old books.

These are just some of the benefits of choosing real, physical bookstores. While these stores might be in a small revival, they still need your help. Unfortunately, most book buyers are older white college graduates—which undoubtedly points to other systemic issues—but at the very least, this should push us to go and out support independent bookstores, thereby setting a better example for those around us.

If you read books (and if you don’t, please do), find a local, independent bookstore. I used to buy books on Amazon, because it was simple and convenient. But I’ve come to understand that buying books in stores is a vastly more rewarding and comforting experience. (It’s also a great way to save money if you trade in the books you’re done with. )

Even in our age of decreasing reading rates and online skimming, there’s a beauty to the independent bookstore.

Thanks to Arcata’s Tin Can Mailman, a longstanding used bookstore, for letting me take photos.