Selling used books the old-fashioned way

When Linda McGeary searches her database of books, she goes upstairs — to her brain.

You won’t find a computer in McGeary’s Bend store, The Bookmark.

“Actually, a computer would just make more work for us because you’d have to label and enter every book in here,” McGeary said while looking over the stacks of books neatly lined up on shelves. “I have a pretty good sense of what books we get in and what sells.”

McGeary jokes that even though she can’t call up her inventory, she can keep a pretty good catalog in her head — and all you have to do is ask.

That’s quite an accomplishment, considering that at any given time she has more than 70,000 books in the store. She estimates about 200 books come in every day and that she sells about 150 to 175 each day.

“Business is definitely increasing, I’d say every eight to 10 months we see a growth rate of about 15 to 20 percent,” McGeary said. “As the economy goes down, our business seems to go up because people want cheaper forms of entertainment. They don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good used book for $2 or $4.”

In this era of big bookstore chains and online discounters, The Bookmark and another small bookshop just to its west, The Open Book, have managed to thrive.

The two stores are at 228 and 155 N.E. Greenwood Ave., respectively. Both specialize in used books and customers are flocking to them, their owners say.

McGeary says she’s found her niche by offering customers a formula of trading and buying at half-price.

“I offer trade credit, so that means a customer that brings in a book will get half-credit for that book, and if they find another book in the store, they can use their credit and pay half the price on that other book,” explained McGeary, who originally gave trade credit slips when she opened her doors five years ago. “We did away with those slips early on because people would lose them. Now I keep track of their credit in my card file.”

On yellow 3-by-5 index cards, McGeary meticulously writes down customers’ names and how much credit they have at the store, and then she files their names alphabetically.

McGeary says she likes the “old-fashioned” process because she gets to know her customers by name. She has more than 6,000 customers in her file.

Business has been so good for McGeary that she’s limiting people to trading in one box or bag of books at a time for credit.

“It got to be overwhelming,” she said. “I was getting in 900 books a day. I couldn’t keep up. It can be a blessing and a curse.”

23 years — and counting

Across the street from The Bookmark is The Open Book, which opened in 1985 and carries about 50,000 used book titles, according to owner Doug Peabody.

“I think we’ve seen growth, as the town has grown,” said Peabody, who bought the store from the original owner 13 years ago. “I came back from Portland, where I managed the Millennium Record store, and that was a really hard business because music stores were competing more with the Internet … I don’t think books are competing as much with the Internet, but things are changing so fast.”

Peabody sells some books online, but has found it’s not cost-effective for his business.

While Peabody offers a similar trade credit as The Bookmark, he differs in that he’ll also offer cash for used books.

“When you’re a small independent retailer, you’re operating on a small profit margin,” Peabody said. “But I think there will always be a niche for us, because people love to read — and the cheaper, the better.”

Carolyn Horton, who has been working at The Open Book for more than 20 years, agrees.

“This is a recession-proof type of business. People love to read, but no one is going to get rich doing this,” Horton said.

Peabody has some worries for summer business this year because he relies on tourist traffic to boost sales.

“I am wondering what’s going to happen this summer with the high gas prices and perhaps less people traveling and visiting our area,” Horton said.

Used books versus new

McGeary says she doesn’t consider the national bookstore chains, big department stores or warehouse stores that sell heavily discounted new books her competition.

“Ironically, they feed us; it’s a symbiotic relationship,” McGeary said. “People buy the books there, and, let’s face it, everybody has too many books at home, and what do you do with all of them?” McGeary asked. “What you do is pass them on, and that’s why we’re here.”

McGeary doesn’t like to refer to her books as “used.” She prefers “well-read” or “well-loved books.”

Her store includes a section with what she calls “knockabout books,” which have been around the block a few times and are “well-experienced.” In this section, customers can buy a book for 50 cents.

Other bargains can be found, too. McGeary doesn’t consider her store an antiquarian bookshop and confesses she has no clue about the true value of the occasional antique book that arrives.

“We did have an Italian art book come in that was a numbered and signed edition and we priced it at $40, and I happened to see it on eBay for $80,” McGeary recalled. “If they find it, a rare book here, they’re welcome to it.”

Looking through the stacks of books, Redmond resident Rob Warsinski said he stops at The Bookmark every time he’s in Bend.

“This is a huge secondhand bookstore and the selection is great,” Warsinski said. “Everything is laid out and organized so well.”

He intended to buy one book but walked out the door with four.