No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveNew Heredia Bookstore a Real Page-Turner

New Heredia Bookstore a Real Page-Turner

HEREDIA has a new English-language used bookstore. That’s good news, since the unfortunate closing of The Literate Cat in September. Brian’s Books is a little hard to find at first, but it’s just a half block east of the cathedral on the street heading east (toward the Universidad Nacional) inside a little mall and just behind Scott Englander’s chiropractic clinic.

The small size of the store is deceptive. It has room for 10,000 books, hard- and softcover, and owner Brian Smith plans to add used CDs and DVDs. The Tico Times is also sold there.

“We’re taking things one step at a time,” Smith says of his new venture. “We’ll see what the people want.”

There’s not much space for moving around inside the shop, which is full of books. But two big, roomy benches under the mall’s skylight and just outside the store provide a place to rest and read, and Smith is looking into an arrangement with a nearby restaurant for a coffee service to help patrons really feel at home.

PRICES are moderate. Smith promises to keep to the $1-$4 range with trades-ins, and to bring in “new” used books so patrons aren’t forever exchanging the same ones. Smith is from the Philadelphia area. He took time out from WestchesterCollege to work in a foundry and as an auto mechanic and returned to college to graduate in education with a specialty in social science.

He came to Costa Rica in 1997, met and married Ana Sandi of Escazú in 1998. He set up the bookstore last year because he has always been an avid reader. He said it was his first trip outside the United States, his first marriage and his first commercial venture. He and Sandi are expecting another “first” later this year.

THE store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The area has a parking lot and street parking. For more info, call Smith or Sandi at 308-7098.

 

Trending Now

Costa Rica Green Hotels Lead Global Sustainable Tourism

Costa Rica’s reputation as a leader in sustainable tourism grows stronger every year, with our green hotels setting a high bar for eco-conscious hospitality...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Costa Rica and Panama Seek Gold Cup Glory Against North American Giants

With no Caribbean teams advancing, a Central American contingent made up of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala heads into the quarterfinals of the...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica