By Courtney Dentch
Readers searching for the latest Harry Potter adventure may be hard-pressed to find a copy at The Book Shop in Bayside.
But for those looking for used paperbacks or schoolbooks at a discounted price, this is just the place to go.
The Book Shop, just off Bell Boulevard at 214-05 41st Ave., is a tiny shop where wooden bookcases overflow with stacks of paperback editions of novels, classics and nonfiction books, said Harriet Gasparri, who opened the store 23 years ago.
The store is a book exchange, where readers can sell their used books to earn a credit that they can use to buy more reading material, Gasparri said. Mystery and romance novels top the list of favorites, but oversized print versions of classics do well also, she said.
Gasparri also sells literature and classics published by Dover, which are usually priced lower than other versions, as well as used and new editions for school students, she said. The students, especially those paying their own way through college, appreciate the low costs, said store employee Diane Obiolo.
“The used classics help school kids who may not have a lot of money because they’re so heavily discounted,” she said.
There are also “bargain books” that are sold for a quarter, and many people will buy books to leave at senior centers or religious institutions, Obiolo said.
“People come buy them at four for a dollar and bring them to nursing homes,” she said.
Bayside has been a good home for The Book Shop because of its literary population, Gasparri said.
“We have a lot of loyal customers,” she said. “There are a lot of readers in Bayside. A lot of readers.”
One such loyal customer is a woman who supplies reading material to entertain her neighbors while they do laundry, Obiolo said.
“There’s one woman who buys books to leave in the laundry room of her apartment building,” she said. “She started her own little book club.”
The shop is open six days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but it stays open until 7 p.m. Thursdays, when many commuters who take the Long Island Rail Road will stop in, said Obiolo, who works that shift.
“They’re glad for the evening,” she said. “They usually come in and buy three for the week. They do a lot of going back and forth on the train, so they can do a lot of reading.”
Gasparri has expanded her offerings and, aside from the books, the store sells educational toys and puzzles and an upscale line of greeting cards that are not found in many stores, she said. The Marcel Schurman cards feature a printed collection and a handmade collection that includes felt decorations on the covers.
“People come all the way from Long Island for these cards,” Obiolo said. “Even in Long Island they can’t find them.”
The store also sells journals, gift-wrapping supplies, stationery sets and more, Gasparri said.
“We have a little bit of everything,” she said. “We try to carry things that others don’t carry.”
And after 23 years, that strategy has proven itself successful, she said.
“I had kids coming in here 23 years ago, and when they come back to the area to visit their friends or families, they stop in,” Gasparri said. “They remember this place.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
