Jim Reed Books

We only had a few hours in Birmingham, but if this store is indicative of the city, then the city is awesome! Had a lot of fun browsing and the owner and staff were friendly.

TIME&PLACE: Thursday, right before closing
I love visiting bookstores (preferably used) when I visit new cities. Jim Reed was the obvious choice, and it was conveniently located.
*Jim (I think I met Jim…) was SUPER friendly, but in the best possible way. Even though it was close to closing, he answered my questions and checked in on me here and there, but also gave me time to peruse and browse without constantly checking in on me, which I appreciated. He helped me find the Children’s/YA section, as well as the Fantasy/​SciFi sections, which are the sections I typically enjoy.
*It is as chaotic as the pictures look, but there is definitely a method to the madness, which is my favorite kind of chaos (although I like orderly bookstores too)
*The majority of the books are older, so you probably will have better luck if you’re coming in looking for a classic, something quirky/​unique, or an «antique» — I ended up buying a copy of the Hobbit (need to readddd it!) and a Nicholas Sparks book (guilty pleasure, easy airplane reading what can I say?)
*Found metered street parking right outside the bookstore
*The door is VERY creaky… such a random note, but it stuck with me
*Another note on Jim – he really loves his city and was telling me some of the great things to do in the area, and just left a good taste in my mouth, if you know what I mean. Love that.

Reed Books is what every used bookstore on the planet should be like! They literally have thousands of volumes crammed in every available space plus they have interesting magazines and ephemera scattered throughout! And then there’s the man himself. Jim Reid has encyclopedic knowledge of just about every book this been written in the last 50 years or so plus he generally will either have it on the shelf or be able to get it for you.

The owner is a funny curmudgeon with an eidetic memory regarding anything literary. This little hobbit-​hole of a bookstore is something out of a movie. (e.i. the bookstore in The NeverEnding Story) There’s nothing comparable to the smell of old books.
The charm of the place is all the seeming chaos, but there’s an order to all the shelves. Amazingly, Reed knows where everything is stashed. He has an extensive collection of antiques in great condition, as well as whatnots and momentos everywhere. These range from old Victorian photos, old postal boxes of letters, playing cards, random art prints, and trinkets.
I recently found a lovely, vintage anthology of supernatural authors for my hubby, who I’ve introduced to the greats: Lovecraft, Smith, Bierce, etc. The opportunity to dig through the stacks and find my own diamonds is rare in the age of corporate, impersonal bookstores. If you’re looking for an obscure work from an author forgotten by the narcissistic Academia, this is the place you will find it. Reed can locate an author/​work if he doesn’t have your treasure stored somewhere.

Jim Reed is the man! Anyone who disagrees hates babies and is a terrorist.
This bookstore is best visited when you don’t have a time constraint. The store is full of interesting books, posters, magazines, and assorted memorabilia. You also need time to search for the books you want because due to obvious logistical issues the books are alphabetized by the first letter of the author’s last name only. In other words all the books by authors with the last name started with «S» are on the same shelf but are not arranged in any particular order.
Besides the obvious charm of the bookstore the real draw of this store is Jim Reed himself. This guy knows a lot about books and has purportedly memorized every book published within the last 90 years. I routinely walk into his store and say something like «I really liked the book XYZ and I’m looking for something similar, what book would you suggest?» His suggestions are rock solid.
His store is cluttered, a bit haphazard, and completely awesome.
Advice: You shouldn’t come to this store with your heart set on a particular book or you may be disappointed. You should walk in with a few books in mind or maybe any book by a particular author… or whatever catches your eye.

Completely cluttered, quirky, and cozy. This place is like crack for those with ADD. Fun place to kill time on a lazy afternoon. I bought a book here just because the owners were so darn nice. Dare you to walk out empty-​handed.

Jim Reed (the person) is a one-​of-​a-​kind fellow – ask him for an author or a title or a subject that’s been written about in the last, oh, 500 years, and he’ll track it down for you and show you where it is on the cram-​packed shelves that fill to capacity his quaint bookstore in downtown Birmingham.
Frankly, I was a bit taken aback, overwhelmed even, when I walked in the door: what met my eyes were predominately shelves of books, but they were accessorized by vintage paraphernalia, knick-​knacks, sundries, posters, magazine covers, and numerous other random items.
Once I got my bearings and thought of a couple particulars to search for, I enjoyed the experience much more – especially since Jim knew exactly where to point me. The sheer breadth of time periods, genres and authors accomodated in the store was impressive, and I can see why book hounds love this store – my lovely bride was completely enthralled with it as the explored the shelves for tomes old and new.
A neat experience, not quite what I expected, but once I got over my preconception of what the place was going to be (more like What’s on 2^nd?, I suppose), I had fun.

I don’t even really have the words to write about this place… the minute you walk into the door for the first time, you can sense the importance of what is in this store. It’s not just books and memorabilia, it is a collection fragments of our culture, history — snapshots of times and places that largely can’t be revisited. Each piece in this store was, at one time, owned by at least one other person. Looking through the stacks and thinking about how many lives each piece of merchandise in the store passed through at one time or another just astounds me.
Check it out.

The best used bookstore I have ever been to. I could spend every Saturday here for months and still not have seen all the unique books and items in this store. It definitely has a «magical» atmosphere that I can’t describe… you just got stop in to see for yourself. New things, old things, useless stuff and collectibles… Jim Reed Books as it all. Such a great place to spend a few hours. And if you want to find an out-​of-​print book– go here and I bet you will find it. I guarantee you will find something that interests you.
And Jim is helpful in locating the stuff you might be looking for. Nice and knowledgeable too. Sine it is downtown, tt can be difficult finding close parking spots though

Currently the best used bookstore in Birmingham. Usually has a very eclectic selection of books and old assorted memorabilia. A must see for anyone visiting this city. My only two complaints and the reasons for docking one star are that I preferred the previous location as it had more charm and atmosphere and it’s kinda pricey for a used bookstore, but these are minor complaints. Check it out!

In all my travels I have yet to find a bookstore /​antique store /​collector’s shop that compares to Reed Books. There is something very special about the atmosphere of this place… something magical. There is a breadth and a scope here that I’ve yet to encounter in even the big cities. For those interested in history, books, collector’s items, Americana and assorted cultural ephemera, this is your Graceland.
Jim Reed is a personable guy, who seems happy to indulge you in your taste for the old, outdated, weird, esoteric, campy, or just plain interesting. Housed in a building dating from the late 1800’s, and overflowing with «stuff», Reed books is the perfect place to spend a weekend afternoon.