Blue Whale Books

The Pros
— There’s a dog inside who just hangs out. So cute. I think it’s a cardigan corgi.
— Decent selection of old and modern books.
The Cons
— Pretentious staff who take your soda cup out of your hand because you might get condensation on your hands and touch books (I’m not joking — and this is a used book store where the bindings are bent up, pages are worn and written on, and it didn’t look the cleanest inside). Whut? These aren’t priceless artifacts or even NEW books. Last time I was in B&N I’m pretty sure no one cared that an adult had a beverage. THIS is why people just order on Amazon.
— Prices. Not only did next to none of the books or shelves have prices on them, it turns out they’re pretty expensive for used books. I could go get just about any of this stuff at my local thrift shop for a buck each. But nah, man, we are in Charlottesville, home of pretentious Zima drinking, collar-​popping douches. My total was $ 20 for four used books, all of which were pretty worn, three of them paperbacks, all of them with some kinds of markings on them from previous owners (e.g., «Happy birthday, son!»). So that’s an average of $ 5 a book for books that 10+ years ago brand new were $ 6.99. You must be shitting me. I guess that’s why they don’t put the prices on stuff because people like me just go ahead and say, «Well, I’m supporting a small business,» and move on. But yeah, I wouldn’t go back. I mean, again, THIS is why people just order on Amazon.
— Organization: I found it really difficult to visually look through the books because of how they are arranged in the store. They are categorized alphabetically and by genre as you’d expect, but the mishmash of colors and sizes really was tough to peruse and determine if they had something in which you’d be interested. Maybe more signage designating collections of certain series or authors would be helpful.

The kind of place I could get lost in. Books and books and more books. Reasonable prices. I’m a sucker for independent bookstores, and this one greatly impressed. Not the least because of the selection, its location in the historic Downtown Mall, and the helpful and friendly staff. If you’re anything like me and visiting Charlottesville, don’t forget to visit the Downtown Mall, if just for the bookstores! I noticed at least three independent and rare bookstores!

Charmingly Coooool BookStore! Real Paper just like the Literate Few used to enjoy! The tactile stimulating connection between the hands and the Mind that canNOT be duplicated with an electronic tablet! The Drew Crew still shops here! What I like most about a preowned Book is not the energy from previous owners, no, that is a Bonus… I like that it is Broken-​in like that pair of jeans I bought for half price at Salvation Army March 9 2007, that I have worn 354 times (YES I really keep Track)!
Beyond the «character» of the paper I also like the Price and I better! There is something about a BookStore and something else about a USED Book, BookStore!

Great local bookstore, nicely appointed, with wide selection of materials in all price ranges… appropriate for the casual browser to the discriminating bibliophile.

This used bookstore was a great find in the downtown walking mall. The owner was friendly and helpful. He was also playing some great jazz so props there. I found two books, both for around seven dollars. There are also great old maps and illustrative drawings. Check it out!

The hubs and I stopped in while I was in town on business. I have an Advanced Honors degree in English Literature, so I was in heaven of course. This is a pretty neat off the beaten path bookstore. Huge assortment of out of print titles, rare finds, and simply visually appealing covers that somehow cause you to stay a little while longer to see what it’s all about. Even my non-​reader husband was intrigued by the titles in their history section. Minus one star because no one greeted nor spoke to us the entire time we were there. No, they weren’t that busy either. But, I’d still go back if I were in town again.

How can a place with rare books, maps, and pictures not smell awful? I have no idea, but Blue Whale holds the secret. Spacious and inviting are two words that fit perfectly with this place. I really enjoy just walking around and discovering new novels. Ask the person behind the counter for the title of a book and if they don’t have it they’ll make sure to in the coming week. So walk in and learn something new!

Great little bookstore full of reasonably priced gems and rare books too. Their selection of maps, etchings, and other art taken from books is mesmerizing. I found a huge collection of prints from a book about the history of fashion from around the world and bought several. I could spend all day in here. The owner stayed out of my way but when I asked him questions was knowledgeable and friendly. Will be back!

Whoa… I’m a nerddddd at heart. I’m the type of girl that can spend hours in a library on a Saturday afternoon. Stopped into Blue Whale books after picking up some coffee and they were playing Billy Holiday through the speakers. This place was tugging at my heart strings… they had a mixture of old and newer book titles. My favorite part of the entire store was carefully flipping through rare books from the 1800s. Amazing feeling!

Charming store, with some real finds as well as bargain books! A nice addition to our holiday.

When I was 5, when everyone else wanted to be astronauts or Power Rangers, I thought my life’s calling was to become a bookstore keeper and try to set up some sort of tea/​bookstore establishment in Notting Hill. Then Starbucks and Kindle happened and it seems like nowadays, bookstores are a dying breed as everything becomes electronic, which is a shame because well, you can’t smell a Kindle and get that funny feeling of nostalgia and dust in the bottom of your chest.
I hope Blue Whale sticks around: I was able to get five books for under $ 15 and most were only lightly used. There’s a great selection here if you’re willing to poke around and because there’s not much foot traffic, you can plop yourself down in an armchair and kill a whole afternoon getting in some reading. The owner was not exactly bubbly, but he did point me to the section that I was looking for and threw in some free bookmarks. It’s probably the cheapest, and, in my honest opinion, the coolest place on the Downtown Mall now that the old ice rink has been shut down.

Great little bookstore! I perused here for almost a whole hour before deciding on a keeper. =)
I kind of felt like I went back in time… in a good way.

The books are great, sure, but the owners silent, judgmental stare and complete unwillingness to engage in the least with his customers isn’t exactly charming.

Man, I absolutely LOVED this place when I was at UVA. It’s the BEST bookstore I have found thus far. I loved to browse the shelves because there were always super great finds for a great price.
If you are a language-​o-​phile, this is totally the place for you! They have dictionaries for soo many languages, Thai included, for example. I mean, this place is like falling into a museum of books from some of the world’s greatest travelers. That is exactly what it feels like in this place.
The owner’s nice, helpful, and knowledgeable as well. Can’t wait to stop by this place, next time I’m in town

After you tear yourself away from the books outside, you enter and it looks a little intimidating — classy fixtures, glass cases, lots of room on the shelves. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll find some amazing deals. Many of the scifi books are between $ 1 and $ 4, not just the usual mass market schlock but classics and obscure british imports (picked up a copy of Robert Graves’ scarce scifi opus for $ 1!). The shelves are great fun to browse — even when the books are expensive, amusing titles like «Fashion is Spinach» and «The Sack of Bath» abound. I just can’t say enough good things about this bookstore and the unreasonably friendly owner (?), who even drew me a map to the nearest grocery store!