The Book Garden

So many books!!! Stayed here for over an hour by accident. Worth the drive, got two great books for only $ 5 total. Plus… they take credit cards!

Great little surprise on Rte. 537 in Cream Ridge. Great selection of old books and comics. The comics were a mixed bag of really common stuff from the 80s and 99s but some awesome independents that I’ve never seen. Also a good selection of magazines and graphic novels. Prices were pretty good especially after a 20% discount. The books, especially art books, were really great. Seemed like there was something new and cool around every corner. If you go, set aside some time you’ll need it.

This store is absolutely amazing. The selection of books is massive and the prices are great. I can’t go here if I have plans, I always end up browsing for hours. They have every genre you can think of as well as comic books, magazines, and older books. The front part of the store is a florist with gift cards and flowers. Even if you just like the smell of books, coming here is definitely a must.

Neat used book store to check out. Some good finds there!

A friend of mine discovered and turned me on to The Book Garden back in 1990, and I haven’t been able to stay away since. On the rare occasion that my wife and I have a free day together that doesn’t fall on a Monday or Tuesday (on which they are closed), we invariably make the trek out to Cream Ridge and spend an hour or two browsing the stacks. We have never left with fewer than two large boxes of books (but usually a lot more), and yet I don’t think we’ve ever spent more than $ 150 or $ 175 on one visit.
As the previous reviewer noted, it can take some time to find what you are looking for, and if the title in question isn’t a mass-​market paperback or extremely common text used in education, there is a fair chance they aren’t going to have a copy that day. But that doesn’t mean they won’t next time around. While a good chunk of the inventory doesn’t turn over much at all (the west wall composed mainly of titles relating to very specific historical or geographical interests, the north wall piled with older bindings of both classic and obscure fiction), there is always something new to find in addition to the old.
Then there is the florist up front, which also sells doll furniture and other little tchotchkes; I can’t write anything meaningful about that, having never patronized it. There is a veterans’ cemetary not far down the road in North Hanover, and I imagine they must do some business with people heading out that way.
Should I ever hear that The Book Garden is closing its doors, I will have to take it over. It can’t be at all profitable, I wouldn’t think, but it’s been such a big part of my life for such a long time, I couldn’t bear to let it go. If I have 2000 books in my house, I probably have to thank these wonderful folks on Route 537 for a solid half of them.

One of the most idiosyncratic and charming bookstores in NJ. The Book Garden is co-​owned by a husband-​and-​wife team (he operates the bookstore, she works the florist) and is determinedly technology-​resistent in its operation.
There is no store website to reference for current selection and the nearly 50,000 books (culled from estate sales, private collections, etc.) filling the back room have each been catalogued by hand. While this can lead to greater difficulty in locating a particular title, it also means that Book Garden’s prices stay low. Very low.
The books are grouped by genre (fiction, biography, cookbooks, etc.). Rare books are kept in a small glass case near the front of the store. There are also bins of comic books and old magazines (Time, Life, etc.) as well as a number of individually packaged illustrated prints taken from old encyclopedias, magazines, journals, and the like. These make totally affordable artwork (ex., I’ve variously framed Vogue fashion plates from the 1920’s, illustrations from a 1930’s children’s book, and figures from an early 20^th c. architectural encyclopedia — all purchased for less than $ 10 each!). Some even come pre-​matted.
Most days the store is quiet and virtually empty. It’s definitely worth checking out if you are in the area!