Brightside Books

I first heard about this place because someone stopped at the Exxon further up the road was having a hard time finding it. Their GPS was broken. I’ve lived out this way for years, having to drive miles to a bookstore, so after showing them the location on the maps on my phone (North of the highschool, next to the archery shop) I decided to get some more detail. Stopped by one day to find out what kind of bookstore it was.
«Homeschool Consignment.»
Okay. I used to be that kid. Not a religious homeschooler anymore, now I’m a public school mom who may be something churchy folks find scary, but hey, I have kids, and those kids need to be educated, and that’s why the elementary school sends home these Home and School Connection flyers. And it just so happens my oldest was in Kindergarten last year, and my youngest will be in Kindergarten next year, and I know GISD has requirements above what is age appropriate, because I was in the classroom helping out the kids who needed a boost, and my younger child needs some work on his letters and numbers.
I was on my way home anyway, and we have to pass this place to get anywhere anyhow, so I stopped to see in they had any flashcards. I’m cheap, I admit it, and used flashcards means you pay the Goodwill-​with-​two-​cards-​missing price for what is probably a whole set.
My four year old has this homing device for toys and made a bee-​line for road-​rug with a basket of what appeared to be clean, baby-​safe toys. Oh thank goodness, these folks truly understand how hard it is to shop with kids.
Next step; have you got any flashcards? The nice quiet lady at the counter confirmed they had bunches, at $ 1 per set. I like that price. And my kid was still busy, so, booyah. I get to take my time without «Momma, I’m not happy. Momma, I want that toy. Momma, can I have a cookie? Momma, let’s go home.» Wow. It was like a two minute day at the spa all thanks to a bucket of toys in a corner.
They certainly had a good selection of cards, despite the itty-​bitty-​office-​space of a shop. Checked the prices on a few other things, such at musical instruments, preschool educational toys, and the like, and everything looked to be in good condition for used items, and very reasonably priced.
I found a deck of alphabet cards, and a deck of numbers up to 25. Great. Exactly what I needed. For $ 2 and tax. And I didn’t have to go into town to get it, much less drive 13 miles to Half-​Price Books. Epic!
If you homeschool, OR tutor, OR if your kid is struggling with a subject and you need to work on it a bit at home, OR if your kid is very wound up on a subject, and you want to give them a stack of books on it to pour over and take advantage of the fact that they want to learn it, this is a great place to take a look if you’re in the area. You may find what you need without having to go far, or spend a ton. Also, if you need to off load some gently used, and oh-​so-​expensive curriculum books, I know my aunt had some forever after her kids were homeschooled for only two years.
THE ONLY HITCHES:
This is not a full time business! They are not open all month, they had calendar cards by the register. They are open Sept 1^st through 6^th, Sept 15^th — 20^th, Oct 6^th-​11^th, Nov 3^rd-​8^th, Dec 1^st-​6^th, Jan 5^th-​10^th, Feb 2^nd-​7^th, Mar 2^nd-​7^th, Apr 6^th-​11^th, and 20^th-​25^th, May 4^th-​9^th and 18^th-​23^rd, June 1^st-​6^th and 15^th-​20^th, July 6^th-​11^th and 20^th-​25^th. The hours during those weeks when they are open are M-​F 9am-​4pm, Sat. 9am-​1pm.
Short version, check the website to make sure they will be open!
Also, they currently only take cash, check, or their own consignment credit. Lucky I had $ 5 on me. But if you are driving out, there is an ATM at the Jiffy Mart at HWY 29 and Inner Loop, or coming the other way at the Exxon near the river.