Ames Bookstore

Ames is one of my all-​time favorite bookstores in Grass Valley and I have perused its many narrow and dusty shelves since I was very young. I always remember having fond memories of talking to Dick and Delores (the previous owners) and talking science fiction and fantasy with James, who now owns Winston Smith Books in Auburn. Located in the old Nevada County Uncemployment Office and spanning over five storefronts, each store houses different literary selections. In terms of mystery, science fiction and Westerns, their selection is unparalleled in the area and the condition is generally very nice. They also offer brodart (dust jacket protectors) for sale, which is always a nice touch in protecting your dust jacket from undue wear and tear. Parking is a breeze, although it can become somewhat crowded on weekends and their hours are very accessible. Highly recommend them to everyone who enjoys books, loves book hunting and the thrill of finding that very special volume.

The kind of bookstore than makes the «booktown» more than just a marketing label. Basically the store takes up a whole minimall — the main store is full of all kinds of books, and there are three or four smaller adjacent units. The main store also has several cages of birds by the cash register, for some reason.
For most book buyers, this store should be the reason to make the trip to Grass Valley. The other stores are just gravy.
My only complaint is that shelves are too close together, so the main store feels claustrophobic.

FAVORITE BOOKSTORE EVER. I’ve loved Ames since I can remember. My mom used to bring me here once a month starting when I was 5 so she & I could stock up on books. I’m still a total book worm and I make sure to visit Ames every time I’m back in town. I love the stinky, musty smell; in fact, when I go into other used bookstores and smell that, it makes me think of Ames and how much I miss GV.

fantastic book store. I could get lost there for hours.

Courteous and helpful. Would not accept payment for help with book value research. Huge selection of titles.

love love love this place!!! it has the best selection… that’s not an exaggeration, actually a fact, since it does in fact have the largest selection. and the people that work there are soooo nice and helpful. they have a great assortment of childrens books and rare books which are really beautiful to look at. its one of those places where hours could fly by because you get so immersed in all of the great rows and rows of books to check out. i think i literally could have sat for hours in the cookbook section. anyway, definitely a great place to check out if you’re in grass valley since its such a great resource and lots of fun to check out.
**and also fyi, they have really reasonable and cheap prices!!!

It’s big. They have a lot of books. Also, a public restroom (but it’s hidden!). If you like books, you’ll like Ames. See, problem is I like books too much. Now I’ve got so many stinking books I don’t know what to do with them all. Maybe take them back to Ames?

Gosh.
Used to be a fun bookstore. Now it’s just dirty and messy.
And I called to ask if they had a book, someone would call me back… no call back.

Used bookstores have a way of making me think I’m interested in any topic in the world that anyone has written about. Actually, I guess all bookstores are kinda like that, but in used bookstores you can waste twenty bucks on five or six books and at least one of them is guaranteed to be good. And in used bookstores, old books you’ve never heard of just seem like little undiscovered jewels waiting for you to dig them out. In fact they are usually Readers Digest publications that gathered dust in some grandparent’s attic for years until they died. I used to spend boring summer afternoons browsing through Ames and would emerge with a stack of books that would last me no longer than the evening. I later restricted myself to buying only books I knew I would read– Ames has most of the classics as well as bestsellers and more recent stuff– but even now I wander the narrow aisles for much longer than necessary, lovingly stroking yearbooks from 1969 (so much fun!), biographies of Revolutionary War heroes, Tuscan cookbooks, etc.,
Ames does have odd hours, which I have never in fact taken the time to memorize though it would save me a lot of pain. In a way I’ve come to like this feature, as it feels particuarly fortuitous to pull into the parking lot and see the door wide open. I’ve never had any problems with the staff being rude, although I’ve never really had the need to ask them anything. My only disclaimer would be that some of the sections which you might find in a standard bookstore are limited; the children’s section in particular comes to mind. But overall, this is one of my favorite places in Nevada County to kill a few hours!

There are a whole lot of old books in this store. It is under new management/​ownership. It is by far the biggest used bookstore in the area, but the selection may or may not be good in your subject area. Not open Sundays, a real inconvenience for us weekend browsers.

The largest used book store in the Grass Valley/​Nevada City area. Chances are, if you want it, they have it, or some version of it. Stinky, like a good used book store usually is, but clean. Occasionally cranky staff members, but that seems to be part of the charm.