Pickwick Book Shop

walking into pickwicks, i was taken aback by the amount of books everywhere in sight. from floor to ceiling, on shelves, off shelves, in piles, on counters, etc. it is definitely a bit chaotic and disorganized. it can be difficult to move around and even more difficult to unearth a book you would like to open and check out because it has 75+ books on top of it.
though it is cluttered, there is a certain charm that comes along with browsing the shops large inventory. there were all sorts of rarities and antique books tucked into the shelves and stacks. some may say that it is a bit pricey but it sure beats full price at a barnes & noble and such.
i’d say the best way to approach a trip here is to go with an open mind and some time to spare for searching. i reccomend a visit to this friendly little bookstore.

I don’t know if, as some have claimed, the owner is unpleasant. He could have been Pope Francis or a demon from the fiery pits of hell– I never got as far as introductions. I was simply grateful I made it through the entryway without being buried beneath a collapsing tower of freestanding and poorly written teen fiction.
I love books and I love used book shops– but I require some semblance of order. Not only because I have crippling OCD, but it helps me to actually find material I’m looking to read. This place is truly something from a movie. It would look fun and eccentric on film, but in real life it is just eccentric and infuriating. Books stacked three piles deep in front of other books. Books balanced 20 high with the titles facing away from you. Books piled to the ceiling with no way to reach them. Books you can’t touch for fear of literary avalanche. I have zero idea what was really available here and nobody possibly could as you can only access a tiny fraction of the material. This is less a bookstore and more a book hoard. It should be stored in the ancient subterranean halls of a Dwarf King’s mountain palace guarded by a giant fire-​breathing monster.
By all means, come here for an interesting experience. Perhaps you’ll find a tome somewhere in the back that will transport you to a land of flying silver dragons. Maybe there’s a magic monkey paw that grants wishes or a first edition of Crime and Punishment somewhere in that mess. Who the hell knows. I hope you don’t die trying to find out.

I’ve never had any problems here. The only down side that I’ve encountered is that it’s a relatively small store crammed full of books, so you really have to watch your step navigating your way through here (that’s not just idle talk– the person I was with last time took a spill in here; no serious damage, but you should use some caution). It’s not cheap, but not unreasonably high in comparison to other places I’ve been. And I’m not disputing some of the reviewers below, but I’ve never encountered any attitude or negativity– I’ve always found the people working here to be pleasant enough. I try to stop by when I’m in the area and I usually buy something (which is easy, given the large quantity of books). Yeah, Amazon is cheaper, and (don’t want to be a hypocrite) I do buy a substantial amount of stuff there, but when I’m in an area that has an independent bookstore (in addition to the Barnes & Noble chain stores in Paramus, NJ, and Poughkeepsie, NY, because I find them to be different than the usual chain-​store experience), I try to support them. And I do. I like Pickwick Book Shop.

My wife and I love books and have spent many wonderful hours slowly perusing used book stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont. This place isn’t worth your time. The stock is a disorganized mess, but worse, seems to overindex pretty common overstock and used paperbacks from the past few decades. Many reviews note that the pricing is too high. I can’t speak to that, because I chose to leave shortly after the proprietor sniped at my wife for attempting to bring our infant in a relatively compact stroller into the store. Seriously, F this guy.

Since we are serious book collectors who regularly drop large amounts of money in independent bookstores whenever we find them, our first trip here had us planning to whip out the credit card. Literally 30 seconds later? NOPE. I had barely walked in the door before the owner started lecturing me on the size of my (actually quite small) stroller in which my 3 month old was quietly sleeping. He informed me that strollers were too wide now and he had no intention of changing his shop just to accommodate them. I hadn’t said a word of compliant (nor would I, since a stuffed-​to-​the-​gills bookstore is pretty much my favorite sort of place), so the nasty attack before I’d even opened my mouth to say hello was a bit much.
I don’t need anyone to schmooze me, but I’d prefer not being harangued as soon as I walk into a store. It’s a wonder he’s still in business, since *Amazon* is never rude to customers!
Definitely a store to avoid.

Not really sure how this place stays in business. I have never had such a hostile experience at a bookstore. The books were overpriced for the dusty, mediocre condition they were in, but what most stuck out to me was not the books or the store itself.
In this shop lives the nastiest little creature I have ever encountered. Not sure how someone could have such disdain for a few college kids politely browsing books on a Sunday afternoon, but alas, this troll does. I’m not sure if he’s aware that it’s 2014 and people can buy used books for a few cents on Amazon, but someone should probably let him know while he’s still (surprisingly) in business. The only reason we were in there was to explore parts of the Nyack community and support a local business owner, but this ridiculously negative experience changed our mind about that pretty quickly. Crusty, deplorable beings like this shop owner are one of the many reasons why people prefer to deal with the internet instead. I had an armful of books I was planning to buy, but by his third tasteless remark, I refused to give him any money and returned them to the front. He belongs under a bridge, not behind a counter.

As a Nyack resident, I try to patronize and support local businesses, but Pickwick simply doesn’t deserve my money. The owner is rude and intolerant of kids and adults. The charm of the locally owned store wears thin with high prices, weak selection, a hugely disorganized store and a hostile business owner.

You’re not allowed to look like a cheap used bookstore, with books strewn everywhere, and then charge ten times what you can find the book for on Amazon. What a horrible disappointment!

Whenever we are in Nyack, NY, we NEVER miss going to the Pickwick Bookstore. It is just one place you can’t pass up when you are in town!

The proprietor of Pickwick Books is the most interesting guy in Nyack. Really! Stop in and ask him anything… about a book, an author, local politics, who lived where and when in Nyack in the last 50 years… and he is the nicest guy on earth. Run, don’t walk, to Pickwick Books in Nyack… especially over the Valentine’s Day weekend.

A wonder to see a little shop filled with so many old books. Nearly right out of a Harry Potter novel.
Only caveat: some of these books look like they’re right out of a garage sale, but definately not garage sale prices. Buyer beware.

The store itself is a funky kinda cool old bookshop, packed nearly too full with books. I’ve gotten some good rare finds in here. Today however, I was pleased to find a few good books outside in the 3 for a buck bin, as was my mom. then we wandered inside and she asked if she could leave our books at the counter while we browsed. The old guy behind the counter said there was no room (which there really wasn’t, but there should be) and she could leave them on the floor (um, couldn’t somebody take them then?) ok, then when we purchased we were told we couldn’t have a bag because they don’t provide bags for the sale books outside! ??? so there we were left with some heavy, large books and were lucky enough to get a bag from another shop we went in. not very good customer service at the bookshop. There’s another bookshop thats nicer and the owner is friendly a couple blocks down. I forget the name but it’s near the runcible spoon bakery.

It’s not a bad place, but it’s not great either. The place is literally overflowing with books. All the shelves are filled and there are stacks of books everywhere, in addition to the stuff they leave outside. Most the books are pretty old though, and the guy who works there is a pretty humorless old man who can be condescending at times, especially if you look like a «kid.» Judging from quick glances, the kids section looks like it might be worthwhile to go through. In general, a cute little book place that’s a good way to kill time on a boring summer day, but not much else.

Chock full of books. There are books behind the books, and lovely old paperbacks with funny covers from the 60s. This is my kind of place. I’ve been on a Colette quest and this place was the only place to have any. They had three! They even have new books if that’s your bag. I just love it.