Jerry Musich Used & Fine Books

We adore a used bookstore. We also adore an establishment with the name of the proprietor right in the name of the store. It takes us back to a simpler time (such as the time of Floyd's Barber Shop). So, this past weekend, we eagerly headed to Jerry Musich Used & Fine Books for the first time. This is a quaint little shop in the shopping center with Ace Hardware at W. 86th & Ditch (1319 W. 86th St). It doesn't have the size of a Half Price books (which is right across Ditch) but it has a lot of heart. Along with a varied selection of books, the store has old newspapers, maps, and a few posters. Also, if you are a fan of old illustrations, they have a really nice selection of those and they are beautifully matted. Many of them said "chromolithograph" on their tags and many were botanical type pictures, beautiful in their simplicity. While we were there, another customer came in inquiring about a specific author. The owner showed her what he had but, when none of those met her need, made sure that she knew where Half Price Books was. We thought that it was very cool that he was concerned that she found what she wanted and directed her to a competitor (kind of like in "Miracle on 34th Street" when Macy's starts sending customers to Gimbel's when they can't help them). We didn't find the particular book that we were looking for but we found another one worth purchasing and experienced another quaint touch- the hand-written receipt. So, drop by this bookstore and make a little afternoon of it on the corner of 86th and Ditch. Take your newly purchased book to Lulu's Electric Cafe across 86th St. to patronize a local coffeehouse that makes great drinks and punctuates its walls with local art that you can purchase. Afterwards, there's always good browsing at Global Gifts and New Age People, both in the same shopping center as Lulu's.