Second Story Books Warehouse

Second Story Books
Rockville, Maryland Warehouse

During October I took a couple of day trips to the Second Story Books warehouse in Rockville, Maryland.

Second Story is an institution in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. I have fond memories of regularly visiting their store in the Greenmount neighborhood of Baltimore during the late 80s and early 90s, and I was saddened when it closed in the early 90s (the neighborhood was 'transitioning' into a ghetto). 

But the last time I had been to the warehouse in Rockville was February of 2009, so I was way overdue for a visit.

The warehouse is located in an industrial area of Rockville, set back from Parklawn Street. With cooperative traffic conditions, it was about a 2 1/2 hour drive from my house to the warehouse. (But keep in mind that these were mid-week, off-peak trips, and the traffic on I-66 was humane, for the most part.)

The interior is cavernous, with almost every square foot of floor space occupied by shelving, along with the occasional chair or table. You could easily spend the entire day wandering around inside (there is a restroom in the back that is available for customer use; you may want to bring your own toilet paper). Due to Covid-19 conditions, customers are obligated to wear a mask and gloves (they have a box with gloves for you to use if you didn't bring your own).

The organization of books by subject is a bit haphazard, with some subjects occupying different areas of shelving scattered around the confines of the warehouse, rather than all being lumped into one discrete area.

There is a decent selection of science fiction paperbacks to be had. There are large numbers of science fiction hardbacks, which are shelved in multiple areas of the warehouse. You can find quite a few titles from the 60s, 70s, and 80s in the hardback inventory. 

One thing I noted after 90 minutes of shopping is that I didn't see a section dedicated to Horror paperbacks and hardbacks, although on the far side of the warehouse there is a large section of shelving for Mysteries. I also didn't see any dedicated shelving for Westerns or Fantasy paperbacks. 

There is a modest selection of vinyl records and CDs. There is a 'listening station' available so you can check your picks to make sure they are audible before buying.

The days I visited, Second Story offered a 50% discount on 'regular priced' books, but only at this Rockville warehouse location. So the majority of the paperbacks I bought just were a couple of dollars each, and ranged in the 'good' to 'very fine' condition categories.

Below are the titles I picked up during my trips. 

In conclusion, if you are seeking books (and hardbound books in particular) of all genres for bargain prices, then making a trip to the Second Story warehouse in Rockville certainly is worthwhile.