Mercer Street Books

Pike Place Market has five used bookstores, all under utilized by the residents of Seattle. JB at BLMF knows what he's doing top to bottom, but his store is hidden deep in the market's belly. You can find him at the bottom of the stairs that lead down from the famed Market Magic Shop. Joe at Lamplight Books, a gorgeous mecca of surrealism and poetry, is also easy to lose track of as his shop is snugged behind Three Girls Bakery in the Sanitary Market. A visit to Left Bank Books, the market's collectively owned anarchist bookstore, will not steer you wrong and it's a little easier to find them. They're positioned at the very top of Pike Pl. on the right. All of these bookstores need good used books and, as long as you just have a bag or two, it isn't too hard the tote them in there. I cut my teeth at Lamplight Books, so you'll never hear me disagree with someone saying that you should patronize any of the booksellers there more regularly. They're some of the best the city has to offer. However, I also back my employees when they set boundaries and I don't mind having a public forum to say so. You may be asked to do specific things while selling books or be asked to come back at another time. You may be asked to keep photography to a minimum so as not to block other customers' or employees' access to the books. You may be asked to get off of your cell phone or finish your conversation outside. It's ok if you want to go elsewhere because of that. If you'd like to know if we're able to buy your books at any given time, your best bet is to call ahead. I expect my employees to treat the customers very well, but I also expect customers to have empathy for my employees regardless of their age, employment, housing situation or what can very briefly be perceived of their health. If you can't, then please roll on. And if you have some special beef with men from Generation X who work in bookstores, live in relative comfort and have no readily perceivable ailments, then I have some very difficult news for you regarding Joe and JB at Pike Place Market.