Business Spotlight – Downtowne Books


July 1, 2012 6:04 pm Published by

Downtowne Books is located at 3582 Main Street, right in the heart of the historic downtown core of Riverside.  Built in 1927 according to City records, the building has served as a bookstore since 1979.  In 2002, sisters Nadia and Vera Lee fulfilled a high school dream and purchased the bookstore.

In today’s digital environment, a used book store is definitely a niche market.  Nadia Lee notes that the Internet has changed both how people read books and how they buy them.  For many people though, physically selecting and then reading an actual book is a critical part of the experience and for those people, Downtowne Books is a treasure trove.   The store and its owners consistently rate highly on yelp.com with reviewers praising the atmosphere and the helpfulness of the staff.

Nadia Lee says that their location in the historic downtown suits their business, and the atmosphere is definitely that of the old-fashioned bookstore – in fact, kids have called it the ‘Harry Potter’ bookstore.    That ‘Harry Potter’ ambiance is reflected in the number of owls in the store – over 200 at last count (and both Nadia and Vera stress that they are always happy to take in any owl needing a new home).   And just like Hogwarts, the Downtowne Book store has its own resident ghosts.  Three paranormal organizations have recorded activity in the store!

The Downtowne Book store differentiates itself as well by its focus on customer service.  Both Nadia and Vera pride themselves on knowing what they have in the store and on their ability to find just the right book for a customer.  And they also encourage people to release their inner novelist through their monthly ‘Dust Devils’ writing contest in the Inland Entertainment Review.  Each month the winning mini-novel of 75 words (yes, 75 words) is printed in the magazine and the author awarded a $10 gift certificate from the store.

Nadia says that she enjoys telling customers about what is happening downtown and what it has to offer.  She hands out the Pocket and Dining Guide produced by RDP regularly to customers with her own recommendations on where to shop and dine.   It’s another service that Nadia and Vera provide to their customers.

So when in downtown Riverside, do take time to visit Downtowne Books.  As stated by one yelp.com reviewer, it’s “a wonderful little treasure where you can find gently used books on a variety of subjects both fiction and non-fiction.  The owners are wonderful to spend time with and talk to.  If they don’t have what you are looking for, they are always happy to point you in the right direction”.

 

Downtowne Books
3582 Main Street
Riverside, CA 92501
951-682-1082

 

Hours of Operation – Monday through Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm.

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