Scene Spotlight: Recycle Bookstore

Noah Sonnenburg Scene Editor April 12, 2018By God I know I am biased. My home is filled with books, my dorm is filled with books and when I’m home I work in a bookstore.Needless to say, I love books and I know what I want in a bookstore. Despite my loyalty to Vroman’s in my hometown of Pasadena, I found a real treasure this last weekend.My religion class this quarter required three texts, two of which our bookstore actually had. For the third, J.D. Salinger’s “Franny and Zooey.” Since Amazon only had a mass-market release, I figured I should check out the local shops to see what they had.As I wanted to avoid the Amazon Books store in Santana Row, I looked for local stores rather than bigger, mega-bookstores.With a few Google searches under my belt, it was pretty obvious that the South Bay isn’t really the hub for independent booksellers. Nevertheless, there was still one within reach—a lone gun that I hoped would be worth a quick trip.A little under two minutes away, Recycle Bookstore is nestled down The Alameda from campus. Just past the Five Guys in that same area, I had passed it countless times in Lyfts to and from Sharks games. The small, unassuming storefront is the classic bookstore trope with large windows, poor lighting and hand painted letters across the front, displaying the store’s name.My visit was quick. Despite an unexpected call from my cousin, my friends and I were in and out in about twenty minutes. I found the book I needed almost immediately, and despite some minor allergies to the cats that meandered through the store, I emerged largely unscathed.The locality of the store is a big plus. Within reasonable walking or biking distance, the store is in a fun spot, surrounded by some similar storefronts. After picking up your books, you could walk across the street for lunch or a coffee. What’s not to love?All in all, the collection of the store was vast, with not an inch of space left unfilled by books. Every title is affordable and in good condition.The staff was wonderfully helpful and polite to customers who wandered through the store. So, while I visited the store only because of the needs of my class, I found a wonderful weekend adventure for any book-loving Bronco.Contact Noah Sonnenburg at nasonnenburg@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.