Ryan ChartrandEntering Phoenix Books in downtown San Luis Obispo is like walking into book heaven, where everything, right down to the smell that only good, old books have, is perfect. The two-story space is a collage of artifacts that lend the feeling of being inside an antique shop of sorts rather than just a bookstore. It seems it would be possible to spend a day in the book palace and still not see everything. Between unique sections like “bohemiana,” and “smut,” the fun is in the search at this grotto of words.
Bruce Miller, owner of Phoenix Books, grew up in San Luis Obispo but learned the business of book selling in Berkeley, Calif. After working there for about seven years, the writer decided to come back to his hometown and build his own used book legacy. In November of 1981 the shop made its first appearance on Broad Street next to Big Sky Café before moving to its current location at 990 Monterey St. Adorned with large green canopies shading the front door, the store feels separate from its surroundings, and it is that uniqueness that keeps people coming.
Miller said that he got started in used books “a little bit by accident.” As an aspiring writer and painter, he needed a way to be able to create while also making a gainful employment.
“Used books seemed like a pretty good idea and I ended up liking it quite a bit,” Miller said. “I seem to like to hunt, either for information, or in this case for books. When you consider the history of the book business or civilization, all the best books are the used books.”
Used books indeed, but it is important to note that Phoenix also sells newer titles along with the unusual. The inventory is kept completely in Miller’s head, and as he shuffles through some boxes that a customer has brought in for appraisal and trade, it is easy to see he has his own system. He separates the sellable from the non-sellable quickly, as if he had done this a few times before. He said that his knowledge comes from experience.
“We are reality based, we go look on the shelf,” Miller said when asked about the store’s catalogue. “I think it’s important to be present, go to the shelf, see if the book is there, then answer the question.”
Not having the ability to go straight to what you are looking for allows the customer to stumble across something he or she may not have previously been aware of. The sense of a “hunt,” as Miller likes to call it, makes the experience unique.
“A lot of people come in and they say, ‘Is this a library?’ They don’t recognize it; they don’t know what it is because they are used to corporate stores,” he said. “They look at the art on the wall and all of the knick knacks, and it confuses them for a minute – which is a good thing because when you sort of shake people out of their normal sense, maybe they open up and think about what’s going on right there instead of walking around in a perfectly groomed atmosphere that the corporate stores tend to have.”
Miller describes the store as a “general used book store,” but behind the scenes at this small town treasure lies an international business. Miller sees the Internet as a wonderful source of information, and he recognizes the changes it has forced upon the book business. Some not so positive, but others have allowed Phoenix Books to be a supplier to anyone in the world. Miller said he gets orders from places like Japan, Australia and England weekly, as he is now able to use Amazon.com as a selling device.
“The Internet has basically devastated the used book business, but it is the way things go,” he said. “The mechanism of selling has changed. With the confluence of high real estate prices and high rents versus the low rent of the virtual bookstore, we drop all of our books into Amazon. I love the Internet, but I also sort of wonder if it isn’t going to be a problem at some point, and people will suddenly wake up and realize that there aren’t any actual used bookstores anymore.”
Miller is confident that Phoenix Books will remain afloat in part because he does not consider making money his top priority. He said that the ambiance of the store would be a major reason why they will not go out of style.
“We don’t try to be everything to everybody, but we try to present a little bit of atmosphere,” he said. “I think it’s one of the ways going forward that used bookstores will be able to survive. I don’t want to do anything else, so it’s a little bit of a trap. but it’s sort of a wonderful trap of my own device.”
Miller is not the only one in town who considers Phoenix Books to be a rare gem. At 10 a.m., not a moment after the doors have been opened to begin the business day, a woman is waiting patiently with a large cart full of books. Her name is Andarcia Spierling and she is a self-described book addict. She has been anxious to trade the books in her cart for ones that she has not previously read. Spierling has been staying alive on re-reads alone, and it is time she makes her regular visit to the shop to reimburse her collection.
“I’ve been going to this one for about seven years,” she said. “They have a pretty good selection and the clerks are really nice.”
The doors open and Spierling begins her own hunt, a process that many others must have penciled into their agendas as well, looking at the sudden rush of customers invading the shop. Some are here to trade, others just to browse. Arroyo Grande resident, Larry Turner is selling back some of his wife’s books. He has about five large boxes of them that Miller, undaunted, attacks right away.
“I’ve been coming to Phoenix books since they opened,” Turner said. “I think this shop is pretty unique in the area, and I like the feeling and the atmosphere. The people are nice and it’s got a local feel.”
Miller finishes looking through Turner’s selection and hands over the worth.
“After doing this for over 35 years I still see books I’ve never seen before,” he marvels. “A used bookstore is different than other stores. You can bring stuff in here and walk out with money. It goes both ways here; we’re a little bit like a pawn shop.”
Buying and selling aside, the reason Miller sticks around this business goes back to his love for reading. Hearing him explain why reading is important makes it seem very sad that people are reading less and less.
“Reading is the sort of activity that helps your brain develop,” Miller said. “It’s different than being on a computer. I think reading can develop your imagination, and the more you do it the quicker you can understand narrative. It makes a connection between the real life events that can be harsh, and you can discern when things aren’t necessarily true.”
Miller said that if you are good at narrative due to avid reading, then you have some foundation of understanding when certain narrative goes off track.
“It helps you understand the flow of life,” he said. “You read a lot of novels and you realize sometimes marriages end and new love is found. When you break up with your girlfriend or boyfriend you can think ‘well, you know, in Charles Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations,’ he didn’t get the girl till the very end.’ I think reading is really important; it can humanize you.”
Miller encourages people to search out used bookstores when they go on vacation, as he said that many of his customers are tourists who have lost their own local stores.
“I try to think of the store as a more vibrant place rather than just people coming in with cash and buying a book,” he said. “Maybe they can make their own library a little more lively.”