BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Your summer reading books could become collector’s items if you purchase the books at Alabama Booksmith. The local store only sells new books that are authentically signed by the author!
Alabama Booksmith first opened doors across from Bottega Cafe in Birmingham as a used book store. Five years ago, the transition to new books, then solely new and signed books took place. The owner, Jake Reiss, said he wanted to found his nitch, and that’s exactly what he did when he started only selling signed books. The store saw significant sales increases locally, nationally and internationally! “A ton of our sales are from people outside of Alabama that are looking for a specific book signed by the author.”
The best part about this unique bookstore is that almost all the books will cost you the exact price you would pay anywhere else. The signature doesn’t cost you any extra! “They’re not a dime extra because it’s signed or first printed,” Reiss said. “It’s the same price that they would sell at any bookstore across the country.”
The few that have a slight up charge are over in the Collector’s Corner. “These are books that have escalated tremendously in price and they’re irreplaceable.” Books by Barbara Streisand, Phillip Ross, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen for example are collector’s items. “Books themselves are valuable, but I think that the signature from an author kind of makes it unique, and it’s not just a commodity at that point,” Joi Tribble, a regular customer said. “It is something that can be treasured and valued, and hopefully handed down and passed on to other generations.”
Nick Saban’s color analyst for years, Phil Savage, will be at Alabama Booksmith for a meet and greet soon. Savage will be signing his new book called ‘4th and Goal’, and Coach Saban wrote the introduction. The book gives away a lot of Coach Saban’s secrets. The official ‘4th and Goal’ book launch will be at Alabama Booksmith on August 30th. Here’s the address for the store: 2626 19th Place South Birmingham, AL 35209.
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