The Frugal Muse
If you're a book lover, this shop is a delight
Eric Ely
Issue date: 10/7/09 Section: Entertainment
A book lovers dream. That is an apt description of Frugal Muse. Wall-to-wall, floor to ceiling, bookshelves line the perimeter of the store with the spaces between filled in with smaller shelves and displays. It's quiet, yet friendly atmosphere makes shopping here a delight for those who love to read.
Frugal Muse is a second hand bookstore that sells books, music and movies; the first of which was opened in 1993 by a group of local men, among them Howard Glick. The first store was located on Madison's west side, and over the past 16 years the company has grown to include a store on Madison's northeast side and in Darien, Ill., located outside Chicago. The stores operate by buying from the public and reselling those items. The three stores combined now offer more than 100,000 items as well as selling on the popular site Amazon.
The stores are a bit of a mix between a traditional used store and a new bookstore. New titles are ordered on occasion to go along with all of the used items.
"It draws people into the store and it makes us better than your average used bookstore. You can find used stuff and we order stuff for customers. So if you know a book you want to get your mom for Christmas we can probably order it for you and get it at 25% off," says store manager Kathleen Keller.
This mix of new and used make the variety of items available outstanding. There are books available on any subject to please any appetite. The nature of the used bookstore allows for a unique buying experience that new stores can't match. With such a large collection of titles to offer, most brought in by customers, it will have many things new stores do not carry.
Old titles that are no longer in print can be found on shelves just steps away from the year old best sellers.
If you are looking for a unique title and are having trouble finding it at the local chain store, Frugal Muse is a good place to check out. They are the best of both worlds.
Another thing that sets Frugal Muse apart from its competitors is their customer service. Their reputation is very important to them. When asked if this was something that they took pride in Glick simply replied, "yes."
Frugal Muse is a second hand bookstore that sells books, music and movies; the first of which was opened in 1993 by a group of local men, among them Howard Glick. The first store was located on Madison's west side, and over the past 16 years the company has grown to include a store on Madison's northeast side and in Darien, Ill., located outside Chicago. The stores operate by buying from the public and reselling those items. The three stores combined now offer more than 100,000 items as well as selling on the popular site Amazon.
The stores are a bit of a mix between a traditional used store and a new bookstore. New titles are ordered on occasion to go along with all of the used items.
"It draws people into the store and it makes us better than your average used bookstore. You can find used stuff and we order stuff for customers. So if you know a book you want to get your mom for Christmas we can probably order it for you and get it at 25% off," says store manager Kathleen Keller.
This mix of new and used make the variety of items available outstanding. There are books available on any subject to please any appetite. The nature of the used bookstore allows for a unique buying experience that new stores can't match. With such a large collection of titles to offer, most brought in by customers, it will have many things new stores do not carry.
Old titles that are no longer in print can be found on shelves just steps away from the year old best sellers.
If you are looking for a unique title and are having trouble finding it at the local chain store, Frugal Muse is a good place to check out. They are the best of both worlds.
Another thing that sets Frugal Muse apart from its competitors is their customer service. Their reputation is very important to them. When asked if this was something that they took pride in Glick simply replied, "yes."
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