Old Monterey Book Co

This place is awesome !!! The elderly lady is quite nice & VERY smart. You get the impression she is studying you as she would one of her many fantastic books. I took some old books in there to sell & she liked them but told me I could prolly get a better price online for them. Not many business people will tell you that.

On a busy Tuesday afternoon my girlfriend and I were visiting downtown Monterey because that’s what 30 year olds do these days in 2015. I love antiquities, old things, and searching for cool stuff In small quirky places so this place really caught my attention.
Little did I know that this was going to be quite literally the scariest and creepiest book buying experience I’ve ever had.
The owner is an old lady who on first impression demands quiet respect and proper manners. She says nothing, moves little, and you know she is frighteningly wise. Moving on, while perusing the cramped yet vast selection of old and new hardbacks you begin to feel almost small in an already tiny place. The floors creak with every step, and the books ranging from 1700s to new publications almost start to scream at you with their silent knowledge, stacked in a melancholy but organized puzzle. Additionally to add to the creepy library ambiance is the smell: That wonderful smell of old paper, dust, and wood permeates every bit of your being. Fantastic.
I was sweating while purchasing my two books because I didn’t want to disturb the owner too much. Using the best grammar could muster I brought my two purchases to the front, quietly paid in cash, and returned to my girlfriend outside who was lucky enough to share this wonderfully frightening experience with me.
Proper old school book store. Scary, piled high with ancient stuff, and probably haunted. A++

If you’re like many tourists you might be in Monterey on a Saturday and decide you’d like to browse in Old Monterey Books. Don’t bother wasting your time trying to do that. They’re closed on Saturdays. Really?

A REAL used bookstore, for people who love quality used books. The lady who runs it is incredibly knowledgeable about books and her inventory, and watching her get grumpy with clueless customers cracks me up. Don’t let her intimidate you if you truly love high-​quality books. Get your cheap paperbacks somewhere else.

This place is like a lost treasure trove for bookworms! You walk in and see tons and tons of books lined up on bookshelves, but also stacked willy nilly, placed above you in a mini upstairs walk-​up, etc. I love the feeling of entering an ancient library run by a little old lady.
I’ve found new and super-​old books here. I even bought an old copy of Robinson Crusoe from here. I believe it’s from the 1800s! I couldn’t resist it’s coarse, green cover. The newer book I bought was a look into the history of the Presidio of Monterey. That one was a fantastic eye-​opener.
I’ve noticed many reviewers commenting on the owner’s gruff customer service. To be honest I don’t remember much about that. It’s true I don’t remember a greeting as I entered, but I don’t care about those kinds of things. Also, she might have been reading each time I came in, which just makes me believe that she is a true bookworm and would hopefully be able to help me in any book-​related questions I’d have.
It seems like she tends to get nervous when customers enter with children. Probably because she’s afraid they are going to accidentally knock stuff down, rip out pages, etc. I totally understand the worry she’d have, especially since this place is such a tiny and narrow space. Sounds like she needs a class in how to handle customers with children. Or perhaps just have a sign outside saying, «No children.» lol
Unilocal365-#026/365

There are some wonderful treasures in this shop. It has a great, old-​timey feel, with books piled high everywhere.
Unfortunately, its hours are short. Perhaps the best time to go during a trip to the farmer’s market on Tuesdays – but do everyone a favor and go here before you buy any food at the market.

I honestly want to like this store, but unfortunately the bitter old lady running it drives customers away. She is such a curmudgeon!
I have a good selection of books at my house; they are nice quality hardbacks kept in great condition. Many used-​book-​stores would love to buy them for their stock. Once, when I called up this shop and inquired about their hours for trading books the owner said, «We don’t trade books!» I asked, «But isn’t this a used book store? Don’t you buy books from customers?» The owner’s feathers were obviously ruffled because she replied with, «We don’t BUY books from customers.»
WTF? How does a used book store get any new stock then? She must be operating with some bizarre business model of a used book store that I haven’t heard of.
Honestly, don’t waste your time here. If you want to trade books, go to Book Buyers on Lighthouse Ave. Otherwise, the only decent shops to trade with are Book Buyers in Mountain View, and Phoenix Books in San Luis Obispo.
I will say that the owner does have a good selection, and she has a high percentage of quality books vs. crap books. Expect to pay for them however. The prices are a bit high for a used book shop.

I would genuinely like to be able to give this place a better review, so I will try to go back in and give them a second try, but today was a little bit of a disaster when I went in. First of all, I have tried to go to this store at least 4 times before, and each time it has been closed. They are only open from 12 – 5 during the week, and I think they don’t even always open like that. The woman who runs the place was rude to my 8-​year old nephew, and snapped at him for something little. She didn’t greet us when we walked in, and she answered our questions curtly. It was as if she had decided that she didn’t want our business before we even walked in. Kind of strange. The book selection wasn’t great. We didn’t find anything that we wanted to buy. The Spanish section was one small shelf of a shelf, and their kids books were limited – only a few picture books, and a couple of chapter books. The books were mainly classics, and some were quite nice, but few popular newer books to appeal to that crowd.

Cute little used bookstore. Tends to lean more towards older, non-​fiction, and collectibles, than newer, popular, fiction.
Extra stars for ambiance! It has the classic overcrowded, books piled everywhere, creaky floorboard look to it. There are some cool murals on the wall.
A little old lady runs it, and the hours are very unusual — it’s not open very often.