The Spiral Bookcase

Amelia is a great welcoming committee. I love this place. They are happy to order anything for me. Highly recommend stopping in if you are in the area.

Favorite store in Manayunk. Really great selection of new and used. Very helpful staff. And Amelia the orange white and black cat is my buddy.

Was visiting the area and decided to pop in to this cute shop. The feel of this store is great and different from the usual big chain bookstores. Prices aren’t bad and you can find little gems on sale.

The Spiral Bookcase is a charming little bookstore right off of Manayunk’s Main Street. They have a ton of used books, as well as new titles as well. Ann, the owner, is a terrific woman always with a smile on her face. They are a place where lovers of books can find a place to call their own. I also love that they have a cat that patrols the shelves, being a cat owner and lover myself.
I came here to search for browse the shelves, as I am wont to do. And something struck my fancy. It was a copy of Stephen King’s «On Writing.» I’m told that Steven King is a prolific writer in the horror and sci-​fi genres — I wasn’t familiar with his name or his work, but I definitely intend to further explore his work.
I flipped through the book and saw that a lot of it was advice on how to become a writer and what that world is like. I have worked as an actuary the past several years, most recently focusing on loss regression models for DEB Stores, one of the most exciting and innovative franchises in woman’s retail. However, when I was a freshman in college (Ramapo in Mahwah, NJ), I had a creative writing class. My professor was very encouraging and told me that I should really explore becoming a writer. Instead, I majored in business and ended up working in the actuary racket. (LOL — we pride ourselves on our ethics.)
However, I have recently been going through a tough time. I was recently divorced from Cynthia, my wife of 14 years. Our twin sons Bradley and Bryan (B’n’B) live with her in Glenside. I also recently broke up with Tonya M., a woman previously convicted of voter fraud that I had dated.
I knew that I needed to make a change in my life. My sage father Karl G.Sr. told me that I should take more chances, so B’n’B won’t be afraid to in the future. And after flipping through King’s tome, I knew what I had to do.
I purchased «On Writing.» And I also purchased a how-​to guide in resume writing.
A few weeks later, the editor of Contingencies Magazine, the trade publication produced by the American Academy of Actuaries, made me an offer. I gladly accepted and tendered my resignation with my last company. It was a great place to work — the «help line» offered by their HR Department provided me with invaluable advice, especially in helping me develop a work-​life balance as my devotion to my career (as well as my fears of taking chances) contributed to the end of my marriage.
It will be a tough slog. My editor has been impressed with my work to date, as I am really able to capture the quirky personalities that dot the actuarial industry. However, he said I need to work on catching typos.
But I can now go to sleep every night knowing I am a professional writer.
I would recommend The Spiral Bookcase to anyone in the Manayunk/​Roxborough neighborhood who is looking to make a career change, especially to someone who has finally decided to chase a dream they have long denied themselves and is finally taking steps to become the person they have always wanted to become.

Perfect little bookstore in the heart of Manayunk. Lots and lots of old and new books. Pricing is fair and there are a couple of spots to sit. There’s always some cool display in the window.
Don’t forget to pet Amelia the bookstore cat! She’s super sweet and loves to interact with customers :-)

This place is my heaven. I visited twice so far. Their window displays are beautiful. I love all the neat merchandise they have and the books of course. I also love that there’s a resident cat. I would definitely stop in again and I would recommend checking it out!

love this place. plus I hate cats and their cat is amazing.

My favorite Manayunk gem. Ann, the proprietor, is so great and tracks down all the best book treasures.

I’m not in the Philly area but the Spiral Bookcase had a rare book I really wanted to purchase. It was so easy! I simply contacted the shop and gave them my address. They sent me a PayPal request and shipped the book off. To my surprise, it arrived within a couple of days — take that, Amazon Prime!
I have been to the shop — its packed with fantastic titles and rare finds. But wanted to be sure people knew that online or phone ordering is a snap. And you get the benefit of the knowledge and expertise of the proprietors. Thanks again, Spiral Bookcase!

This place is so cute! I love it so much. It’s a little hidden bookstore. It’s small and PACKED with books. They’re wiling to order any book you want ASAP! Cheap prices too!

Cutest little book store in a great location. There’s always a great selection of popular books, and I’ve never paid more than $ 8 for a paperback.

I love to grab a book and then sit outside at smileys café. Also, one time I was looking for a particular book they didn’t have, and they were able to get it for me and let me know when it was there. As cheap as I could find it online, without having to pay for shipping. I’m a sucker for a clever name too. More criminal justice and sociology books please.

I wandered in one evening while taking a walk down to Main and was so amazingly glad that I did.
The collection of books that they have are ecclectic, diverse, and interesting. The owners are super knowledgable so if you express the type of book you are looking for they always make the best suggestions. It is small but warm and you always feel like you have belonged in their even if it is your first or second time.
If you are looking for a new book or an old classic they will help pair you with something that is truly you. Bonus: bookstore cat is adorable and loves to cuddle.

Cool little shop with new and used books. They have a Meet-​Up group every month. I thought the prices on the used books were pretty high.

I wandered here on a leisurely Sunday afternoon walk and was pleasantly surprised by such a little, tucked away treasure.
There aren’t a ton of books, but the ones that are there are well chosen, and thoughtfully displayed. There’s some traditional things you’ve heard of, but also little odd books that you wouldn’t find elsewhere or know to look for otherwise.
The guy behind the counter was super friendly, but also knew to leave you alone while browsing, which is a rare balance that a lot of small shops fail to achieve.
And the cat. There’s a cat. They encourage you to pet it. She’s awesome.

Absolutely charming. I am infinitely thankful to have a bookstore in Manayunk, as they have grown to be a rarity in 2012. The Spiral Bookcase has a lovely collection of new and used classics, as well as contemporary novels and children’s literature. There are also some knicknacks for sale, including vintage keys that would make a cool necklace. The woman working was kind and helpful and did not pester us as we browsed. For a tiny store with so many items, the Spiral Bookcase is very clean and well-​kept.

This is such a needed addition in Manayunk, I love this bookstore! Although it may look small from the outside, Ann — the store owner, has filled her store with a great selection of new and used books.
Every time I go in she is really helpful answering any questions I have, she’s also gone to the effort of ordering books for me that she didn’t have in stock!
Not only can you get books here for yourself or as gifts for others but she also has a great collection of art work/​prints, jewelry and housewares (tea/​coffee cups) for sale.
There are also events for throughout the year that really add a lot to the community.

So here we were, walkin’ along the chaos that was the Manayunk Arts Festival, when a guy at the corner passing out coupons blurts out, «Hey, you look like you read!» Then promptly pushes said coupon into my hand and points us towards the Spiral Bookcase just off Cotton Street.
Though we only perused for a few minutes, we were piqued by the quaint, clean bookstore. A varied, large selection of used and new books neatly filed along shelves, little knick-​knacks and book miscellany — this place is a step above the grim and dusty used bookstores you encounter in dark alleyways.
Come here if you want to avoid the corporate chain of bookstores — intimate, sweet bookstores like these are a rarity and should be constantly visited. I know I’ll be back!

Usually, being in Manayunk involves killing a few brain cells. The sheer number of bars on Main Street mean that you’re more likely than not going to leave this part of town just waiting for tomorrow’s hangover and the fall-​out from all those drunk texts. You know who you are.
So it’s great that there is finally a place in Manayunk that celebrates your remaining brain cells and even encourages you to give them a bit of a workout. The Spiral Bookcase has a great selection (especially for such a small shop) and you can really tell that care has gone into choosing books for quality, not just what will sell the fastest.
I’ve been in a few times now and I have never failed to find an interesting title, another interesting title, a gift for someone else and then some good conversation with the owner. She’s a good woman doing good work to not just hawk some books, but really make a community of readers and bibliophiles in her neighborhood, and I salute her for that.

When I was a young lad, before reaching my current cadaverous state of 29 years old, I would play a video game on my NES called «Dragon Warrior.» In this medieval fantasy game, when one serendipitously located something of value, the game would notify him or her with the text, «fortune smiles upon thee!» When I turned the corner onto Cotton St last night, walking back to the car from a fun night out and saw, not only a new used bookstore on the street, but one that was still open at 9:30 (!), I had a flashback to the granulated, 8-​bit, notifications rendered by Dragon Warrior: «Fortune smiles upon thee, Chris M!»
I literally stopped what I was saying, mid-​sentence, and ran across the street to check out the bookstore. I was immediately greeted by the owners, two very pleasant ladies who were more than willing to indulge me in my desire to chat about all things literary, even though I was unknowingly keeping them past closing time.
The selection of books is very good, and the prices are extremely reasonable. And they have more than books — Oscar Wilde action figure, anyone? Oh, yes!
So, while I had gotten into the habit of purchasing all books from Amazon, I plan on doing to bulk of my shopping here now. The addition of a bookstore to the (sometimes bro-​tastic) neighborhood is a godsend, and I plan to support it as much as I can.
Definitely come and check it out!