Central Books

hanna b

Joined 2 years ago

I second BK's review of Central Books. My boyfriend and I had the most bizarre experience we've ever had in a bookstore, maybe in any retail establishment. Here's what happened.

The layout of the bookstore is not one big space, but is instead broken up into several small rooms. The owner was in the front of the store and said nothing to us when we entered, which is no big deal, but then, as we moved through the various rooms, she came back to "check" on us at least three times over the course of maybe 15 minutes. Naturally we got the distinct impression that she thought we were going to steal. What finally sent us out of the store screaming was when she "checked" on us the final time, and just stood there staring at us for what seemed like an eternity and then finally barked, "Well it's clear you're not interested in buying anything so I'm gonna take my break." With that she stormed out of the room and I said, loud enough for her to hear me, "We're just browsing; isn't that what everyone does when they come into a bookstore?!" Of course I got no reply. My friend and I just looked at each other in amazement and said, "Okay, it's time to get the hell out of here; this woman needs psychiatric help."

It's clear that this woman, the owner, is more than just a bit curmudgeonly. There is something REALLY wrong with her. Stay away.