Nestled between The Cup and Greek’s Pizzeria is a small storefront with a blue and white neon sign in the side window. It says “Used Books” next to a frolicking rabbit. Outside the front door sits a rack of Isaac Asimov sci-fi, along with other assorted paperback books that can be bought with pocket change.
Inevitably, Derek Edwards, 50, will be behind the counter.
Edwards is the owner and only employee of White Rabbit Used Books. Edwards started the business as a flea market booth when he was 16 years old. Edwards said he established the shop 22 years ago in the Village where it stands today.
Almost every inch of the building is crammed with inventory. Comic books and old pulp magazines hang in plastic bags pinned to the wall. The prices range from $1 to $10 with more and less expensive outliers. Eye catchers like Hunter S. Thompson’s “Kingdom of Fear” sit in the window to tempt West University Avenue pedestrians inside.
“I like to deal in unusual stuff — older books, stuff that’s out of print, more esoteric stuff, graphic novels, comic books,” Edwards said. “Stuff people remember from their childhoods or stuff from their parent’s childhoods.”
The floor is covered with bookcases and towering horizontal piles of merchandise, leaving only a narrow pathway. Odd, single and promotionally released titles are shelved alongside more popular, in-demand novels. Their condition varies from nearly new to extremely worn.
The White Rabbit buys used books and DVDs, which can be a godsend for cash-strapped students or ravenous readers who like to circulate material the library doesn’t offer, he said.
“[The stock] is from a lot of different sources,” Edwards said. “People do bring stuff in. I also go to library sales; I go to estate sales, to rummage sales, just wherever I can find it.”
Edwards said sometimes when he scavenges for literary finds, he will find a book that has one of his tags on it in a library sale, which means it has already circulated through his store.
A spiral staircase gives a better view of comics pinned higher on the wall and leads to the second floor — where people can find foreign, historical and other miscellaneous, sometimes rare, texts.
“I had an Arabic copy of ‘Superboy’ come through once, which I thought that was very unusual,” Edwards said. “I had ‘Fantastic Adventures #15,’ which was the first appearance of Spider-Man. ... It’s one of the hardest comic books to find anywhere, you know, next to ‘Action #1’ [the first appearance of Superman].”
Bill Clinton’s biography sits prominently on a shelf, his face smiling broadly — the title not in a foreign language. In the second room, a radio plays and a collection of reference books are piled near an entire corner full of WWII texts. Edwards is always surrounded by his stock, which helps him pass the time.
“I’ve lately been on a mystery reading kick,” Edwards said. ”I’ve been reading a lot of older mysteries, stuff from the ‘40s. I like science fiction and fantasy. As far as movies go, I have an affinity for what most people call ‘bad’ movies, I guess. ... I love ‘B’ movies. I like getting movie stuff in, posters, stuff like that when I can find it.”
Because it buys so freely and sells so cheaply, The White Rabbit can go with the ebb and flow of what is popular at any given time.
“I’ve got some early Avengers comics, some early Fantastic Fours, and recently, there’s been a lot of interesting Marvel [comics]. They’ve been coming out with those movies, and it sparks some whole new interest in those characters,” he said. “Of course, right now, I‘ve got the Halloween push going on — pushing books on horror material and stuff like that, things for the season. Old pulp stuff, lots of kid’s horror books. Of course, the ‘Goosebumps’ have been selling real good. People remember those.”
After 34 years of standing behind his business, Edwards feels the time has measured up to be a success.
“It’s come a long way, and I’m really glad to be doing what I’m doing,” Edwards said.
