Growing by the book

Take a new look at your local used-book store. It may not seem like a growth industry, but it is.

Across the South Shore and beyond, used-book stores are not only surviving, but thriving, keeping the tradition of the independent bookshop alive. Their some times quirky personal touch es and book buyback programs are proving part of the attraction.

Rich and Jeanne Fitzpatrick opened Braintree Book Rack 11 years ago. They never considered selling new books, said Rich Fitzpatrick, citing "competition everywhere, from Borders and Barnes & Noble to BJ's [Wholesale Club ] and Stop & Shop."

But he has found a loyal clientele by selling a vast and ever-changing collection of gently used fiction and non fiction -- plus a small selection of children's books and movies -- in his corner store, which anchors a block on Washington Street that is home to other small businesses, including a diner and a consignment shop.

He reports that his profits have grown each year. That's backed up by the Book Industry Study Group Inc., which says used books represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the book publishing industry.

In 2004, the last year a study was conducted , 111 million used books were sold in the United States -- an 11 percent increase from the previous year.

Jeanne DeCourcey visits Fitzpatrick's shop once or twice a week to stock up on the legal thrillers and suspense fiction that she loves. After she reads the books, she said, she brings them back to the store and cashes them in for store credit.

The Book Rack charges half the cover price for paperback fiction and credits customers for half that price if they return the book. (Hardcover prices vary.) Other used-book stores use similar systems.

"When you see the ticket price on a new book, it leaves you gasping," said De Courc e y, who said she doesn't mind missing out on new titles because "I have so many books I'm trying to catch up on."

Besides the savings, she said, she likes the service that's hard to find at chain stores. Fitzpatrick "knows what I like and what I don't," she said. "He always makes good recommendations."

For many, the store is a resource. "We get every conceivable type of person in here," said Fitzpatrick. "Someone came in the other day who bought a bunch of books on blacksmithing. In the shop we have a little bit of everything, and people are interested in a little bit of everything."

A significant portion of used-book sales comes from deals brokered on the Internet, which helps booksellers supplement their brick-and-mortar earnings. The combination of the mom-and-pop store and the online marketplace seems to be what's fueling the used-book industry.

Dave Johnson , who has owned The Book Store of West Bridgewater since 1971, said he has been conducting 75 percent of his business via the Web for the past decade, through online stores such as Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com . Still, he has no plans to shut down the store, he said.

"Staring at a computer is not that rewarding," he said. "You really like to see people occasionally."

Michael Norris , senior research analyst at Simba Information , a publishing research firm in Stamford, Conn. , reports that there are about 4 million used books for sale on ebay.com on any given day.

"It's so easy for people to buy and sell used books these days," said Norris. "There are a lot of consumers who think that used is just as good as new, if you don't mind a few dog-eared pages. It's a whole lot different than buying a used car."

He pointed out that used copies of current bestsellers are often available online in nearly mint condition, just a few weeks after publication.

"People read them and then they're ready to get rid of them," Norris said. "They want to save on space and make a little money."

Used-book stores may have an image of musty, tattered merchandise, but Kim McCormack , owner of Twice Upon a Time in Middleboro ugh , said she is "picky" about the condition of the books she buys from customers. "No torn pages," she said.

She, like other merchants, buys and sells online. But she said there are still people who prefer to conduct used-book transactions in person.

"There are quite a few people who are afraid of the Internet," she said. "Either they don't know how to use it, or they don't want to put their credit card information out there."

There are also people who enjoy the hunting appeal of used-book stores.

Said DeCourcey, "You never know what you're going to find when you come in here."