There are two kinds of bookstores. There are the cavernous dens of used books that often smell like patchouli and require at least half a day of digging to find a real gem. Then there are the mainstream chains where the newest best seller and a cup of coffee share the same price point. These two opposites climb to meet at an apex that is the Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe.

Changing Hands offers both used and new books in a clean, well-lit store, that is full of charm and knowledgeable staff who are very nonthreatening. Changing Hands is an institution for Valley book fans.

Not only can book searchers find the current best sellers but they may also be able to find that hidden gem they have been looking for. If not, the helpful staff will doing just about anything to find the book for you.

Changing Hands holds more events than you can shake a copy of Harry Potter at. Almost every evening of the week has an event – from author signings, writing workshops, holistic healing and drawing to animals from the Phoenix Zoo and special groups for kids. That does not even begin to scratch the surface of events available at Changing Hands.

The bookstore is also very involved with the community and was in fact first founded as a community-gathering place that happened to have some books. The store has a great Web site – www.changinghands.com – that not only explains many of the store’s altruistic endeavors but includes eBooks, book ordering and an extensive list of events.

There are several options for book shopping in Tempe, but no other bookstore combines so much into one place. There are cheaper places, there are more upscale places, but Changing Hands is the perfect store for every kind of book shopper.

Changing Hands
[where: 6428 S McClintock Dr, Tempe, AZ]
Southwest corner of McClintock and Guadalupe