The Avid Reader - Davis Wiki

Location

617 2nd Street

Hours

Daily 10:00AM-10:00PM

Phone

(530)758-4040

Website

http://www.avidreaderbooks.com

Owner

Alzada Knickerbocker

Staff

Bruce Mickle, Inventory Manager

Sunjeet Baadkar, Publicist / Events Coordinator

Tristan Hills, Operations

Arthur Vassar, Bookkeeping

The Avid Reader is one of the long-standing independent bookstores in Davis. They have a decent selection and the staff is always friendly. Even better, if you're looking for something free to do, the store hosts readings by local and touring authors.

This is the only bookstore in Davis with an author event series. These tend to be Friday nights at 7:30PM-8:30PM, but check their web page or their Davis Enterprise ad. They also have The Avid Reader Book Club. Free gift wrapping is available year round.

In March 2006, Alzada Knickerbocker was named state Small-Business Champion of the Year by the National Federation of Independent Business.

The Avid Reader also has a sister store in Sacramento.

Current News: The Avid Reader has finished its remodel. Come check out the new digs!

Be a fan of The Avid Reader by adding us on facebook.

Comments:

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This place gets a big 'meh' from me. The selection is too small and the prices are too high. — Eyaddarras

2006-07-27 12:46:25 The Avid Reader holds awards for best bookstore, best customer service, and best independent retailer. Services include overnight special ordering (with free shipping), online ordering at www.avidreaderbooks.com, and fast searches for used, difficult to obtain, and out of print books. Teachers receive a 20% discount for classroom orders. Bookclub groups are welcome and receive a 20% discount on their bookclub selections. The store hosts its own bookclub that meets monthly and is always open to new members. Its Children’s Book Loft is a popular destination for young readers. There are signups for American Girls Bookclub meetings held regularly in the Loft. The store is recognized for a staff that is fast, friendly and knowledgeable, an extensive book selection including the best in print for the readers of Davis, strong support of local authors that includes dozens of booksignings annually, contributions to local organizations, and sponsorships of community programs. —TheAvidReader

2006-07-27 12:47:22 If they don't have what I want in stock, they can get it for me fairly fast. They also put on the Harry Potter nights over the last few book releases. Great community participation! Good store to support. —SharlaDaly

2006-08-23 10:37:14 Today the Sacramento Bee featured an article that quoted Alzada Knickerbocker as being opposing to the minimum wage increase. Sort of surprising seeing as I would expect the Avid Reader to pay better in Davis where the cost of living is much higher. Guess it goes to show you can't always judge a book by its cover. —EnirytManaen

2007-05-16 04:41:58 Interesting to read the comment above — I believe it. I went for a job interview once and met the owner. She appeared to be quite full of herself and kept focusing on how everyone tells her how great her bookstore was instead of doing my interview. Anyhow I ended with a better job offer elsewhere, but...ugh...youre better off going to any other of the many bookstores in Davis since this one has a lousy selection and is way overpriced. —christinegallo

2007-05-24 16:00:44 They have copies of my dads book for sale! <3 —StevenDaubert

2007-12-14 00:11:34 I'm glad we still have an independent bookstore downtown, but I wish I could be more enthusiastic about this one. One of my biggest gripes is the dog upstairs. Why is a dog that is freaked out by children kept right next to the children's section? They would sell more books if they found another daytime accommodation for this poor dog. I take my children's book business to Borders—it's bigger, cheaper, and my children can go to the kids' section without being scared out of their wits. I'm no dog-hater. (Pomegranate, the hair place on F St., has a lovely, lovely dog who belongs to the owners.) This is one instance of the sort of lack of sense about customer needs that eventually leads to loss of business & business closure, which then gets blamed (unfairly, IMHO) on Borders and Amazon. I wish someone who really loved both books & people would open a bookstore here! —PrimulaBaggins

2007-12-14 22:28:19 Best selection of books in Davis. Excellent staff and their special order system is fast and efficient. Many books by local authors. Lots of great calendars around the holidays, good map selection. They have normal retail pricing, discounts on some books and a shopper card you can use to save money. BTW, every time I've been in the store, which is many, many times over the years, the dog has been confined behind the child gate upstairs, and is usually curled up in her corner or in her carrier. The owner is very active in downtown events and is a big supporter of local community groups. —DonShor

2008-10-08 14:31:12 I need to update that picture with one where cars aren't blocking the front tables... —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-07-01 15:25:26 It's a little bit surprising, since the store is physically much smaller, but the variety of books offered by Avid is probably comparable to that of Borders. Borders shelves are (increasingly) occupied by empty space, books on display sideways, and signs telling you to look at other books. Avid's shelves are densely packed with one of just about everything. While I'm sure they don't have the diversity of Amazon, I've been in there on a number of occasions, and always found what what I was looking for. Highly recommended.

One concern though - I think I mentioned this on the Borders page as well at one point - it is becoming increasingly difficult to find novels in trade paperback format. Books that should cost $7 or so cost $16 or more, and don't seem to be available in less expensive formats. At those prices, it often feels like a better choice to try to find books at the library, to exchange books with friends, or to seek other alternatives (including Amazon, which is often somewhat cheaper). I'd rather support my local bookstores if I can, but if prices continue to increase, that may not be an option. —IDoNotExist

Go to Sweet Briar Books over on G Street in East Davis; plenty of packed shelves, no gimmicks. BrianJKenyon
What gimmicks do we have, if you don't mind me asking? - SunjeetBaadkar
Answer, in two words: author selection: compared to Sweet Briar: relatively uneclectic. Their second-hand/remainder shelf contents built to different dimensions though, of course...BrianJKenyon

Well, The Avid Reader literally consists of the staff that you see at the top of the page and has stayed static for quite a while now (at least a couple years). The inventory manager does most of the ordering, but all the employees order for the store as well. We basically control the store's inventory as a group and decide what we want (and yes, we order some random things on whim because we feel like it should be here even if it doesn't sell) individually or as a group. We also take customer recommendations into consideration when someone walks in and says we should order a book for the store to carry. So if there is every anything that you think we should have, definitely come on by and we'd be willing to hear what you have to say. —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-07-20 01:01:50 What kind of renovations are being performed? It looked like some pretty extensive changes were being made when I biked by. —IDoNotExist

2009-07-31 10:54:07 Well, for the most part, the changes are done, but there are still a few more things happening. Over the last two weeks, we have added wheels to all the bookshelves so we can move them around on whim, changed the carpets, repainted the walls, redid the tile in the front of the store (inside and out), refinished the wooden surfaces, redid the staircase that leads to the kids' loft and have been doing minor changes to the store arrangement overall. Suffice to say, me and the other employees are physically tired, but there are still more changes to come. Come on by and check it out. —SunjeetBaadkar

Is the community bulletin board going back up in the display window when the paint dries? BrianJKenyon

Yes, it will be back up, but we're still not sure when. We're trying to decide on the current positioning of everything in the store and probably won't be doing anything for a couple weeks. We're toying with the idea of putting up a much larger bulletin board in the back hallway so that there isn't as much fighting over space. Also, if we do that and put one up front, we'd end up having the front reserved for downtown events and non-profit events only. But since we'd have to punch holes in the wall to mount these things, we're not doing it until we're set on an idea. —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-08-29 22:03:03 I love the Avid Reader. The selection is excellent, the atmosphere inviting and relaxing, the staff are excellent, and they are involved in and supportive of the local community. Where else can you go that the staff keep you in mind when new books come in that you might be interested in and let you know? Definitely one of my very favorite places in Davis. —davisdebbie

2009-09-04 20:45:06 The bulletin board is back up! To accommodate the demand, we've more than doubled the size of it and moved it to the back hallway since that area gets more foot traffic than the front corner did. Please tell the employees before posting something so that it is guaranteed to stay up (as things just randomly posted may be pulled down). —SunjeetBaadkar