The Old Book Barn
An Old Time Book Buying Experience
by Jen Thomas
Driving north on Route 51 as you pass through Forsyth, you might have noticed a
large green barn with a big sign firmly announcing the [mostly] obvious: The Old
Book Barn. The building itself has been around for more than 50 years, but The Old
Book Barn has called it home since the mid-80s. Perhaps you’ve never paid much attention
to the old mule barn, as the older faction of the community remembers it, or maybe
you’ve never thought about the cache found inside the walls supporting the sign.
Some Vintage Books found at the OBB
The Old Book Barn is more than a barn and it’s more than a book store. It is a treasure
trove of new, used, and out-of-print books as well as some nostalgic antiques for
sale. It’s a place where you can bring in your gently used books and earn credit
toward the purchase of other gently used books. It’s a place where serendipity rules
as you find books you never knew you wanted. It’s a place where you can hold a book,
feel it, smell it, and take it home to love. And, heck, once you read it, you might
even bring it back to see if someone else can use it! If your books can be re-sold,
you get credit toward the purchase of other used books, so you’re buying already
discounted books at an additional 50% discount. (If you’re interested in more information
about The Old Book Barn’s trade policy, give them a call and inquire: 217-875-0222.)
The Cookbook Section
Since October 1998, Cheryl Haubner has owned The Old Book Barn and has learned firsthand
the challenges of running an independently owned bookstore in the time of amazon.com
and other powerhouse online book shopping sites. But she knows what every book lover
knows: There is nothing like walking into a bookstore and handling the books, running
your fingers down the neat rows housing thousands and thousands of books, prying
one open to discover its secrets. If you just felt goose bumps rise on your skin
and your pulse quickened, you’re a book lover too. It’s high time you get to the
Old Book Barn and plunder its 14,000 square feet of books and trinkets.
The Mystery Room
Cheryl and her husband Larry along with a delightful staff of employees work tirelessly
to keep up with their inventory brought in mostly by customers looking to trade
some books. The staff sorts, prices, and shelves hundreds of books per week, directly
resulting in a clean, well-organized book shopping experience like no other. Old
Book Barnies (the loving moniker given to the well-read, knowledgeable employees
there) pride themselves on customer service. Despite the inventory not being computerized
(Gasp!), the staff can almost always let customers know if a book is on its shelves—or
at least show you where to look. And having been an employee of the Old Book Barn
in my youth, I can speak to the excitement of bringing order to the chaotic, ever-changing
inventory and helping customers find the books they seek.
Nairobi Station
Science fiction, mystery, romance, war, true crime, you name it, and there’s a section
for it at the OBB. You want books about sports? Look at the newly insulated ceiling
and find the bicycle and kayak hanging from it; sports books take a timeout under
the gear. What makes the Book Barn especially cool, though, is that many sections
have been turned into rooms where aesthetic considerations delight. For instance,
Nairobi Station is an area where nature books await discovery, and the décor reflects
the theme with hand-painted wooden shipping crates serving as shelves in some parts.
Pull up a chair in the Mystery Room and practice your armchair detective skills
as you exercise your “little gray cells” (as Hercule Poirot would say), browsing
hundreds of paperbacks and hardbacks in the genre. One of the most popular sections,
the Classic Romance Room, houses some of the more popular and acclaimed romance
writers, a space contributing to the OBB’s special recognition in 2003: Romantic
Times Book Seller of the Year.
The Children's Section
The section that cheerfully greets you as you walk past the counter is a brightly
lit and even more brightly colored children’s section. Thousands of well-cared for
children’s books at great prices wait for young, eager eyes reading their way into
a lifetime of book loving. South of the children’s section is a wide range of cookbooks.
Regional cookbooks filled with practical, down-home meal ideas that regular people
enjoy every day are my favorite to pore over. Just past every cook’s dream, buggying
you to the past is a recently renovated Vintage Room where late 19th to early 20th
century books continue to age gracefully. From a time when book publishing was nothing
short of art with the finest materials used for covers and pages, the vintage books
are a glimpse into the culture and minds of the past.
So the next time you’re looking for books, drive a mile north of Hickory Point Mall
and discover one of Decatur’s best attractions and a fast-fading anomaly in the
book business: an independently owned book store with the largest used book inventory
in the Midwest. Spend your time (and your money!) in a place that gives the Greater
Decatur Area something to brag about. Hope to see you there!