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| - Mac's is my favorite bookstore in Cleveland, hands down. Whether you like it or not will have a lot to do with what you're looking for.
Mac's is primarily a used bookstore, with some new stuff mixed in. Their basement houses mostly history and a fair amount of other non-fiction - I never spent too much time down there but have found a few keepers in the racks. The main floor is where most of the fiction is, with a solid collection of literature as well as contemporary popular fiction. But the upstairs? Ahh, the upstairs is a haven to sci-fi and fantasy fans! I've never seen such a great collection of genre in a used bookstore as you will find here. I have spent hours up there and come away with piles of treasure. When living in Cleveland, I had to restrict my visits or I would have bankrupted myself on all of the great books up there!
The selling part is a bit less awesome. You can only get cash if you are selling back science fiction or fantasy (and if you're a SF/F fan, you know how hard it is to part with those favorites). They will buy other used books, but are picky and primarily seem to want rare or unusual titles. Mass market, blockbuster fiction titles are less likely to be taken, and unless it's sci-fi/fantasy you will get a store credit instead of cash. When using your store credit to buy books, you can only pay for (max) half of your purchase with credit, the other half has to come out of your pocket.
The staff is super-friendly and there are good finds everywhere in the store. But it's the SF/F that keeps me coming back every time I'm in town.
P.S. Pop into Tommy's next door for a milkshake while you're there. Best shake in town, worth the wait!
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