Cathy’s Half Price Books

could have been organized better and had more deals on buying large quantities of books.

Did anyone ever see «You’ve Got Mail?» Well, Cathy’s reminds me of the bookstore that Meg Ryan owns and where Tom Hanks comes to visit. The quaintness, kind staff, and homeyness reels me in every time. Sure, there’s always Amazon, but let’s be honest, there is nothing better than spending an afternoon and physically choosing your next read. I hope Cathy’s is around for a very long time!

I try to stop by Cathy’s whenever I’m in Havertown. My daughter loves the $ 1 children’s bin. The books are well arranged by genre and alphabetical order. The last time we visited the store, I left with 4 books for $ 6.50. They have a great selection of adult books but I think their children’s selection is pretty limited.

Because of the excellent reviews listed for this shop, I decided to walk the 3.5 miles from my apartment in the hot sun to check it out. Totally worth it.
Tucked away in a bustling strip mall, you might not even notice the place at first. However, once you enter, you are transported into the old world charm of a top-​notch bookstore. You know that marvelous and rustic library smell? Exactly.
The employees were very friendly and knew exactly where to find all of my selections without even consulting the lookup! I walked away with an armload of books for $ 35 – simply unbelievable.
I am deducting one star because there is no seating, which, in my opinion, really helps when perusing new books. Also, the aisles are a bit difficult to maneuver when there are several people browsing.
I don’t see the need to even look for a better bookstore. Great selection, fantastic customer service, unrivaled price. I will definitely be back.

This place is a diamond in the rough!
This charming little used book store always has ample parking, and is never too crowded or stuffy!
Everything is sectioned off appropriately based on genre, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to get a full series or set of books while you’re there!
Everything is always in order and the employees are always polite.
The books here are cheaper than most, so if I have something to read for a certain class, I always check Cathy’s first.
Keep an eye out for great finds, too. Recently found an Alice in Wonderland there from 1964. I checked online, and it’s now valued at over $ 100!
You’ll truly enjoy visiting this place on a nice quiet Saturday afternoon.
It’s even located beside a Superfresh, and very close to a Wine & Spirits, so feel free to grab some groceries or a nice bottle of wine after your visit here!

Located in a suburban strip mall where parking is available. They offer new and used books that looks like new. Cathy’s made sure that they only accept used books that are gently used. Prices are reasonable, and they even sell used DVD’s too. A great place to shop for that book you have been wanting to read. Note: there is no place to sit.

Cathy’s is one of my favorite places to visit when i’m in the area. The books are all in great condition and I always find myself surprised at how organized everything is. The staff are also extremely helpful and knowledgeable about books and authors. I don’t think I’ve ever gone in Cathy’s without leaving with a great book!

A very nice little used bookstore in the Manoa Shopping Center. Books are carefully arranged with a dandy little subject marker for each one. They do have older titles, but emphasis is on the newer popular ones. They even have two rows of V.C. Andrews books for all you «Petals» fans. Would like to rate them higher, but the staff ignored me each time I was there.

I almost always find what I am looking for in here. I love the look and feel of the place. Old books getting new life and a very helpful staff.

I love it here! The selection is VAST. SO many books of all different kinds. If you’re looking for a specific title you will find it. The place is packed to the gills! The prices are amazing– you can get books for a few dollars. You can’t beat that.
And as an added bonus– the place smells great and plays good music!

This is the best book store in the greater Philly area, in my opinion. The selection is vast, the book quality is usually very good, the staff is always friendly, and the prices are as good as you’ll find in the area, at $ 3.50 per used paperback and $ 3.00 if you buy 4 or more.
There aren’t enough good things I can say about this place, and I gladly spend a lot of time and money here.

Love this place. It’s small, but packed to the brim with a good assortment of novels, nonfiction, paperbacks… picking through the super affordable, older novels got me through college lit courses without spending a ton. Best of all, you can sell books at certain times. You bring the books in in a box, and browse around the store while the staff looks through and sees what they can buy from you/​give you store credit for.
The staff is friendly and always willing to help you find what you’re looking for.

Always intent on getting in and out of the Manoa Shopping Center as quickly as possible, Cathy’s always makes me linger. The bait first comes with sale books located in outside carts. Your gaze then meets with popular, best-​sellers or soul-​fulfilling classics you’ve been craving strategically placed in the windows. Your interest, now stoked, lures you beyond the entrance, deep into the store’s dark, overstocked shelves.
The store is small and crowded, yet has great organization. Best of all, unlike other equivalent shops, all books are digitally accounted for, so even if you do not see your pursuit on the shelves, the clerk can give you some assurance on finding it. Most likely, you will find an unintended treasure just from browsing.
Also, unlike other small bookstores, this one doesn’t seem to have any agenda in it’s book selection. Being that I am partial to non-​fiction, specifically religion and philosophy, I am able to find a wide variety of topics (although the majority is Christian). I do believe, however, the store’s strength comes from it’s extensive fiction selection.
Another bonus is that you can bring your books in and have credit added for future purchases. I would call ahead to ask on designated times to do this, since they do not accept books-​for-​credits all hours of operation.
Now that the Border’s stores are closing, I hope this place continues to be resource for Havertown and the surrounding suburbs.

If you are a voracious reader like I am, discounted books are a very good thing! Over the years I’ve been to several stores like this and Cathy’s is the best by far. To me there are two keys to her success.
Volume– There are many thousands of books here. A lot folks like to read specific genres’ and Cathy’s has the volume to make it likely you’ll find some gems.
Organization– This place is beautifully organized! You’ll be able to find what you like quickly and easily.
Especially in this economy, it’s nice to have a place like Cathy’s around.

Great place to buy books! My 10 year old son reads like it’s going out of style… not kidding… finishes a chapter book once every other day! So nice to find a place to buy him the entire series of a book for the price of one or two books of the series!!!
Very nicely laid out and stocked as well :)
Not much of a return on books that you are selling to them though :(

I live around the corner from this store and visit it now and again with my 3 year old niece. I absolutely adore this book store. It’s easy to find what you are looking for and the employees are very helpful. Cathy’s is truly a gem.

I first found out about Cathy’s when I tried out for a job as their online inventory consultant back in Winter. I didn’t get the job, but what I did gain was insight towards what might just be the best book store in the Philly suburbs (if not PA itself!).
Shannon and Cathy are two seasoned readers who know and are dedicated to their inventory from front to back, which is a pretty near impossible thing to do since they have to have thousands upon hundred thousands of books to go through! But they pulled it off to the point where each book is placed exactly where it needs to be under careful consideration.
Your probably scratching their head and thinking «isn’t it their job McThrill?», and you’re probably right. But that detail is so carefully crafted that Cathy’s essentially double’s over as two stores. Store #1 is the Booker Lover’s Paradise, while Store #2 is the Library Of Misfit Books (and I mean that in the best way possible.). And that makes it a store that really takes every kind of reader into consideration, while tossing in some used music and movies as well.
As Brad points out the staff are the cool kind of readers who listen to the likes of Fleet Foxes while talking about top five authors all day. And they really know how to guide you to your reading needs. And it has the best prices around, although you probably assumed that already since it has Half Price in the title. Blake’s right, Cathy’s is indeed a diamond in the rough, which is pretty near impossible to come by in a suburban strip mall!

I did a random google search of «the best used book store» in my area, and Cathy’s was what came up. After making the trip out there yesterday, i can safely say this was no exaggeration.
The store’s walls are filled up with nothing but books, which are organized in an easy-​to-​find fashion. I knew as i stepped into the store and heard Fleet Foxes playing on the sound system that i had found a gold mine.
I left the store with 3 new books and my girlfriend left with 2. More likely than not, they will have the book that you are looking for.
The staff was extremely helpful, and i’m so glad that a store like this actually exists. I’ll be going back soon.
The other awesome thing is it’s right down the road from Burlap and Bean (my favorite coffee shop!)

the manoa shopping center (ie, strip mall) has a rather diverse grouping of stores. superfresh & applebee’s are the bookends… between which one can find a cigar store, nail salon, post office, dollar store, deli, bagel shop, dry cleaners, pizza place, sporting goods store, staples, beer distributor, shoe store… and cathy’s half price books.
cathy’s is the diamond in the rough, for sure.
sometimes i head to cathy’s when i’m looking for a particular title or author. other times i wander in to browse the shelves in search of a «new» find before picking up some groceries next door. i’ve never walked out empty handed. you can also call them and they will gladly check their inventory for you, or you can search their online store where, from what i have noticed, prices are reduced, so that when you factor in shipping, books are still only half price!
oh, and for anyone who’s interested in joining the unofficial Unilocal book club this month — they have 2 copies of the poisonwood bible in stock :)

I can’t believe no one’s Unilocaled about this place yet. Alright, I realize it’s in a suburban strip mall, but still. Actually, for that reason especially, it is a very impressive place.
Super organized, aisles upon aisles of used books at great prices, and a pretty broad selection. Plus CDs and DVDs too — and they have normal hours! As in, you can go after work and they’re still open! Until 9! (except on sundays.) AND they have a search function if you’re looking for a specific book.
I have found my local spot for books — finally. Hallelujah!