Armadillo Book

This place is fantastic! I’ve been here twice, and both times I meant to just drop by and I ended up spending over an hour browsing. Most of the books are new (and the profits from the few used books go to charity! Who knew?), and the prices are absurdly low– everything is 70% off the list price or less.
This place is NOT just another discount bookstore. I usually don’t like buying from used or discount bookstores, because I rarely find anything I want. I typically read the sort of thing they have in Urban Outfitters– books about street art, Banksy, Keri Smith-​style books, and very recent humor books. This place has an incredible selection of these, which I have NEVER found at another discount bookstore!
Yesterday I went in planning on not buying anything, and I came out with brand new copies of «Chinglish,» a hilarious collection of photos of mistranslated signs in China; «Mission: Explore,» a very cool Keri Smith-​style book with various kid-​friendly (and also young-​adult friendly) «missions» to do on a slow summer day; «Journal Revolution: Rise Up and Create!» a very cool how-​to book full of advice and inspiration on making modern art-​books; and «Talk Back: The Bubble Project,» a very cool graffiti book that I nearly bought full price a few weeks ago. And my total was…$ 14! (There were also 4 more very cheap books that I REALLY wanted, but I don’t have a job over the summer.)
I HIGHLY recommend this place. The staff is great, too. What’s to not love?

Great place to find very reasonably priced and cheap children’s books.

Armadillo Books puts on no airs; it is most definitely a discount book store. From the anonymous look and feel of the joint down to its sub-​sawbuck prices, it announces itself immediately upon entry as a place to buy cut-​rate books at cut-​rate prices. I feel a little bad giving it 3 stars when it’s so upfront about it’s merchandise, but… sigh. It’s basically a full-​size store equivalent of Borders’ clearance section, meaning that you can browse through a bajillion generically glossy cookbooks labeled «COOKING», travel guides to beeyoutiful Nebraska, and oversize art books entitled «ART» but still never see hide nor hair of a book you’d actually want to read. If someone from the bygone age of 2001 were to get into a time machine and zap forward to present-​day West Chester, they might be overwhelmed and overjoyed at the opportunity to purchase one of a dozen stocked copies of Jonathan Franzen’s «The Corrections» at such a cheap price (that is, if they don’t mosey on over to
first). Me, not so interested.
I suppose I’m not being entirely fair, and I’m showing my jerkier side… but there’s just nothing for me here, hence my «OK» rating. However, keep in mind that discount books do have purpose: They make great gifts for Nana and Pep-​Pep, toddlers, your neighbor, that acquaintance you have that likes «ART» …you think…
The holidays are coming up, people.