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| 9/27/2009 | Email this article • Print this article | Bookstore moves to downtown storefront
Kerry McAvoy
Recorder News Staff
Dan Weaver is back to doing what he loves after a six year absence, finding and selling antique books.
On Tuesday, Weaver opened the doors to his re-opened used book business, The Book Hound ,at 16 E. Main St. in downtown Amsterdam.
The shop is still coming together with about 20 bookcases still being filled and book deliveries still coming via Weaver's family. He was showing customers around and painting walls on Saturday.
As a child, Weaver said his father didn't allow television in their house, so he grew to love reading. He got his masters degree in English
Weaver said he grew to love used bookstores in Virginia where he got to know the owners of one. He said he loves used bookstores because "they reflect the owner's likes, dislikes and eccentricities."
Weaver said he started off selling books over the Internet in 1993, before deciding to open his own shop on Locust Avenue in 1999.
Due to his wife Edie's illness, Weaver closed the shop and began selling his books over the Internet again. During this time his family also began renovating a home.
Earlier this year, Weaver decided he missed the personal interaction of selling books face to face, so he began looking to set up shop again.
He first returned to the site of his former shop on Locust Avenue, but the new resident didn't want to move. Weaver then headed down to the storefront on East Main Street, and he liked what he saw.
"There's more movement down here," Weaver said. "I kind of like being down here."
When the store is complete there will be about 10,000 books lining the store's shelves, Weaver said.
Weaver obtains books from a variety of sources including garage sales, estate sales, and even people looking to get rid of old books.
"A lot of times people and me and their moving, sometimes I got to estate sales," Weaver said.
The layout of the new shop has helped Weaver to break up his collection of books into several categories.
Since opening a used bookstore, Weaver said he has gotten to know other store owners throughout New York. He joked that the used book business is like its own little subculture, and until you're there, you don't know.
Todd Fabozzi of Amsterdam was checking out the new store on Saturday after seeing a story about it last week.
"I think it's great, as soon as I saw the article about it ... I said I have to come down," Fabozzi said.
Weaver said he is shooting for a November grand opening.
The Book Hound is also online at www.thebookhound.net. and Weaver said he will continue his online sales.
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Contact Kerry McAvoy at kerry.mcavoy@recordernews.com.
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