Ukazoo for you
Towson's Ukazoo Books has something for everyone: a wide (and cheap) selection of children's books; a large mystery section, complete with taped body outlines, a couple of comfortable reading rooms for flipping through books or holding a meeting, and local artwork throughout.
But what impressed me most about this used (and new) bookstore was that, in talking to store manager Olivia Tejeda, they are eager to expand their offerings, both in books and events, for the Towson community. And the community is responding, making Ukazoo a part of their lives.
"One of our customers proposed to another last night," Tejeda told me last week. "It's just amazing."
A little background
Ukazoo began a little more than a year ago, when two local brothers, Jack and Seth Revelle, decided to take their online book business offline. The brothers got their start in the book world selling textbooks in college. The business got serious, and after seven years, they had three warehouses' worth of books stockpiled, the beginnings of Ukazoo's inventory.
Clientele
You can find just about everyone in the store, "depending on what time of day it is," Tejeda says.
During the day, moms come in with their children to take advantage of their low prices -- all books are $2.98, unless otherwise marked, and many are actually less than that -- and seniors roll in around mid-day. "We have more than 100,000 used titled, and none of them are more than $10," Tejeda says. "I think that's attractive to seniors on a budget."
And, of course, after 6 p.m., the town's college students start to appear.
Popular sections
Tejeda reports that their general fiction section is a big crowd pleaser, as well as their mystery and kids sections. And with free coffee, tea and wifi throughout the day, customers find a lot to stick around for.
Events
Ukazoo has an amazing number and variety of events, many recurring monthly. The first Saturday of every month, the store hosts a brunch for its customers, with coffee, bagels and the like, from 9 a.m. to noon.
There are also creative writing events, which for now are pretty generalized. "But we're seeing what it morphs into," Tejeda says, hinting that there may be more specialized writing exercises for science fiction, poetry, mystery and other genres. And you can't forget (because I won't let you) the haiku review held on the third Thursday of every month.
In addition, Ukazoo holds an open-mic night on the first Thursday of every month, inviting local poets, playwrights, authors and musicians to share their creations with the Ukazoo crew. You can visit their MySpace page for more information each month.
(Photo courtesy of ukazoo.com)
While she always preferred The Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew, 
