West Side Book Shop

At West Side Book Shop, antique books all about adventures and faraway places are a glorious specialty.

The oldest bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is revered by collectors of rare books. But you don’t need to have a literature or history major at the neighboring University of Michigan to go gaga over this independent antiquarian. West Side is a rarity in itself: a shop that sells used books where a meticulously curated selection and reasonable prices make it possible for anyone to unearth a take-home treasure.

Opened in 1975, the cozy shop is a bedlam of overstocked shelves in tiny, narrow rows and stacked books rising from wood floorboards. It’s a veritable labyrinth, where patrons could get lost for hours if it wasn’t for shop owner Jay Platt’s friendly and individualized service. Platt is an old-school book dealer with no inventory list, written or otherwise, to speak of. But he knows his goods by heart and is known for his great recommendations.

The shop’s three rooms are filled with over 20,000 books, from vintage collectibles to contemporary genres, meticulously sourced by Platt over decades. Platt has a soft spot for literary first editions and children’s books as well as an impressive array of travel texts, especially on polar exploration, Americana, and Michigan history. Not everything is high-end and, often, you can come away with a special tome for around $10.

Find West Side Book Shop in Ann Arbor’s downtown Liberty Street Historic District, on the cusp of the University of Michigan main campus, in the Haarer Building. Built in 1888 by a local banker, John Haarer, the red-brick structure was financed by a winning German lottery ticket, beginning as a photography studio before becoming a bookstore and insurance office. Shop owner Platt, who had already worked as a book salesman, eventually purchased the building from the city.

Even years later, West Side continues to be a colorfully written chapter of Ann Arbor history.