Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 7, 1994 TAG: 9404070201
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LIBBIE McCUTCHEON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Many another hardback or paperback book can be found at Givens Books, a Salem used-book store Chip and Susan Givens started 10 years ago after moving to Roanoke from Arizona.
Chip Givens had been an assistant manager of a grocery store. His wife had stayed at home with their two young children. When Givens learned he might be laid off, the family decided to relocate.
Neither had experience running a business, but Givens' father owned and operated a large used-book store in Lynchburg. They had always loved books and decided on a used-book store, hoping they could be as successful in Roanoke or Salem as Givens' father was in Lynchburg. They leased a building on East Main in Salem and have been there ever since.
Givens has about 40,000 books in stock. He says he has the largest stock of used books in the Roanoke Valley. The many categories of fiction and nonfiction include a large children's section that also has a wall of paper dolls and coloring books.
Although he deals mainly in used books, Givens buys books from publishing companies when customers request new books. Since the store has low overhead and no other employees, Givens said, he is able to offer discounts on new-book orders.
Givens buys used books, including college textbooks. "When someone comes in with a lot of books to sell, it's like a treasure hunt," he said.
The Givenses also will make house calls to look over large libraries.
Once, Givens said, "an elderly woman was throwing away books her family didn't want. She found out about us and gave us a call before she had discarded them all. I went to her house and found an old book entitled `Confederate Imprint' that she was getting ready to throw away. That book was worth $1,000."
Givens cautions, though, that just because a book is old doesn't mean it has any value. Value depends on the book, he says.
A few years ago he sold a book written around 1736 on the life of the prophet Mohammed at its appraised value of $50, while a 1970s novel by Stephen King was valued at and sold for $700 the same year.
For this reason, Givens said, buying books from an antique dealer can be risky. "Most antique furniture keeps its value, but there are so many thousands of old books that the value doesn't go up as much," he said.
Givens Books is at 1641 E. Main St., Salem. The phone number is 986-1103.
by CNB