About Us 

 Chamblin Bookmine is independent bookstore, founded in 1976, with an enormous, ever growing, inventory of books of all genres and ages. We sell both used & new, collectible &  out-of-print, and other forms of media (DVDs, CDs, Vinyl, etc.). With two retail locations and a warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida, we have estimated we have upwards of a few million books (the majority of which are not inventoried).  Our goal is to give readers access to whatever might interest them, and the ability to find it naturally- outside of the neatly curated box stores and online marketplaces.  

Famous for our book trading service, we offer a system where we will "buy" your books or other media in exchange for a store credit amount usable at either of  our locations. If you're looking for something specific, we are happy to search our large collection for you- our website only shows a small amount of our stock, so feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call

 **NOTE: Our collection is NOT inventoried. Our search service will typically take about an hour, as we look through all of our locations.** 

TIMELINE:

1976 -The Bookmine opened in July of 1976 in a 1,300 sq. ft. rental space ($150/month) at 4148 Herschel St.  The original inventory, a few boxes of smoke ridden books, were purchased from local book store owner, "Cy Crawford" (b.1899). The inventory quickly expanded as Ron attended various book sales and closing stores around town. Ron would work alone for the next five  years, with only occasional part-time help. In order to stock more books in the relatively small space, Ron designed and built eleven rotating shelves, stocking books three shelves deep to the ceiling, to be retrieved via a switch by moving the shelves to eye level.        

Ron in the late 70's

Ron in the Late 70's

 

1977- Name changed to "Cham's Bookmine".

1978- Name finally changed to "Chamblin's Bookmine".

1987 - The store moved several blocks north to 4304 Herschel St., increasing the space to about 3,500 sq. ft. The store had three employees at this location. 

1991 - The Bookmine found it's current location at the Old Consumers Warehouse at 4551 Roosevelt Blvd, a  15,000 sq. ft. building. Ron would live in the bookstore for the next nine years.

4551 Roosevelt Before It's Numerous Renovations.

2004 - Filled to the brim, Ron purchased an abandoned 6,000 sq. ft. Kindercare building around the block,  eventually building a  "connector" building between the two, taking the retail space to 23,000 sq. ft. 

2006 - In January 2006, Ron purchased a 12,000 sq. ft. unoccupied two -story building in the city core at 215 N. Laura St.  After renovating the old shoe store built in 1904 and adding a cafe, the store opened in April 2008.  The main store would then close on Sunday to encourage locals to explore the often shunned downtown core.  Downtown Jacksonville in the years since has grown into a fun community full of events and support for local artists, making the Uptown location an even more interesting place to browse and grab some coffee. 

2008 -  To house the overflowing inventory, a 16,000 sq. ft. warehouse was purchased on Forest St. 

2014 -  Another warehouse is rented, a 8,500 sq. ft. space, bringing the total operating sq. footage to almost 60,000 sq. ft- all filled to the gills with books.

2020 - For the first time in over 40 years, the doors to the store were temporarily closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Offering local delivery, curbside book pick-up and selling items online helped the store stay afloat. 

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Ron's Book Delivery via Harley

2022 - Post-pandemic Chamblin's is thriving and looking forward to our 100 year anniversary in 2076!

 

"When I get a little money I buy books;

and if any is left I buy food and clothes."
Erasmus 1469-1536