Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Kuwait's only used book store and cafe

This just arrived in my inbox and I SO have to pass it along.  I hope that no fuckwits will mess it up.... GREAT idea and I'm very happy to promote them.


Announcing the opening of
BETTER BOOKS
Kuwait's only used book store and cafe !!!
 
  • Over 25,000 quality budget priced  (most books under 3KD) titles of used and newly new books to browse through,
  • Hot and cold beverages and light snacks to enjoy,
  • Comfortable lounge chairs and sofa couches to sit on as you read,
  • Meeting hall available (for organizational, tutoring or private function use),
  • All in a relaxed, roomy atmosphere.

Book genres include:


  • Kuwait and Arabia themed (many of which are investment grade collectibles worthy of a place in any library)

  • Children's books (over 10,000 baby board books to teenage readers - all from the USA) in our special KIDZ ZONE

  • Archie Comics

  • Manga Comics

  • Travel, Romance, Cook books, TOEFL study books, non-fiction and SO much more.


  • LOCATION
    Situated in the heart of Salmiya Block 10 (EASY, AMPLE and FREE PARKING AVAILIBLE). Just east of Amman Street - behind Al Rashid Hospital. 
    Email us for a map.
     *** If you have GPS or map feature on your IPhone or Blackberry, it's in Salmiya Block 10 on 1 Street between Suleiman Aldsani Street and Al Dhahhak Bin Qeis Street. ***
    *** Coordinates to our front door are 29.327545 North - 48.0585444 East ****
    Around the corner from the Titanic Building and Sanbouk Supermarket in the old 'Lucky Corner'.
    Otherwise print these directions out.
    Directions from  Highway 30: Heading north toward Kuwait City, turn right onto 5th Ring Road toward Salmiya. Stay in right lane and immediately slide over onto the service road. (If you miss this, you'll have to double back.)  

    At light, turn left onto Essa Al Qatami Street.
    There will be Salmiya Park on your right.
    Go straight through the roundabout.
    AFTER 2 speed bumps turn left.
    Turn right when road ends.
    Make the first left. You will see a football field on right. 
    Turn right when road ends.
    Take the first left.
    After the car mechanic shop, immediately look right and see a 9 floor building across from an empty lot. There's a banner which reads "Better Trading". Look for the Red/Orange painted door on the front of the 9 story building. Open the Red/Orange door, go down the stairs and we're there waiting for you. 

    REMEMBER: Look for a BIG empty lot with a 9 story building across from it. We're in the basement - down a Red/Orange painted door.
     
    HOURS
    Starting from mid-October daily ~8 a.m. to 8+ p.m.
    Call us 94969650.


    BUY BACK, BUY or TRADE POLICY - We also give DISCOUNTS
    Better Books will give 1/2 the purchase price of any book it sells back as store credit when a customer returns it - in other words, return our books and we give you A DISCOUNT on your next purchase.
    Further, Better Books will buy any quality book for store credit. Bring them in, most genres and titles welcome.

    MOVIE NIGHT

    Better Books will have a free MOVIE NIGHT for all. Enjoy classic movies with beverages and light snacks every week. Scheduled movies include: 
    •  Georgia O'Keeffe (with Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons),
    •  Blood Wedding (a Spanish classic with English sub-titles),
    •  Himalaya - the Making of a Chief (Award winning film shot in Nepal),
    •  Butterflies are Free (popular 1972 comedy with Goldie Hawn),
    •  Mother India (the MOTHER of all Hindi movies),
    •  Rocky Horror Picture Show (this particular viewing is by invitation only - popcorn provided;), and many , many more.

    BETTER BOOKS (& Cafe) promises to be THE place in Kuwait to meet in a relaxed atmosphere.
     

    Forward this email to your friends.
    Support Kuwaiti entrepreneurs. Stop by or call 94969650.

    13 comments:

    Mark said...

    lol at "only used bookshop in kuwait"

    Desert Girl said...

    Are there others?

    Anonymous said...

    // Desert Girl said...
    Are there others?//

    Yes. q8 books in Maliya, kuwait city

    Check out the other "only used bookstore in Kuwait."

    http://www.q8books.com/Q8B/eQ8home.asp

    -- Some Kumar

    Anonymous said...

    it says 'only used bookstore and cafe'
    while the proprieter of Q8Books will serve you tea or nescafe (and occasional biscuit), better books will have cafe

    Desert Girl said...

    Mark - I wasn't being sarcastic. I really didn't know if there were others or not. Glad to see people commenting with the other stores. I had no idea; now I want to go on an adventure. Thanks youse guys for edumacatin me! :)

    Anonymous said...

    Thanks a lot DG for telling us about this store. Am a regular at the used bookstore at Maliya, but since I live in Salmiya, this is a place I gotta check out! And if they do have comfortable lounges and sofas, this is gonna definitely end my marriage! LOLOLOL! My wife hates that I read a lot!

    Anonymous said...

    the dude at Q8 books tends to be snobbish at times... to the extend he makes it look he is doing us a favour.. I'm gonna give the one at Salmiya a shot..

    Chay said...

    Have you been to the place yet? Did it open? Thanks soo much for this post..im dying for more bookstores in kuwait!!!

    fishma4 said...

    This was an idea I wanted to pursue a while ago but I thought there were Ministry problems about putting ''uncensored'' books on shelves- would be interested to know the outcome/answer to this.
    Thanks, sounds good tho'.

    Anonymous said...

    Do you have harry potter books too?

    Anonymous said...

    I followed your post and went to better books and cafe and after a very big turn in salmiya with my sister, we reached there but it was a real cultural chock. we were totally ignored, the lady there couldn't even answer our salutations, we were comprehensive and thought that she was only busy but even when we tried to ask about the book shop policy, first of all she ignored us in a very bizarre way but we still had our smile coz we couldn't undestand her attitude but her very short and snob answers disappointed us. I'm commenting on your b log coz it is the 1st time in Kuwait i face such an attitude, may be because we put Hijab, but even if she has an issue about Hijab, a book shop is not an appropriate place for racism, the lady was surrounded with thousands of books, a place of knowledge is the farthest to be racist. I'm really shocked, if we reached that bokshop it was for books and not for potatoes, she couldn't even lie on us and say hello, and got out of the shop without knowing anything about it but on top of that very disappointed from such a behaviour, knowledge should be abve every thing.

    Desert Girl said...

    Anonymous 12:43 - I don't know who was at the shop that day, but the lady who owns it is definitely not a racist. She's been in Kuwait a long time, speaks fluent Arabic and knows the culture very very well. If she was the person there that day, I would bet she was just having a bad day.

    djelibaby said...

    I have to agree. the lady who runs that shop (the american) is completely standoffish and rude. Jacob and q8books is much more polite and has always been so way before this new bookstore opened. DOn't believe me? go to both and check it out yourself.

    ALSO more importantly - the books at 'better books'are terribly priced. CHeck the UK/US/Canadian prices and compare with the lower 'budget' price and you'll find that most of them are only a 100 fils or maybe 200 fils off - including the very badly damaged ones being sold for nearly selling price. You could say well they are cheaper than other bookstores in Kuwait but that's not true either. THe Muthana book store sells brand new books for regular prices and Q8books is definitely cheaper. Plus musicians with a guitar play a song and get a free book.

    I'm not a friend of either bookstore I just know where i was treated well and treated as if i dont exist!