By Ellen Spitaleri
By the time John Thomas retired from engineering, he had accumulated so many books that his wife asked him to move them all out of the house. And so, he began selling books out of the basement of the Ford Building at 2505 SE 11th Ave. and SE Division St. Six years later, he established Chaparral Books at 5210 S Corbett Ave., and now he has returned to the Ford Building with a second Chaparral Books storefront, in Suite 104.
“Coming to the Ford Building was like returning home,” Thomas said. He further noted that the building has “a certain Karma,” possibly because at one time Binford and Mort, a major Northwest book publishing house, was in the building for over 20 years. “I would guess that most of their later publications were done in the Ford. So the Ford has a long history with books,” Thomas noted.
Thomas owns both branches of Chaparral Books with his wife Sue and noted that the name of the bookshop comes from the chaparral bush, which is a common plant in New Mexico near the Arizona border, where he grew up.
Thomas said that he doesn’t just sell books, he also offers people “the opportunity to come to the shop and be comfortable; there is no pressure to buy anything.” As a small, independent bookshop owner, he said he intentionally set out to create a space that fostered a sense of community and a welcoming atmosphere. He also praised his staff, calling them very knowledgeable.
Walking into the new bookstore, people will immediately notice that the books, organized by genre, are high-quality, affordable used books in general fiction and non-fiction, poetry, visual and performing arts and rare and collectible books. “Our inventory is very selective and in impeccable condition; you will never find a discarded library book in bad shape on these shelves,” Thomas said.
He added that he is particularly proud to have a collection of books and ephemera that once belonged to Charles Seluzicki, who died in Portland in 2024. He was a respected publisher, poet and antiquarian bookseller. His books of poetry, include Elegiac and An Accounting of Days.
In addition to the shop, Chaparral Books has an online catalog featuring an extensive and continuously expanding used inventory in all subjects. “We sell through ABE books, Alibris, Biblio, Amazon and our own web page. Since the costs for selling on these sites is not cheap, we continue to try to drive business to our stores or our webpage,” Thomas said.
As for his customer base, he said that as older book collectors are aging out, “we are seeing younger readers that are looking for cheaper copies as reading copies.” He also noted that he is surprised that these younger readers are also seeking out the classics, and he theorized that the movie of The Odyssey may have something to do with that. Thomas also said that graphic novels and science fiction books are in high demand.
He noted that the internet plays a big role in determining the value of a book, along with condition, edition and the author. A signed copy of an Ursula Le Guin book, for example, is much more valuable than a reprint of the same book.
As a bookseller, Thomas has seen many a book come and go, but one example sticks out in his mind. He can’t recall the exact title, but he does remember that it was expensive. He added, “When I asked the book buyer why he bought the book for that price, he said it was going to The Smithsonian.”
Chaparral Books
2505 SE 11th Ave., Suite 104 (enter on SE Division St.)
Open Sunday, Monday and Thursday 12-5 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am-6 pm, closed Tuesday and Wednesday
503.206.5133 and 503.887.0823
chaparralbooks.com
John Thomas, co-owner of Chaparral Books, takes pride in offering a variety of gently used books in top condition. Photo by John Richard Trtek.
