Amazing Books & Records: An Amazing Place to Buy and Browse

By Layla Joseph

Downtown’s only independent bookstore has a vast variety of books and records to choose from, but the hospitality and passion sets them apart from other stores in the city.

“To have a downtown without a book store is not much of a downtown,” said Eric Ackland, owner of Amazing Books and Records on Liberty Avenue.

Ackland, a Pennsylvania native and father of five, made the move to Pittsburgh over a decade ago. Now he owns two book stores in Pittsburgh, one in Squirrel Hill and one in the Golden Triangle.

“I always loved books, and worked in bookstores,” he said. “At one point I thought about starting one, and that didn’t come to fruition until ten years ago, when the opportunity arose to buy one.”

Ackland said in January of 2013 that he was in a car accident that totaled his 1992 Honda Accord. In the aftermath of the accident, he hopped on the bus from Squirrel Hill and headed to the DMV Downtown, only to realize when he got there: it was President's Day.

Since the DMV was closed for the federal holiday, Ackland said he had the opportunity to check out a bookstore across the street. When he began speaking with the owner about books and his past employment in bookstores, Ackland’s distant dreams came closer to reality.

In conversation, the owner of Awesome Books gave Ackland a price, and after some encouragement from his wife, he decided to buy the business.

“I called (the owner) and made plans to meet him next week,” he said. “Three weeks after that I owned the bookstore.”

Some may call it fate, but Ackland called it “divine providence.”

“I really had no reason to be down there, and I wouldn’t have been if my car wasn’t hit,” he said.

After buying the bookstore on Liberty, he rebranded the store as Amazing Books and Records. Just a year later, he opened a second location closer to home.

Now, Acland bounces between the two locations, making appearances at Market Square’s Farmers Market and hosting events at both stores.

Ackland said he strives to make the stores a welcoming and friendly place for people who love books and music to meet those with similar interests. Since Amazing Books and Records opened Downtown, every couple months Ackland hosts a Book and Beer Bash.

“We give people a free can of beer, there is no obligation for anyone to buy anything, but it’s fun,” he said. “Within the next couple of weeks, we’re going to be launching a happy hour at the Downtown store every Wednesday night.”

Ackland said the Downtown location holds about 15,000 books in a space that is only about 900 square feet. The location is mostly managed by Levi Herman, who, according to Ackland, is not only very friendly, but very knowledgeable.

What sets Amazing Books and Records apart from other Pittsburgh bookstores is not just their Beer and Browse events, but the deal they run daily.

“You always get a free book or record of your choice prices up to $10 with every three items that you buy,” Ackland said. “As far as I know, no one else is doing that here in Pittsburgh.”

While the average price of books in stores are around $12, customers can browse from a wide selection with affordable prices. The books sold are usually bought second hand, but are carefully selected depending on condition and commonality. The bookstores contain books and records that range in all subjects, genres and categories.

“People bring us books every day of the week,” he said. “We buy many thousands of books each month, sometimes thousands of books each week.”

Ackland said that he loves what he does, and he tries to hire people who really love books, music and people.

“We have a really good team here,” Ackland said. “Having a good team is what makes it all possible.”

Herman, who spends a great deal of time at the Downtown location, said one of the interesting finds in the Downtown location includes a book called “Julian Bream: Life on the Road” by Tony Palmer. This true story follows the life of a classical guitarist, and although it is fairly common, the signatures in the book make it unique.

“It is signed with an inscription by Julian, but right after his name there is another name written in different ink,” Herman said.

Herman explained the second signature simply says “June,” but after thorough research, he came to the conclusion that it is likely a Scottish artist that was a personal friend of the author, June Crisfield Chapman.

“That’s something that I don’t think exists anywhere else,” he said.