By Mark A. Bravaco
RED BANK – Nestled on Broad Street in downtown Red Bank, Jack’s Music Shoppe has been an audiophile’s paradise for decades. But a recent acquisition of several thousand used books promises to turn its customers into readers, not just listeners.
“We never intended on being a used bookstore,” said store manager Tim Cronin. “The opportunity just fell in our lap.”
The journey to bookdom began, of course, with music: Jack’s purchased a vast collection of vinyl records from the estate of a school teacher. As it turned out, the teacher was also an avid book collector, prompting Jack’s employees to consider expanding their offerings.
Initially hesitant, the turning point came when John Anderson, a practicing lawyer and son of store-owner Jack, urged the team to seize the opportunity, a decision partly fueled by the absence of used bookshops in the Red Bank area since the closure of the Book Pit many years ago.
However, purchasing used books is one thing; selling them is quite another. Almost half of the boxes of the vast assortment of antiquarian books currently sits in the shop’s dark basement, where dozens of boxes lay waiting to be unpacked.
“When we purchased the books, I was nervous because I knew it would be a huge job,” said Cronin.
And it has been. To organize the newly acquired collection, Jack’s has enlisted the help of a part-time book organizer. Isabella Apostolides has been meticulously pricing and categorizing the books which span topics from American history and science to religion, art and even erotica.
According to Cronin, 85 more boxes need to be sorted, even though several hundred books are already on display for sale in the back of the store, filling two floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and several rows of old sheet music racks. Earlier this year, famed Asbury Park artist Neil O’Brien repurposed these racks to hold the new book collection.
As for whether the books in the collection are valuable, there are certainly some diamonds in the rough. One customer found a first edition of John Steinbeck’s “Sea of Cortez,” first published in 1941, sitting on one of the shelves. The customer bought it from Jack’s for $3; it is worth hundreds.
Over the years, Jack’s has shown considerable resolve in the face of changing business headwinds – some quite intense. Following the Vinyl Revival in 2008, the team at Jack’s adjusted course and stocked more vinyl records.
Jack’s new venture into books may seem unexpected, but it’s a continuation of the store’s long tradition of innovation. Only time will tell whether this latest endeavor into books will pay off.
The article originally appeared in the May 2 – May 8, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
