We’re Detroit’s newest used bookstore, and the only one in the city that’s open late. The owner began selling books in 2015 to support their rescue animals. Today, a portion of all sales goes toward animal rescue organizations (most within the city of Detroit).
Detroit Specials is one of Detroit’s newest bookstores, and one of just a handful of booksellsers near the New Center area. Our bookstore specializes in gently used and new books for all ages. We’re located in the North End, just around the corner from Detroit’s new food co-op.
We carry a wide range of used books; from fiction to nonfiction, and from poetry to graphic novels. We also carry a limited number of new books from marginalized authors. Whether you need a nostalgia fix; are seeking backlist titles from your favorite author; or want to learn more about the world, you’re sure to find something interesting in our stacks.
Right now, “we” is Dora Badger, the owner of Detroit Specials. Dora (they/them) is a queer, nonbinary Mestizo with a lovely partner, an amazing daughter, and a house full of personal and rescue animals.
“We” are also Lily Boots and SPAAACE!, our sweet bookstore cats. They’re both rescues and customer/fan favorites. They often greet customers at the door (or counter!).
Someday “we” will be able to hire more people and level up this section a bit.
I began selling books as a way to help support our rescue animals. It has since become my full-time job, but I wanted to find a way to continue giving back to the rescue community to thank them for their support over the years.
We often foster kittens (or cats) through Detroit Alley Cats, a foster-based rescue in SW Detroit. At the end of each quarter, Detroit Specials donates 10% of profits to local rescue organizations. We select a different organization each quarter. We also occasionally hold single-day or single-weekend events for organizations that aren’t on our quarterly calendar.
Donations!
Nearly all of the books in our store have been donated by private individuals who are downsizing or cleaning house, or by organizations and institutions that need to make room. This prevents books from going to landfills, and helps us keep prices low by controlling costs.
We usually ask people with just a few books to drop them off at our store during business hours or to make an appointment to do so. For larger collections within Metro Detroit, we’re happy to come pick them up. More information is at the link below.
Do you have too many books? Please click here to fill out our donation form.
