I took of the outside shows the store front with a "CLOSED" sign hanging in the door. I should have taken a picture after it opened, so you could see the great presentation they have out front. There are books and records and the door was propped wide open-- very welcoming.This is a beautiful store. It smells like pages (I'm sure this is in part because they sell rare books) and it is organized for an academic. The sections are named like college majors-- sociology and psychology, biology and medicine. This makes sense, given the store is right between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Many of the patrons seems to be alums or grad students (I wasn't really getting the young, current student vibe). And make no mistake, there were many patrons. It's pretty clear this place does good business, and the man behind the counter was very knowledgeable. This is also a great store for gifts. I spent an inordinate amount of time picking through the children's section (which contained, among older editions of classics, J.K. Rowling's titles and the Twilight series), looking for first editions of some of my favorite childhood books. I also found a great 1936 first edition copy of a book I read in college, which impressed me.
I think used bookstores like Caliban have a difficult time with the whole digital marketplace. I walked all over the store and didn't see any reference to their website, or any mention of their fan page on Facebook. 
The shop seems to have a pretty loyal costumer base, but I am curious as to why they aren't making more of an effort to reach out to a younger audience through the internet. The shop is so conveniently located to market to a younger, indie crowd. And, based on their amusing Facebook status updates, I could see Caliban generating a decent Twitter following. The website would benefit from an update, with an enhanced search function, and perhaps a few examples of books that don't cost over $100 might encourage more people to stop by.
The shop seems to have a pretty loyal costumer base, but I am curious as to why they aren't making more of an effort to reach out to a younger audience through the internet. The shop is so conveniently located to market to a younger, indie crowd. And, based on their amusing Facebook status updates, I could see Caliban generating a decent Twitter following. The website would benefit from an update, with an enhanced search function, and perhaps a few examples of books that don't cost over $100 might encourage more people to stop by. It's possible I'm being a little hard on this great book shop. Maybe some people think that used shops don't really have a place in a digital world. But then I think of Bookman's in Arizona and have to disagree. But, you say, Caliban and its peers offer an extensive rare selection. A fancy website isn't needed to sell rare books. To that I say: check out Bauman Rare Books. Now THAT is website.
I believe great used and rare bookstores like Caliban would benefit from cultivating an online presence and creating a navigable website because (not in spite) of their large existing fan base. The number of loyal patrons is a testament to the strength of their selection and knowledge of their staff. There is a whole community of book lovers out there waiting to see this shop. I say it's time to jump on the internet and show it off!
