John K. King Books

John K. King Books is an independent bookstore in the Westside Industrial district of Detroit, Michigan. Its main location is at 901 West Lafayette and it is the largest independent bookseller in Michigan.

History

Owner John K. King established his original store in Dearborn, Michigan in 1965 before moving it to the Michigan Theatre in downtown Detroit in 1971.^[1] He purchased the abandoned Advance Glove factory at 901 W. Lafayette in 1983, which has since housed the store's collections. There are an estimated 1 million books in stock, with more than 750,000 rare and used titles at the downtown site.^[2] The store boasts four above-ground floors and a basement perusable to customers. Its adjacent building boasts a collection of rarer and notable items available for viewing by appointment only.

Locations

In addition to the West Lafayette location, the company has two smaller stores:

• John K. King Books North in Detroit's Ferndale suburb.

• The Big Book Store is located in the Cass Corridor neighborhood, adjacent to Wayne State University, specializing in rare comics and paperbacks.

External links

• John K. King home page

References