Bookmans Entertainment Exchange Phoenix
Rating
Price
Free
Duration
45-90 minutes
Best Ages
3-16 years
About
Bookmans Phoenix Entertainment Exchange at 8034 N 19th Ave is one of the most underrated family stops in north central Phoenix, and the reason is simple: it costs nothing, it is indoors, and kids actually want to be there. Bookmans is an Arizona exchange chain that buys and sells used books, movies, music, games, and instruments, and this location carries a 4. 5 rating across more than 7,000 Google reviews, which is a remarkable number for a used bookstore.
That volume tells you something about how the store functions locally. It is not a quiet shop you tiptoe through. It is a busy, well-worn, browse-friendly place where a family wandering the aisles is completely normal.
For parents, the practical appeal starts with the price of admission, which is zero. On a 108 degree afternoon or during a rare Phoenix rain, an hour here is a real option when the splash pads and playgrounds are out. Aisles in a store this size are wide enough for a stroller, everything is on one level, and the children's section gives little kids a place to sit and pull books off a shelf without anyone hurrying them.
Big kids head for graphic novels and video games, and tweens and teens can lose half an hour in the movie and music racks. Plan 45 to 90 minutes.
The part that makes this more than a store is the exchange model. Bring in the books your kids have outgrown, the movies nobody watches, the board games missing nothing, and sell or trade them at the buy counter. Store credit usually goes further than cash, and letting a seven year old hand over their own box and then spend the credit is a genuinely useful lesson in a way an allowance conversation never quite is.
Drop the box off first and browse while staff sort it, since a busy weekend buy can take 20 to 45 minutes. Terms and what they are currently accepting change, so ask at the counter.
Bookmans also runs free kids programming, including storytime and a Kids Club, plus free kids activities and summer events. Schedules are set per store, so call (602) 433-0255 or check bookmans. com for this location's current calendar rather than assuming.
The chain lists hours of 9 a. m. to 8 p.
m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a. m.
to 9 p. m. Friday and Saturday, with holiday exceptions, and this listing carries no verified hours, so confirm before a special trip.
One gap to plan around: there is no verified information about a nursing room or changing table here, so bring your own changing pad. Parking is free in the lot out front, and the 19th Avenue food corridor is right there for lunch before or after.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Yes
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
N/A
Setting
Indoor
Rainy Day
Great option!
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Weekday mornings soon after the 9 a.m. opening, when the aisles are empty and the buy counter has no line. Summer afternoons are the other great slot, since this is a free air-conditioned place to park a family for an hour.
Wait Times
No wait to browse. The buy counter is the bottleneck, and selling a box of books or games can take 20 to 45 minutes on a busy weekend, so drop it off and shop while they sort.
Nearby Food
There is no cafe you should count on inside, so plan food around the visit rather than during it. The store sits on 19th Avenue just south of Northern, one of the densest fast food and taqueria stretches in north central Phoenix, so drive-thrus, Mexican food, pizza, and sandwich shops are all within a few minutes in either direction. With young kids the easy pattern is a quick lunch first, then browsing, since nobody negotiates well over a shelf of books while hungry.
Why Kids Love It
It feels like a treasure hunt rather than a store. Shelves of used books, movies, music, games, and instruments mean the thing your kid finds is genuinely unexpected, and a five dollar find feels like a score in a way a new release never does. Little kids park in the children's section and pull books off the shelf, big kids dig through the graphic novels and video games, and tweens and teens can vanish into the music and movie racks for half an hour.
The fact that they can also sell their own outgrown stuff and walk out with credit turns a shopping trip into their first taste of a real transaction.
Pro Tips from Parents
- This is the best free air-conditioned hour on the 19th Avenue corridor in summer. Entry is free, parking is free, and nobody minds a family browsing, which makes it a legitimate heat-escape plan rather than just an errand.
- Bring a box of outgrown books, movies, and games to the buy counter and let the kids see the transaction. Bookmans buys and sells, so the credit can pay for what they pick out. Ask what the store is currently accepting, since it changes.
- Ask about the Kids Club and storytime. The chain runs free kids activities and storytime programming, and free summer events, but individual store schedules vary, so call (602) 433 to 0255 or check bookmans.com for this location's calendar.
- Drop off your sell items first, then shop. Sorting a box takes time, and browsing while they work turns dead waiting into the fun part of the visit.
- The chain lists hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with holiday exceptions. Confirm for this store before a special trip, since this listing carries no verified hours.
- Check used board games and puzzles for complete pieces before you pay. It is the highest-value category in the store for families and the one most likely to be missing a piece.
- Set the budget out loud in the car. Used pricing means kids can realistically get something, which is exactly why they will each want three things.
What to Bring
- A box or bag of outgrown books, movies, games, or instruments to sell or trade
- A photo ID, which stores generally require to complete a buy transaction
- A set dollar limit per kid, agreed on before you walk in
- A reusable bag for the walk out to the lot
- Your own changing pad and wipes, since no family restroom is confirmed here
- A phone list of titles or series your kids are hunting, so browsing has a target
Cost Info
Free Admission
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
Nothing to walk in, free parking in the lot, and you can spend an hour here for $0.
If you buy, used prices are the whole point, so a stack of paperbacks, a used board game, and a couple of movies for four kids often comes in well under what one new hardcover would cost.
Check current pricing in store, since a used inventory is priced item by item.
Tips to Save
- Bring a box before you buy.
- This is an exchange, so you can sell or trade your kids' outgrown books, movies, games, and instruments, and store credit typically stretches further than cash.
- Ask about the current buy policy at the counter, since terms vary and they do not accept everything.
- Ask about the Kids Club, which the chain uses to run free kids programming and perks.
- Shop the clearance and bargain shelves first, where paperbacks land at their lowest price.
- Used board games are the best value in the building for a family, especially compared to new retail, so check the box for complete pieces before you pay.
- Come on a storytime or free kids activity day and the entertainment costs nothing at all.
