Conveyor Belt Books 410 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011

"This is the local bookstore you’re looking for as a bibliophile. First editions are all over the place, fine curation, and independent press books are what make this spot stand above the other thrift store flip spots. Whether it’s a rare printing or MMPB you’re looking for Conveyor can help you land what you’re looking for at an excellent price well below internet pricing."

"A gem of a bookstore. I make the hour drive north from Lexington every few months, and the tedium of I75 is the only thing preventing me swinging through Conveyor Belt Books way more often. What I like: -I like that it's nicely curated, that the oddball authors and novels are given the same consideration for shelf space as more conventional writing and mainstream stuff. This is a pretty big deal for me seeing as how I prefer oddball authors and novels. -I like that it's a small store. Because they curate so well, their shelves can hold a wealth of excellent books. I nearly always hit my personal exhaustion point before getting through to the last book on the last shelf. -I like the ambiance of the place. I like all the wood, the sitting areas, the music (Charles Mingus, Gavin Bryars, Tom Waits, Ornette Coleman & the LPO just by way of example). It all adds to a patch of serenity perfectly suited to a lazy afternoon browsing the shelves for my next favorite book. -I like that the books are in great shape, that often I can't tell the difference between the new and used books in my haul. -I like stores like this because they're a labor of love and you know the people working that day will be knowledgeable about what's in the store. I'll take a random book off the shelf, read the first couple pages, and I can ask them, hey, got an opinion on this book... and they will. This kind of interaction inevitably leads to the store just knowing right away which things to recommend (hey, I thought of you when this book hit the shelves, or, hey, you should definitely buy that thing). The joy of discovery in this kind of environment makes for a rewarding experience, but it's also nice to mitigate the risk of scooping up a not-so-awesome novel when the store can offer up some expertise and personal recommendations. -I was going to say I adore they have a store cat, but I don't think Conveyor Belt has a store cat. Did I just imagine they do? How is that even possible? They need a store cat. Not gonna ding the review for this oversight, but let's remedy it asap. If I had to choose one novel to represent my Conveyor Belt Books experience, it would be "Tlooth" by Harry Mathews. (Edit: In that I mean to say a book I've purchased at Conveyor Belt that I would never have happened upon elsewhere and which opened up new rabbit holes for me to pursue bird-of-a-feather novels. I am not stating that my Conveyor Belt Books experience is similar to escaping from a prison labor camp to further my schemes in an Oulipo-ian revenge saga.) I think that's it. I uploaded pictures of some book hauls."

"Love this store. It’s the type of place where they remember who you are even after one visit. Dunno how they always remember I am a PKD fan. Speaking of, this is one of the only places around to have hard to find Sci-Fi from that era. 10/10 recommend any day of the week."

"This is my favorite bookstore in the area! I have found so many great books here that I cherish. Brandon and Shelbi are some of the kindest people I have met. They support local artists and host wonderful events in their store. Not to mention, they give great book recommendations. If you haven’t paid Conveyor Belt Books a visit yet, you absolutely must!"

"A lovely used bookstore that has fascinating selections available and friendly helpful staff that are ready to discuss what you're looking for and guide you to options that you'll enjoy. New books are added regularly so it's worth coming by frequently"