If you’ve spent a good amount of time in Arizona, you probably know about Bookmans. I’ve only been to Phoenix a few times and all of those were quick-turnaround work trips, so I hadn’t heard of the bookstore chain until the Saturday after DJing with Klub Nocturno at Crescent Ballroom, when we had enough time to hit up the locations in Phoenix and Mesa.
Bookmans is a lot more than a bookstore. It offers everything from books to guitars to video game consoles. What immediately struck me from visiting two of the five locations is that the range of what they stock varies between stores. I was (obviously) there for vinyl, which you’ll find at both the Mesa and Phoenix outposts, but the digging experience was as different as if I had gone to two independently owned stores.
I was instantly impressed with the vinyl section at Bookmans in Mesa. There was a substantial used vinyl section with much of it priced between $4 and $7. That’s what I consider to be the pricing sweet spot for taking a chance on new-old music. The First of a Million Kisses, the 1988 debut album from Scottish band Fairground Attraction, was on the higher end of that price spectrum, but I picked it up because I hadn’t seen the album before and I knew that I knew their name from somewhere. (Two somewheres, as it turns out. Singer Eddi Reader is the sister of Francis Reader, singer of one of my favorite bands, Trashcan Sinatras, and she has sung on a few of their songs. Guitarist Mark E. Nevin later worked with Morrissey, co-writing songs like “Sing Your Life” and “I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday.”)
On the lower end of the price range was Classix Nouveaux, which I literally bought because it was released in 1981 and had a bunch of guys wearing New Romantic-style makeup on the cover. Turns out it was the U.S. release of the debut album from a British new wave band that included members of X-Ray Spex. “Inside Outside” is a jam in the vein of “To Cut a Long Story Short” by Spandau Ballet and “Passing Strangers” by Ultravox. So, yes, you can judge a record by its cover and this one will definitely end up in my all-vinyl sets soon.
The Mesa location of Bookmans also had a hefty selection of used CDs, which I didn’t peruse on account of having amassed a stack of records pretty quickly. I did check out their used magazine section, which is super cool, and picked up a copy of Shindig! for $2. I’d love to see well-organized used magazine sections in more books and record stores. TBH, this could help spark a print periodical resurgence, which we desperately need given the sorry state of online media.
Bookmans’ Phoenix location was good, but didn’t leave quite the impression on me that the one in Mesa did., as there wasn’t quite the breadth of records priced in my target take-a-chance range. I did pick up two records, though. One was Kihnspiracy from Greg Kihn Band, which has the early ‘80s hit “Jeopardy” on it. The other, which I technically bought for my husband, is the self-titled debut from a band called Black Russian, who were, according to the album sleeve, Soviet musicians who defected to the U.S. in the late 1970s and ended up signing to Motown, releasing this album (their only album, I think) in 1980. It’s very disco with some classical touches, although it was released at a time when disco was falling hard out of fashion.
Ultimately, though, I spent more time browsing the labyrinth of books at the Phoenix shop. Both outposts have banned book displays, which I appreciate because, well, fuck censorship. I would have bought some books during this visit, but I really have to get through the stack(s) at home first.
But, back to record shopping. My top recommendation for music is the Bookmans in Mesa, but if you have time, hit up both the Mesa and Phoenix locations. They’re about a half-hour away from each other and visiting both in one afternoon is absolutely doable.
Locations visited:
Bookmans Entertainment Exchange, 1056 S. Country Club Drive, Mesa AZ 85210
Bookmans Entertainment Exchange, 8034 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85021
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates. Subscribe to the weekly Beatique newsletter.
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