2 Buck Books, Denver

Rows of lofty wooden bookshelves sweep across $2 Buck Books, each packed with new and used books in a range of genres. Corridors of fiction and nonfiction books meander across the 4,000-square-foot shop, brimming with both hard and soft covers. The entire back corner of the store dedicates itself to romance novels, and a wall of children's books towers over child-sized chairs and tables. In addition to books, the store purveys a variety of DVDs, CDs, and records, along with Melissa & Doug children's puzzles. The store's exchange policy invites customers to trade in books or a sister's professionally bound diary in exchange for store credit, and its online Amazon store allows the shop to special order newer or rare selections.