Kona Bay Books

I love the book store so much. They are friendly and I can always find books I want to read. I had credit in 2015 and when we came back this year it was still good. They have a good selection of books about Hawaii, both fiction and non. Also just regular fiction. It’s close to killer tacos, so you
Can make a day of it.

Super cool and well-​stocked used book store. A few new books as well. They’ll give you credit for used books you bring in too so you can get through a few books on your vacation.

First of all let me say that if you enjoy books, music and movies do not pass up this gem in Kailua Kona. It has a huge inventory, probably about 120,000 books or more, thousands more Cds and movies.
The majority of the staff there is excellent. They are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They go out of their way to assist you whether you are making a purchase or trading in your unwanted items for cash or credit.
By all means if youre a book fanatic looking for interesting and rare titles, or just trying to find something fun to read, watch, or listen to on a budget don’t miss this Kailua Kona gem.

We looked everywhere for a book store in Kona and this huge warehouse was the only one we could find. Now we were not disappointed with the ginormous selection of new and mostly used books. The stacks reached way about my fingertips, and they were packed. What I would love to see are a few tables with chairs to browse. I plan on spending a good bit of money in a book store while on vacation and would love a place to sit and peruse. Maybe next time I come there will be a table and chair or two or three ???

I’m a big fan of used book stores… when I’m visiting the mainland I always try and visit one or two. I regularly visit this one and feel lucky that we have it in Kona. They get a lot of books that I wouldn’t expect to find here and seldom see elsewhere. It is well organized, the staff is friendly, and easy to find just behind the Health Food store out front. Well worth a visit and you may be surprised to find that obscure title that you’ve been seeking for ages! Lots of dvd’s and cd’s as well. A surprisingly thorough selection of sci-​fi; when I see a large number of Zelazny works I greedily look for first editions of Lord of Light lol. Have fun! Mahalo.

I LOVE books and I LOVE this bookstore. They have a large, well organized, warehouse space behind Island Naturals in the Old Industrial. Their employees are friendly, knowledgeable, and love books. Their used book prices are not ‘cheap’ but, then again, they’re paying rent and employees. If you want cheap books, go to a library book sale or Amazon… and, by the way, good luck finding that special book. Theirs is not your ‘usual’ business model. They will take your used books and give you store credit. How cool is that? They have a huge inventory which includes dvds and, now, cds. I don’t think they’re going to get rich on their business model, but I hope they do well enough to stick around.

Wonderful, serendipitous find, a long way from home. Found this store thru Unilocal while seeking activity in place of tour. This is an outstanding used book & DVD store WITH VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF! It seems the staff are all book lovers & collectors. The store will ship books for you so you can enjoy your vacation without carrying 40 pounds of books around!
Kona has an unexpected gem here, thanks to this combination of unique product and service!

Not that there are any other choices for books in Kona, but this place is great. Ive always loved used book stores and these folks nail it. They are very warm and helpful and the place is huge. They never make me feel embarrassed if I buy something corny either. Amazing customer service and huge selection. They sooooo rule and have earned their reputation. Love this store!

Awesome! We came to kill time before flying back home, and left with 3 books by favorite authors that we’d never before read thanks to their enormous inventory! Friendly, helpful staff… who needs a big box store!

Being used bookstore geeks, when we walked in the door, it took our breath away. The place is massive and well-​organized with huge inventories of pretty much any genre. Probably good we didn’t discover it earlier in our stay. ;)

Truly massive bookstore, with a nice variety. Their prices are very inexpensive. Unfortunately, the cd’s are not cataloged in a way that makes going through them an easy experience. I was hoping to find a cd I have been looking to buy for ages, but I just didn’t have the patience to go through all of the boxes of cds in the store.

For a quick comparison, I checked out a couple of popular authors/​titles at Kona Bay Books and a popular Bay Area used bookstore.
Kona Bay Books had not only a good selection of mass-​market paperback versions of A Song of Ice and Fire (³⁄₅ books, multiple copies of some), and multiple paperback copies of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy as well. $ 5-​$ 8 a pop.
Whereas! Unnamed Bay-​Area bookstore had no mass-​market copies of either and committed the mortal sins of a. Moving the extant copies to endcaps far, far away from the proper bookshelf location and b. Slotting in new large-​format copies where the used copies would ordinarily go. Boo. I mean, I know you gotta make a buck where you can, but it still feels like a bait-​and-​switch.
I’m willing to bet that Kona Bay Books is so good because a lot of people dump extra weight from their suitcases by selling back their vacation reading. Whatever the reason, it means awesome selection, awesome prices and a generally great experience for everyone :)

My husband and I are total book fiends with eclectic tastes that include metaphysical books. When we stumbled across Kona Bay Books we felt like we found Kona’s version of book heaven!
The bookstore is in a huge warehouse-​like building. They have an extensive selection of used books. It’s clean, well-​organized & the staff is helpful & friendly.
We spent hours there — and had to return two more times to make sure we found all the treasures that had to follow us home.
If you love searching for used books, you’re going to LOVE this place. They have a huge selection of just about every genre imaginable including romance novels, fiction, non-​fiction, art, metaphysics, self-​help, history & a huge selection of used DVDs.
They’ll even ship your books to the mainland for $ 1.50 a pound via media mail. Total bonus! When we heard that we accelerated our buying in a big way.
We really found some treasures we hadn’t been able to find at other used bookstores.

I agree! A used book store with the right attitude and a great selection!
the staff is friendly and the organization is easy and friendly. there are always plenty of support staff to help you with issues or to help you find an item. they have a great return and exchange policy. all and all a great place to shop.

This book store is wonderful. So happy I found this place. It’s HUGE! The prices are good. I can spend hours in there going up and down the isles.
Best place to pick up a used book for a couple bucks and head down to the beach and read the day away. This is a real gem in Kailua Kona