Not Your Ordinary Book Store

Always peering in curiously, I must have walked past Pickwick Book Shop incalculable times over the years. The store can be very intimidating with its enormous collection of books—so many they're flowing out the front door.

But with books for 50 cents and a dollar, there must be something for every wallet. So after fishing through some anatomy and time travel texts outside, I recently took a deep breath and ventured in.

The first thing I saw was Fisher, the golden retriever. He lies on the floor, barely noticing or caring when someone enters his castle. At the counter was Jack Dunnigan, Pickwick's owner; he nodded hello through the newspaper his nose was buried in. Dunnigan has been the owner of this Nyack bookshop since 1975—and in the last 35 years, he has accumulated more books, old and new, than anyone could ever count.

Yet, rumor has it that Dunnigan can locate any book, anywhere in the store, whether it is three stacks back or resting against the ceiling.

There cannot be another shop quite like Pickwick's anywhere in Rockland County. The store may be small, but you can get lost in the books and easily pass hours looking through just one corner of the room. There are towers and skyscrapers of books stretching from floor to ceiling in every direction you look—and, after some investigating, a dark and mysterious area filled with science books. If you're not careful, you might slip between books into Narnia.

After adventuring around for awhile, I decided to speak with Dunnigan. He seemed pretty absorbed in his paper, but was kind enough to engage in some slightly reluctant conversation. He informed me Pickwick has been around since 1945.

Imagine Nyack then! Much of the village is still preserved enough—if you squint your eyes, you can almost see a Packard Clipper leisurely rolling down a barely paved road.

For Dunnigan, Pickwick's is life. He and Fisher are there each day, soaking up all the knowledge around them. Pickwick's often holds book signings, which draw crowds of all types, including local celebrities.

While I on my escapade, I bumped into another customer—a man who was visiting Pickwick's for the first time in years, he said. Not looking for anything in particular, he happened to come across some German cookbooks (which he ended up buying for 20 percent off). The man was particularly impressed with the mix of old and new books, and he said he felt like he was helping the environment by purchasing a used one.

All in all, Pickwick Book Shop of Nyack has a "hell of a selection" (according to the German-cookbook-buying-mystery-man). You never know what you may find in those creaky, aged shelves.