Nice Price Books leaving Carrboro

For 26 years, Nice Price Books has been a place for students, professors and residents to buy used books and vinyl records.

But on March 10, the Carrboro bookstore will close its doors.

Cindy Kamoross, who owns Nice Price with her husband, said the store’s other locations in Durham and Raleigh will remain open.

Kamoross said business at the Carrboro store has declined during the past few years.

She said one reason for the decline is that more people are buying books from online booksellers.

Kamoross said business has also declined because of construction of the town’s first hotel at 300 E. Main St., which has closed off part of the sidewalk near her bookstore.

This problem echoes a concern for nearby businesses that was brought up by town officials during the planning stages of the construction.

Nice Price sells a variety of used books — from popular fiction to children’s books to academic material.

In addition to selling used books, Nice Price sells vinyl records, CDs and DVDs.

“We get some nifty old quirky and neat things,” she said.

Betty Schumacher, manager of Chapel Hill’s The Bookshop, said she was surprised to hear about Nice Price’s closing.

“I thought they were doing pretty well,” she said.

She said sales at her store have declined slightly in the past few years, but she thinks it is a result of the economic recession.

Kamoross said Nice Price has a loyal base of customers that includes professors, graduate students, residents and people from out of town.

“We also have, surprisingly, a lot of customers that come here from Durham, Cary, Raleigh, Pittsboro,” she said. “There are people who just really love used book stores. They find us.”

She said the store is offering discounted prices for all of its merchandise.

“I just hope that people will come by and see us before we close,” she said.

Back Alley Bikes, a bike repair shop, will be moving into the space currently occupied by Nice Price.

Back Alley Bikes owner Jason Merrill said the store will move from its Chapel Hill location to the Carrboro space in early April.

Merrill said one reason for the move is that he will be buying instead of leasing.

“It’ll be nice to get into a space we can be in for a long time,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.