Several weeks ago… if you would have asked me which store on the planet earth I considered the greatest… my answer would have been unflinchingly resolute and inhumanly quick…

“Half Price Books… that is the greatest store on the planet earth”.

Well… I have news.

Concerning “the greatest store on the planet earth”… I have unreservedly changed my mind. 

Please do not think less of me for changing my mind.

Sometimes this happens to people as they grow and mature.

Over the days that Amanda and I spent preparing for the move to the Eastern Shore, we also did some internet searches to seek out the location of some of our favorite shopping spots in relation to “The ‘Bury”. While most of Amanda’s favorite stores (Target, Old Navy, Kohl’s, Bath ‘N Body Works…) are located within five to ten miles of our greystone home… the closest Half Price Books is located in Pennsyl-freakin-vania! And while this was a depressing thing to discover, it was not enough to deter us from following God to Maryland (but the thought was entertained for a brief millisecond).

Anywho… several weeks ago, I stumbled upon a blog by Chris Walls who outlined his affinity for scouring the bookshelves of a Ollie’s Bargain Outlet that is located in several states in the Eastern U.S. (Maryland, Pensylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia). His description of the bargain outlet reminded me of Half Price Books so much that I checked out their website for the nearest store locations… and was shocked to see that there was actually an Ollie’s Bargain outlet in Salisbury! So I prompltly loaded my wife and son into the Jeep… and drove the fam to check this place out.

Our discovery was amazing.

The books are priced at crazy-liquidation prices… much less than half-price… and the titles that are offered on Ollie’s shelves are shockingly current-to-recent best-sellers (I bought a stack of eight copies of “Blue Like Jazz” for my Seniors for $2.99 a piece… and we have purchased several Ted Dekker, Brian McLaren, Frank Peretti, and other Donald Miller selections that were priced in the same price range). Amanda and I have now declared that one Monday (we chose this day because it is my regular day off) a month is now officially “Ollie’s Day” in the Weaver household. We save some money each week in preparation for the event… and we hold ourselves strictly to that budget… but the stack of books that we bring home is well-worth the wait.

In closing… You did not judge me when my mind changed from K.B. Toys to Toys R’ Us when I was a child. You did not chastise me when my mind changed from Toys R’ Us to the Nike Outlet when I was teenager. You did not correct me when my opinion then shifted from the Nike Outlet to the glory of Half Price Books. And now I trust that you will again support my decision to move Half Price Books down to second on my list… in order to make room for Ollie’s Bargain Outlet at the top of the list.

And the next time you feel inspired to ask me which store on the planet earth I consider the greatest… my answer will be unflinchingly resolute and inhumanly quick…

“Ollie’s Bargain Outlet… that is the greatest store on the planet earth”.

PRESS ON!!!

 -Weav