If you've found your way to this page, you've probably wondered what actually happens behind the shelves at Blue Vase Books—or maybe you've never heard of us at all. Either way, we're glad you're here, and we wanted this first post to be a proper introduction: who we are, what we do, and what we hope you take away from being part of our story.
Who We Are
Blue Vase Books is a used bookstore based in the growing town of Interlochen, Michigan. What started as a love for books has grown into a full operation dedicated to one simple idea: great books deserve a second home, and readers everywhere deserve access to them at a fair price.
Our brick-and-mortar shop is open five days a week, and it's exactly what you'd hope a used bookstore would be—packed floor to ceiling with over 50,000 books, the kind of place where you go in looking for one title and leave with three you didn't know you needed. If you're local, we'd love for you to stop in, wander the shelves, and say hello.
But what happens in the store is really just one piece of a much bigger picture.
More Than a Storefront
Behind our retail shop, Blue Vase Books runs a full operation seven days a week. While the front of the store welcomes shoppers, the back of the shop never really stops moving. Every week, our team processes and sorts through incoming material, lists thousands of "new" used books to our online store, and our shipping team packs and sends out orders to readers across the country.
Between our online inventory and our in-store shelves, we currently offer over 200,000 books for sale—a number that's always shifting as new titles come in and others find new homes. It's a rhythm that runs all week long, whether or not the front doors are open.
How We're Built
Our business runs on a balanced model that reflects just how many ways people find and buy books today:
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70% of our revenue comes from direct online sales to readers nationwide
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20% comes from wholesale partnerships, supplying online sellers and academic wholesalers who stock college bookstores
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10% comes from in-store retail, right here in Interlochen
That balance matters to us. It means we're not just a local shop or just an online warehouse—we're both, working together to get books into as many hands as possible.
Books Deserve a Second Life
Sustainability isn't an afterthought for us—it's central to why this business exists. Every year, we process over 6 million pounds of used books, keeping them out of landfills and giving them a real shot at finding a new reader. Books that don't sell aren't simply thrown away; we work with partners who responsibly recycle them into eco-friendly products, like pet bedding and kitty litter. Even a book that doesn't find its next reader still gets to do something good.
What We Hope You Take Away
If there's one thing we want you to remember about Blue Vase Books, it's this: we care about books having a life beyond their first owner. Whether you're browsing our shelves in Interlochen, ordering from us online, or just reading along here on the blog, you're part of that story—one that keeps books moving, keeps them affordable, and keeps them out of the landfill.
We're excited to start sharing more with you here—staff picks, behind-the-scenes stories from our sorting room, tips for spotting a great used find, and more.
And this is just the beginning. Starting now, we'll be posting a new blog every Wednesday—so if you like what you read here, be sure to check back weekly (or better yet, sign up for our newsletter below so you never miss one). Thanks for being here for the first post. There's a lot more to come.
— The Blue Vase Books Team