Capitol Hill Books

What precisely do you get your great aunt Edna, you know, the one who your only interaction with is an occasional squeeze on the cheek? What about your co-worker Bobby who you know nothing about except that you picked his name for the work secret Santa? What about your dentist? Or your really good friend who you know is an avid reader but forget exactly what she is an avid reader of?

There are dozens of people in our lives that appreciate a warm holiday gift even if we don’t know exactly what it should be or at precisely what temperature. And it’s especially hard to figure out when you wait until the last minute to get your presents. That’s why Capitol Hill Books offers gift certificates. Our gift certificates are available in any denomination you’d like and are good for anything in the store. Plus, they are written out in hand calligraphy for that extra decorative touch. We’re also more than happy to mail your gift certificate to anybody anywhere in the U.S. You can even pay for your gift certificate over the phone. Just call us at 303.837.0700

And since we have books on almost every subject, you can be sure that a Capitol Hill Books gift certificate would be appreciated by everyone from your uncle Larry to your aunt Louise.

Tired of giving all your money away to large corporations that have little connection to your community? There is a very simple way to ensure that your local dollars stay local: By shopping at local businesses.

Several community economic studies show that for every $100 spent at a small, local business, $60-$70 stays within the community as those dollars go towards local payroll, local business support services, local charities and local taxes.

That same $100 at a large chain store? Only about $15-43 stays within the local community. Buying online at a big out-of-state web company? Virtually none of that money stays in Denver.

Just as there is an effort take money out of the big banks and depositing it in local banks and credit unions, there is an effort to support local businesses over the the corporate retail and online behemoths like Wal-Mart and Amazon. It’s those small businesses that are in many ways the fabric of our community. They provide our neighborhoods with character and contribute their money locally. And even if you’re purchasing items for out-of-town friends and family, many businesses have shipping services.

We here at Capitol Hill Books have provided hundreds of dollars over the years to local non-profit organizations from the money generated by our red carts, as well as contributing books and other items to various charities and events.

And it’s not just our store that survives because from our loyal, local customers. There are numerous small businesses all over the Denver area that rely on community support. So be sure to check out the 3/50 Project and Mile High Business Alliance web sites for more information about supporting the local businesses you cherish.

Congratulations to Simon Ayesse, a friend of the store who suggested we use Sir Francis Bacon’s quote “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested,” to go along with our new book Godzilla monster. We think the quote goes great on top of our shelf of “Staff recommendations.” After all, those are our finest cuts of book.

We decided to name the monster Francis after the famous English scientist and philosopher who gave us that lovely quote. Fun fact: Sir Bacon died from pneumonia contracted in the cold while studying the effects of freezing on the preservation of meat.

We also wanted to thank Bryan McRea for giving us the Godzilla figure. We think he makes an opposing presence in our store.

Thanks for all of your suggestions on Twitter and through e-mail. And feel free to come by and say hello to our godzillas in person if you can.

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Remember several months ago when Google visited our store? They were working on a new project to create 360 degree views of local businesses. Apparently, we weren’t paying attention and Google put up its view of Capitol Hill Books, several months ago.

You can access it by searching Capitol Hill Books on Google. This very web site is the first result of course, but if you click on the little red tab underneath our web site link you’ll be taken to our Google page where you can access the 360 view. It’s also available to people who are navigating Denver’s streets via Google Maps and Google’s Street View. Or it’s also right here. Pretty neat, huh?

It’s basically a first-person view through out store. And it’s interactive, allowing you to travel through all three of our main rooms and see what was on our shelves on May 19, 2010. You’ll even see a couple of hard-working Capitol Hill Books employees helping some of our wonderful customers.

It’s almost as cool as the little video we made of Capitol Hill Books. Though the Google version has a distinct lack of Elvis Costello.

Thanks Google for giving Capitol Hill Books the 360 degree treatment. We think our store looks great! So if you want the inside view of the store you can check it out on Google or step into the store yourself, of course.

We haven’t had a blog post in awhile, so we decided to make one about some of the new collections we have on sale here at Capitol Hill Books. We’ve been quite busy over the summer sorting some large trades that we’ve received from our generous trade customers.

We always enjoy this task because we often find such unique and interesting items. For example, we received dozens of books about South Asian art. Many of these books are published in India and other Asian countries and are rare in the United States. Included within this collection is a set of 1950s-era Indian art magazines that contain beautiful art prints inside that can be taken out and framed.

Other trades have really beefed up our classical history, philosophy, drama and art sections. So if you haven’t been in the store in awhile and you’re interested in those subjects, definitely come in and check out what we have. A unique treasure may await you.

Pictures of our entrance yesterday afternoon.

Streets don’t drain like they used to.

“Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.” Julie Andrews was onto something when she sang that snippet. Who doesn’t get an anticipatory thrill when they discover that a package has arrived at their doorstep?

We at Capitol Hill Books savor providing people with their favorite things no matter if they live two blocks or two states away from us. That is why we offer shipping services to our customer for any purchases made at Capitol Hill Books. As long as the address is in the United States, we can ship anywhere (Well…almost anywhere. We can’t ship to prisons).

We package our orders right at our on-site shipping facilities and you can be sure that our packaging is done professionally using high-quality materials to protect the contents inside. We can ship individual books or dozens of books and only charge a nominal fee to cover the shipping cost and materials. We primarily use low-cost media mail for shipping books, but we can often ship items using USPS expedited mail for a quicker delivery time.

So whether you are an out-of-town visitor wanting to ship books home or a local wanting to surprise a loved-one with a brown-paper package, look to Capitol Hill Books to provide professional packing services for your books and gifts.

Call us at 303.837.077 or email us at info@capitolhillbooks.com for more information about our shipping services.

We here at Capitol Hill Books just love it when we’re able to help members of the community. We get a thrill when we get the call about how Capitol Hill Books can support a cause or be part of a project.

Which is why we were so excited to hear about 14-year old Wryn’s awesome Eagle Scout project. Wryn is a very ambitious kid. Most boy scouts don’t receive their Eagle Scout rank until 16 or 17, yet Wryn completed his before he even finished his freshman year in high school.

Wryn’s project came from talking to his former teacher Scharlotte Bowles at Platte River Academy about how to encourage kids to enjoy reading.

“There are a lot of teenagers out there who don’t like what they read and if I could give them an opportunity to read something that would interesting, they’d have a spark in their love of reading,” Wryn said.

Wryn’s project was multi-faceted. First he hand-built several large bookshelves for the classroom. Then he raised money by asking the local PTA and friends and family for funds to buy books. Then with about $600 in hand, he thought of the best place to get the most books for the least amount of money.

That was when Wryn contacted us. He originally thought to do a book drive but worried that he’d get a bunch of random Danielle Steel novels, not the type of books that would typically inspire a middle-schooler. So we immediately went to work when he contacted us, rummaging through our collections to find the books from a list Ms. Bowles prepared and suggesting dozens of titles on our own. Together we came up with 130 books for Ms. Bowles’ classroom.

Wryn has only to pass through the Boy Scouts Board of Review to get his Eagle Scout. He feels confident he’ll get his Eagle Scout since he has a track record of service with the scouts including maintaining trails and helping clean neighbor’s houses. Wryn definitely is a bright young man with a great looking future ahead of him and we’re just glad to help him with his goals.

And of course we’d be happy to help with your project too. Need books for a specific purpose? Want to know if Capitol Hill Books can provide a donation of books, gift certificates or even money to a charitable cause? Or do you simply need a space to inform the community about your upcoming event or project? Capitol Hill Books can help in a variety of community endeavors. Just give us a call at 303.837.0700 or e-mail us at Info@capitolhillbooks.com to see what we can do for you.

Our good friend and neighbor Wolfe’s Barbeque is closing after 25 years in business. Owner Louis Wolfe has been serving up delicious and affordable BBQ for more than a quarter century. He has decided that now is the time to “reinvent” himself and close his wonderful restaurant after Christmas, the day when Wolfe opens up annually to serve his affordable BBQ to the masses when many other places are closed.

We wish Mr. Wolfe the best on his new life journey and will of course miss his cheerful presence on our block. Please do yourself a favor and visit his establishment one last time if you can. You’ll be experiencing Mr. Wolfe’s passion and dedication to delicious BBQ that has kept hearts and stomachs full through five presidential administrations.

And when we at Capitol Hill Books think of the departure of Wolfe’s Barbeque from our block, we are reminded of the arch that once stood in front of Union Station with the Hebrew blessing, “Mizpah.”

After you gorge yourself on the black Friday sales at the big boxes, remember your local small businesses during the holiday season. Small businesses like Capitol Hill Books often offer a more eclectic selection, better customer service and even better discounts than the mall.

And best of all, small businesses keep our community active and vibrant. Just imagine Colfax, Highlands Square or South Broadway without the hundreds of small businesses that keep these areas so uniquely Denver.

There is actually a national trend to support “Small Business Saturday,” as a day to go out and share the love of your favorite small businesses all across the country.

So this Saturday, November 27, Capitol Hill Books is getting on the “Small Business Saturday” bandwagon and offering a 10 percent discount on used books for anyone who mentions Small Business Saturday to us. So get out there and support your local small businesses and all the holiday cheer they give to our communities.