Rodney’s Bookstore opened in Harvard Square at 23 Church St. on Sept. 1. By Tracy Jiang
Nearly three years after closing in Central Square in 2020, Rodney’s Bookstore has found its new home in Harvard Square.
Located on 23 Church St., Rodney’s replaces Raven Used Books as the only used bookstore in Harvard Square.
After shuttering the Central Square location, Shaw Taylor, owner of Rodney’s Bookstore, spent the last few years collecting “tens of thousands” of books before settling on Harvard Square as the bookstore’s next home.
Named after Taylor’s dog, Rodney’s Bookstore first opened in Cape Cod in 1996 before branching out to Central Square — and briefly to Brookline. Now, the Harvard Square storefront remains the sole location, and the focus is “to keep fresh books in the store,” according to Taylor.
“I just have to be good about replacing what sells, so there’s always new things to look at,” Taylor added.
The store opened on Sept. 1 and is still in “its early stages,” according to Ethan Gaffney, an employee of the bookstore and Taylor’s nephew.
“It just needs to be a little more organized,” Gaffney added.
While the Central Square branch was larger and allowed for more variety of books to be displayed, Gaffney said “the foot traffic is a lot better” in the new location.
“Everyone in the community has really welcomed us with open arms,” Gaffney added. “We just hope we’re here for a long time.”