Here you can buy second-hand books and support a Rotterdam charity

There has been a bookstore at Nieuwe Binnenweg 200A for a number of months. Besides the fact that everything on offer is second-hand, there is something special going on. During checkout, you can indicate which charity in Rotterdam you want to support with your purchase.

Bookends are not new on the Binnenweg, but the store was previously ‘hidden’ in the Easy Repro print shop. Since December 2023, the second-hand bookstore has had its own store at number 200A, a few doors away.

Each volunteer has their own cupboard

When you enter Boekensteun, you would not immediately tell that it is a second-hand bookstore. The cupboards are organized by theme and the racks are well stocked. The store is run entirely by volunteers and everyone has their own section.

“I manage the cupboard with cookbooks and if I see that a book is staying for a long time, I move it to our crates with bargains,” says a seller. There is a table on the sidewalk with those ‘hand-me-downs’ for two euros each.

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All kinds of themes

From history to travel and from English literature to children’s books: at Boekensteun you will find something for everyone. At the back of the store is the antique store with old pearls. There is also a rack with books about Rotterdam: nice as a gift!

Just pay

Once you have selected your new reading material, you walk towards the checkout. There is an A4 piece of paper on the counter on which you indicate which Rotterdam cause you want to support with your purchase. At the moment these are Misja’s Happiness Walks, which takes the elderly on a special tour. Also Victor Vitamientje who provides Rotterdam parents with financial needs with sufficient fruit and vegetables. You can also support Stichting Ontmoeting, the Animal Ambulance and SKVR. Bookend hands over the proceeds every year in the form of a voucher.

Bookend is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. On Saturdays the store closes half an hour earlier. Do you have books on your shelves that you no longer read? Then you can donate them in the store.