Want a book?
Eugene is the right place for you. From the well-priced stock of the Smith Family bookstores to the quality selection of J Michaels Books, to the local alternative bookstore Star Gate, this town has plenty to offer bibliophiles.
During the Olympic Trials, several bookstores will be offering special deals and discounts or throwing special events, so when the track is closed or you’re tooling around town, here’s where you can pick up your next great read.
The Duck Store
A campus institution, the Duck Store has been operating for 92 years. This 501(c) non-profit store is where students purchase textbooks and Duck fans buy their Nike gear.
Climb the stairs to the second floor and you’ll find the book store which sports a wide selection of popular books in multiple genres and student textbooks located in the back. The prestigious history and central location on the campus strip make the Duck Store a must-visit location.  If you can’t find a book to buy, there’s plenty else to see.
The sub-level offers a wide array of office supplies and the first floor offers Nike clothes, souvenirs, electronics and snack food.
During the trials, the Duck Store will be offering a variety of Olympic Trial memorabilia and collectibles.
Smith Family Books
Smith Family is perhaps the biggest book business in town. With a location next to campus on 13th Avenue and Mill Street and their main store on 525 Willamette Street, Smith Family has approximately 500,0000 books in stock.
Evon Mieko has been involved with Smith Family for most of her life.
“The store was started in the early 1970s with a fiercely independent attitude,” Mieko said. “The founders — my parents — wanted to develop a book store that welcomed all ideas and all kinds of people. We work hard to fill the shelves and aisles with good books that are priced well. New customers are always surprised and impressed with the amount of inventory we carry and the fascinating out-of-print titles they can find in our stores.”
Most books are sold at a discount, with used books going for 50 percent off or more. For a book bargain paradise, look no further than Smith Family.
While the trials are in full swing, Smith Family will be holding a weeklong street fair with special discounts on mysteries, science fiction, popular fiction and children’s books.
Star Gate
Tucked away at 1374 Willamette Street, Star Gate has been operating for 25 years under sole proprietor Alan Stein. Packed with books on prayer, metaphysics and spiritual growth, the shop also offers a unique selection of DVDs, crystals, incense and candles — this shop has it all for the new-age enthusiast.
“We’re here for people who are searching for more meaning in their life,” Stein said. “ Searching for truth about themselves and life in general.”
According to Stein, Star Gate is the “last of the locally owned and operated book and DVD stores,” in Eugene, with one of the most unique DVD collections on spirituality available anywhere.
J Michaels Books
Now here’s a bookshop. Situated in the historic Quackenbush Building in downtown Eugene, J Michaels offers a top-notch selection, with specialties in art, architecture and photography, history and children’s books among others.
Jeremy Nissel started J Michaels Books 38 years ago and has been in his present location for the last 28 years.  The store is open 7 days a week and isn’t far from many of Eugene’s best shops. J Michaels is two blocks from the notorious Voodoo Doughnut.
“We’re the kind of bookstore you don’t see anymore,” Nissel said. “A lot of comments I get from people outside Eugen is that this is one of their must-visit spots while they’re in town.”
The books are handsomely laid out so that the shop gives the impression of a gallery. Bev Parish has been working at J Michaels for 20 years and keeps himself busy arranging the books and working with Nissel to keep the store in order.
“It’s a genuine bookstore,” Parish said, “where you’ll find things you weren’t expecting.”