Olympia Used and Rare Books is a family business that opened in 1987 by Paul and Karen Pugh as Olympia Books and Prints in downtown Dowagiac at 208 S. Front St.
The store then dealt in used and rare books, as well as posters and prints, and would eventually branch off to the framing business.
In 2015 the building and business was purchased by Karen’s son, Jeff Gunn, and his wife, Melissa. It continues to deal in rare and hard-to-find used books. It also carries some new books, including first editions and signed books in such fiction categories as novels, humor, poetry, mystery, science fiction/fantasy, horror, children and young adult, as well as non-fiction, including history, business, autobiography/biography, art, sports, cooking, gardening, and crafts and hobbies. The store still deals in some framed and h-framed artwork, as well.
The advent of the internet in the 1990s allowed Olympia to not only make its inventory available to walk-in customers but to customers across the country and across the globe. The store has shipped books to people on the west coast, Hawaii, Canada, and to countries as far away as Australia. Olympia’s focus continues to be its local customers. It is a proud member of the Dowagiac community and Chamber of Commerce.
The store is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 to 4 pm and Saturday from 10 to 2.
