2ND & Charles

2nd & Charles is a buy, sell, and trade retailer for books, media, games, and pop culture merchandise operating across multiple U.S. markets. The stores carry both used and new items, from novels and textbooks to vinyl records, video games, collectibles, and toys. Locations are typically large-format and set up as destination stores, encouraging long visits, frequent returns, and steady cross-traffic with other tenants.

The concept was created by Books-A-Million, Inc., which opened the first 2nd & Charles in Hoover, Alabama in 2010. The idea was to capture growing demand for used media and trade-in value while building on Books-A-Million’s experience in book retailing. After the initial Hoover store showed that customers would travel for a broad, value-focused mix of used and new product, the company began adding locations in college markets, suburban power centers, and regional retail hubs where larger floorplates and strong family and student populations support the model.

Growth has been measured but steady. As of June 2024, 2nd & Charles operates about 50 stores across more than a dozen states, covering the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and select Western markets such as Colorado and Texas. Over roughly the last five years, the chain has increasingly focused on backfilling second-generation big-box and junior-box space in established retail corridors, using the availability of larger boxes to deepen its assortment and create a “treasure hunt” feel that rewards browsing and repeat visits. Recent openings and hiring activity show ongoing commitments in the Southeast and Midwest and targeted moves into Western infill markets where it can plug into existing regional shopping patterns.

Today, 2nd & Charles is concentrating its expansion on the Southeastern U.S., Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regional centers, college and university trade areas, and select Western markets, including parts of Colorado and Texas. Public job postings and new-store announcements, along with continued marketing by parent company Books-A-Million, point to an active pipeline of locations in college-adjacent corridors, family-oriented suburbs, and regional shopping nodes that can support a value-conscious customer base.

The chain remains a wholly owned operation of Books-A-Million and is not franchised. All stores are corporately operated, giving landlords, brokers, and developers a single decision-making platform and the backing of a larger parent company. For retail projects with vacant large-format boxes or junior-box space, 2nd & Charles functions as an experiential soft-goods tenant that drives dwell time and repeat traffic through events, browsing, and a constantly refreshed assortment of trade-in merchandise.