Georgetown Book Exchange: Something You Can't Get Online

On a rainy November day, a flashing neon "open" sign is the only indication that a business lies in the basement beneath a residential building at 1660 33rd St. NW. A paper sign directs passersby down a narrow flight of stairs that aren't visible from the street. 

Once inside the Georgetown Book Exchange, the atmosphere is cozy and the smell of centuries-old books fills the room. 

Tony Afshar, a native of Iran, opened the bookstore 16 years ago, and the books overflowing the shelves, arranged horizontally or stacked on the floor, show it.  

Afshar worked in several bookstores before becoming a shop owner himself, and at the time saw an opportunity for a thriving business.

"I saw I could do it, so I did," Afshar said. 

Now, he has to compete with online bookstores like Amazon.com. 

"The computer has changed business over the years," Afshar said. "Book business is a dying business." 

These days Afshar looks to buy older and older book collections, "something they cannot download from the internet," he said. The store carries books as old as the 1700s. They go for from $25 to $50, a good price for books that old, Afshar said. 

But the age of the books isn't the only thing that sets Georgetown Book Exchange apart from online bookstores. Afshar's store is only a short walk away for most Georgetown residents.

They can go see the condition of books in person and read the first few pages, he said. And the one thing the internet will never offer: the intoxicating smell of a long-lived book.