A longtime Austin bookstore is turning the page. Half Price Books will close its store at 2929 S. Lamar Blvd. on March 15, choosing to relocate about a mile away to 2607 S. 1st St., in a neighborhood retail center just south of the South First and Oltorf intersection. The new location is expected to open in late spring.
On Saturday afternoon, a day after the move was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman on March 6, about two dozen customers roamed the aisles at the South Lamar store, flipping through paperbacks and vinyl records. Some shelves were partially empty, a children’s corner remained stocked for young readers, and a clearance shelf sat near the back. Around the store, stacks of boxed books labeled for transfer lined the floor as employees prepared inventory for the move.
Half Price Books' appeal has long been its mix of books and curiosities. Framed celebrity photos, first-edition books, and other pop-culture memorabilia sit on shelves near racks of vinyl records, DVDs, and other media. Because Half Price Books buys books from customers and also purchases unsold titles from publishers at a discount, the selection constantly changes.
The South Lamar shop has served readers in the Zilker and Barton Hills area for decades. The bookstore will operate a temporary location in the shopping center next door until the new location is ready, according to the Statesman.
Half Price Books announced it would be moving to South First Street.Photo by Kimberly Reeves
Half Price Books traces its Austin roots back to January 15, 1975, when the Dallas-based chain opened its first local store at 1514 Lavaca St., according to a contemporary report in the Austin American-Statesman. Like the company’s original Dallas store, the Austin location opened in a converted laundry building, reflecting the founders’ early strategy of using inexpensive storefronts to launch the used-book concept.
Initially, Half Price Books was intended to cater to college students. Another longtime Half Price Books location on Guadalupe Street north of the University of Texas, closed in 2004. The store reopened to a much larger space, a former grocery store, on North Lamar Boulevard.
The relocation comes amid continued retail change along South Lamar Boulevard. In the shopping center next door to Half Price Books, Michi Ramen has vacated to move to Oak Hill, and Baker Street Pub closed in 2025 after years in the center; Baker Street was replaced by Koko's Bavarian.
