In early March, a longtime Aledo resident carried several boxes of donated books into a small storefront at 213 Mesquite Street, across from Bryant Grain. The store said it would stock a reprint of "Parker County Prairie Sketchbook," a record of wanderings and archaeological finds in the area, once it is available.
That store is Second Story Books, and it solves a problem many Aledo households may not know they have. The Aledo Public Library no longer accepts donated used books. Second Story takes them instead. It sells them, and the money goes to the Friends of the Aledo Library, whose main purpose is giving the library money to buy more books. If you're cleaning out a closet in Aledo, your old paperbacks can now pay for new books at the library.
A Bookstore That Raises Money for the Library
Second Story Books belongs to the nonprofit Friends of the Aledo Library. It runs independently of the City of Aledo, and volunteers staff it entirely. The plan is to cover costs with book sales plus rent from the upstairs room the store is named for. Groups can rent that room to play mahjong or music or to hold classes.
When The Community News covered the opening in March 2026, it noted that Arts and Letters in Weatherford had closed, which made Second Story the only dedicated bookstore in Parker County at that point. The paper also introduced Cathy Mason, who helped get the store going. Mason has worked as a librarian in Aledo and other places. She moved to Aledo with her family fifteen years ago and never expected to help open a bookstore here, because the town seemed too small.
Because the shelves are filled by donations, what's for sale depends on what people around here have finished reading. The store has posted about new arrivals and pointed out that donations include vintage books. It also keeps bins of older fiction for buyers who want books as shelf decoration, and it offers to curate "any amount of linear feet of books, even color coordinated ones." If you're staging a bookcase or finishing a library wall in a new build, you can buy those books on Mesquite Street, and the money goes to the library.
Mason put the bargain side of it plainly:
"My hairdresser always buys used books to save money. Second Story Books is a place to shop for bargain books."
Aledo resident Charissa Miller, who uses the library often, liked the reuse side. She told the paper she is glad the books "can be reused" instead of ending up in a landfill.
How to give and how to help
- Donating books: Bring them to the store at 213 Mesquite Street during open hours. Most of the stock comes from donations.
- Volunteering: The store said in March that it needs more volunteers. Joining the Friends of the Aledo Library at [email protected] is how you sign up.
- Volunteers come from outside town limits too: The paper reported that most volunteers live outside the city limits.
- Renting the upstairs room: It's available to groups for games, music or classes.
The Shop in the White House on FM 1187
Second Story sells what the community donates. A few blocks away, Vellichor Bookshop chooses what to stock. Its shop is in a small white house at 108 S. FM 1187 in downtown Aledo.
Owner Meghan Schroeder buys the children's books, and Cori Moore buys the rest. They met while serving at The Hills Church, when Schroeder's "Read more books" hat started a conversation. Schroeder had always wanted to own a bookstore, and Moore had always wanted to be a book buyer. Schroeder used to teach elementary reading. In May she told The Community News that her favorite part of teaching was hearing parents say their kids never liked reading until her class.
That background shows in the layout. Inside are a children's section and a seating area called The Parlor. Out back is a yard with picnic tables where kids can run around. The stock runs from cookbooks and classics to trending titles. Schroeder said they would start with what they expect the community to like and then adjust "based on [interest and feedback]." So the shelves should change as Aledo customers tell them what they want.
The opening was planned for summer, and the shop is open now. Its website lists hours of Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. An event listing showed a Back to School Celebration there on August 8. The owners have announced plans for weekly story time, book clubs, mahjong nights, backyard movie nights for books that became films, arts-and-crafts nights, a summer literacy camp and creative writing clubs. The shop's website has a book club page but doesn't list a dated schedule yet, so check with the shop before you plan around a specific program.
Fitting Both Stores Into One Trip
The two stores keep different hours, and that matters if you want to visit both in one trip. Second Story's most recent posted hours are Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. These are shorter than the hours printed in March, so confirm before you go. Vellichor opens earlier and is open Mondays. Neither store lists regular Sunday hours.
| Day | Second Story Books, 213 Mesquite St. | Vellichor Bookshop, 108 S. FM 1187 | Both open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Closed | 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. | No overlap |
| Tuesday – Thursday | Noon – 5 p.m. | 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Noon – 5 p.m. |
| Friday – Saturday | Noon – 5 p.m. | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Noon – 4 p.m. |
| Sunday | Market days only | Not listed | Varies |
On a Saturday, that leaves noon to 4 p.m. for both stops. Second Story's regular book clubs also fall outside the weekend. In September it advertised Silent Book Club sessions on Friday, September 18, from 10 a.m. to noon, and on Thursday evening, September 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. That gave people a morning option and an after-work option. In March, the store also listed a weekly Writers' Quarters on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., open to anyone who wants to write among the shelves, and a monthly Men's Book Club that talks about books and sports. None of the store's fall posts confirm those two programs are still running, so ask before you show up with a laptop.
Market Sundays on Front Street
The one Sunday exception so far has come from the Front Street Farmers Market. Its posts say it is presented by Hello By Lauren and Two Sisters Teahouse, and its listing gives the address as 209 North Front Street. It describes itself as "supporting local farms, makers, & small businesses in the heart of Aledo." This year it has run on one Sunday a month: July 26, August 30 and September 27. Vendors in August included Aledo Apiary and Power House Bake Shop.
For the September 27 market, the organizers moved the start earlier and ran it from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with live music by Katy Day. Second Story Books opened on Sunday for the same hours and invited market shoppers to "come find your new read." That put honey, baked goods, music and a used-book stop in the same part of downtown on one afternoon.
What's Left on the 2026 Calendar
- Sunday, October 25: The Front Street Farmers Market "Harvest Edition." Hours haven't been announced. The September market ran 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Second Story matched it, but neither has posted October hours yet.
- Saturday, December 5: Christmas Tyme in downtown Aledo, 3 to 8 p.m. The city's page invites local businesses and nonprofits to take part. The city hasn't said whether either bookstore will join. Both stores' regular Saturday hours end before the event does.
- Any open day: Second Story accepts donated books, and the Friends of the Aledo Library uses the sales to help the library buy new ones.
If you're settling into a new Aledo home and planning a reading nook or library wall, or clearing out shelves before a move, I'm happy to share what I know about downtown. Tamara Thompson can tell you where the Friends of the Aledo Library takes donations and when the two bookstores' hours overlap downtown. Let's Connect.
