Wonder Book & Video

The Wonder Book & Video in Frederick really misses the mark. Compared to the Hagerstown location, the staff here are noticeably unfriendly and unhelpful — except for one person working the stacks who actually seemed to care (gave her some stars for being nice). Most of the people behind the counter act like doing their job is a hassle, which makes the whole experience uncomfortable. The store itself isn’t pleasant either. The smell goes way beyond "old books" — it’s musty and moldy, and for anyone with allergies or sensitivities, it’s almost unbearable. It’s hard to believe that’s safe or acceptable, and it’s something that absolutely needs to be addressed. Pricing is another disappointment. Many of their "used" books are so close in price to new ones that it’s not worth it, especially when you have to take home books that smell like the store. They sell used neckties that are also priced way too high and are really in bad shape too. Kinda gross, really. The layout is incredibly crowded. It’s hard to move around or find what you’re looking for. It doesn’t feel curated — it feels hoarded. They could easily sell more books if they priced them reasonably and focused on turnover rather than collecting inventory like a warehouse. Instead, the place is packed with random overpriced stuff like old neckties and knick-knacks no one asked for. Honestly, it’s a mess. The store needs a serious reality check and a complete rethink of how it does business. Right now, it’s more of a musty book hoard than a bookstore.

This is one of my daughter’s favorite spots in Frederick. It’s got a very large collection of tapes, CDs, records and even toys. There is so much to look at, you could spend hours here, there is even a very large library of books.. I guarantee you’ll walk out with a hidden gem or two. There aren’t too many places like this anymore. It’s very nostalgic and also a great way to spend time with your children of all ages. What’s also very impressive is how organized the bookstore is you can tell the staff take great pride and keeping this place in order. I highly recommend.

Rent movies (including blu ray + 4k!) and hunt for media you love. A go to trip for us when looking for diamonds in the rough. Stock changes so the hunt is part of the fun. Books, movies, music, comics, video games and a fun collection of other random assortments. Friendly staff. There is a book trade in where they will give you cash or credit for books, music, and movies. A refreshing oasis of physical media in the modern day desert of streaming subscription fees.

They have a ton of different merchandise to browse. Everything from vinyl, video games, rare books, comic books and more. Easy to spend a lot of time browsing. However, their prices are absurd. I’m not even sure where to start. I collect comic books and will use that as an example. To be fair, they have a lot of back issue comic books (likely because they can’t sell them at these prices). The majority of their comic books are priced 500% to 1000% higher than what they actually sell for in comic shops, other used book stores, eBay and such. For example, back issues that will cost 50 cents to a dollar at a comic shop are priced $5 to $50 at Wonder Books. I’m talking just your run-of-the-mill-non-key filler books in poor condition. To make matters worse, their "premium collectible" comic books are so unrealistically high I couldn’t stop looking. Comic books which cost about $5 at comic shops and cons are priced up to and over $100 at Wonder Books. Some are several hundred dollars. I’m not kidding. It makes no sense. Their TPB graphic novels are also way overpriced. Books that are well-worn and tattered, which cost a couple of dollars elsewhere are $10 to $30 at Wonder Books. The same extends to their "normal" inventory of mass media paperbacks and other items. Well-read and well-worn mass media paperbacks are priced around $5, for example. The kinds of books that cost a dollar or two at other used bookstores. Overall, they have an impressive inventory and there are probably a few diamonds in the rough or books priced correctly. However, I found their inventory to be largely overpriced and in poor condition. I didn’t buy anything and won’t be coming back.

Ease of selling books was great! They obviously have a huge store. It was incredibly crowded and I couldn't get down several aisles. It felt a bit overwhelming. There are odds and ends in every square inch of the store. Sadly, all of the books I was looking for were not in stock. And strangely, when I asked where Memoirs were located - I was shown to the Fiction section and told that there "might be some there." No dedicated Memoir or Autobiography section? Felt odd when there were sections as narrowly focused as individual states, plants, birds, etc... Anyway, it's a cool shop that was overwhelming for me but may be your perfect fit!

Wonder Book and Video is an absolute gem in Frederick. The selection of used books and records is massive—it’s honestly hard not to find something you want. You can spend hours browsing and still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface. Always a fun stop and a must-visit for book and music lovers.

Lovely little place with lovely staff and atmosphere. It can be a little cramped in the bookshelves but that's really only because they have such a wide collection of topics, authors, and genres. The store also has a good amount of very interesting semi-retro used electronics, along with, as the name implies, video on disks. On top of that, they sell snacks and glass-bottled sodas which are quite fairly priced. Wonderful place for the curious!