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Capitol Hill Books

WTOP Staff | WTOP_Web_Team@wtop.com

September 27, 2013, 12:58 PM

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Toole isn't the only one having fun at Capitol Hill Books. Aaron Beckwith loves the job, and he says working for someone like Toole is a great pleasure for him. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
From Khalil Gibran to Walt Whitman, a room filled with poetry and music is located in the back of the store. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
When Toole took over the bookstore 18 years ago, he had 1,000 books. Today, the store overflows with 20,132 books. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
Like the name suggests, The Mystery Room is lit with very few lights. The room used to be the living quarters of the former owner of the home. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
Throughout the store, readers come across note cards with Toole's signature sense of humor. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
Toole's strategy to acquiring so many books may sound a bit unsettling, but it makes sense: He relies on dead people. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
"I used to have a lot of books on the stairwell. I had about, what do you think?" he asks his longtime shelver, Aaron Beckwith. "There were 1,432," Beckwith says with a serious face. "Oh, he's lying," Toole laughs. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
A quirk to the store is the location of each genre. The cookbooks, naturally, line the shelves in the bookstore's old kitchen. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
Another quirk to the off-beat bookstore, which was originally an old house, is the location of the foreign language books. Toole explains those books are located in the toilet room "because foreign language is in the toilet in this country." (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
"Fiction is upstairs, non-fiction this level," says owner Jim Toole, who recites the information on autopilot once the creaky door is opened.(WTOP/Geet Jeswani )
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
While several bookstores have suffered over the past years, Toole says business at Capitol Hill Books is still thriving. He attributes his success to the neighborhood. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
Capitol Hill Books is open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. (WTOP/Geet Jeswani)
WTOP/Geet Jeswani
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