Specialty bookstores differentiate themselves by stocking an extremely broad an in-depth collection of books related to their specialty area. They often carry books that no other bookstore in the area carries even if it means that they have to manage a larger and slower moving inventory than others. This however means that the aficionado is constantly delighted to find a rare book that he or she has been looking for. Most popular specialty bookstores have a loyal clientele that comes back time after time because they know that they will find the book they are looking for in a particular area here. This practice also results in a lot of positive word of mouth being generated.

Specialty bookstores also pride themselves on the knowledge of their staff on their area of expertise. It is not rare to find a specialty bookstore where you can have an intelligent conversation with the shop assistants on the subject. The in-depth knowledge of the shop assistants means that they are able to provide valuable information to the customer about the contents, nature and tone of a particular book and make recommendations on the basis of what the customer is looking for. Since the customer of a specialty bookstore tends to be a regular visitor, it also allows for personalized service. The bookshop owner and the shop assistance know the taste and buying patterns of the customer and can make specialized recommendations. When required they can also order books that are not otherwise available especially for the customer. As a result of this, visitors to specialty bookstores often find themselves buying many more books than they had planned to buy because of this!