On Monday, July 2, 7th grade reading teacher Adriana Sifford and her husband 12th grade English teacher Jeff of Houston, TX set out to complete the ultimate booklover’s challenge…to visit every Half Price Books location in their area!
The idea was born when the couple decided to stop by HPB Rice Village after attending a summer workshop at a nearby university. Both had never been to the location and were eager to check it out.
“While there, Jeff turned to me and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to do all nine locations in one day?’ And I said, ‘Challenge accepted!'” Adriana explained.
The couple went home that night, laid out a list of requirements for each store visit, planned their route and set off for a day of bookish adventure. #TeachersOnSummerVacation
The first stop was HPB Clearlake.
Stop #2… HPB Pearland
Afterward, it was time to stop for lunch. (Tacos, of course! Because #texasainttexaswithouttacos) They were going to need plenty of fuel to get through the day. If you’ve never been to Houston (or Texas for that matter) …everything is BIG here! But, the two were optimistic they could go the distance.
“We really wanted to know if visiting all locations could be possible in one day,” she said.
After lunch, their journey continued with stop #3 at HPB Sugarland, which holds a special place in their hearts.
“Our first date included a trip to HPB. We drove to HPB Sugar Land from Victoria, TX,” said the couple.
The fourth stop was HPB Rice Village, where the idea for this challenge originated. Our staff got in on the fun when they heard Adriana and Jeff were headed their way.
Who doesn’t love some surprise goodies? Amirite!? (see above tweet)
“We both love HPB because we always find what we are looking for,” said Adriana. “If we can’t find it in one location, the staff helps with locating a book we need at another location.”
“Being at HPB really is like a time machine. Between books, vinyl and games, I never leave in a bad mood,” said Jeff.
With newly acquired tote bags in tow, they were off to HPB Montrose, stop #5.
After having an afternoon snack, it was time to visit, stop #6 HPB Kirkwood. (West Houston)
At this point, they started to get a little tired. I mean…look at that map. Houston is huge! But booklovers are strong, and we (and the Twitter booklovers community) were rooting for them. YOU CAN DO IT!!!
They then headed to stop #7, HPB Copperfield Plaza.
After a much-needed dinner break, the couple was off to stop #8 HPB North Oaks. The finish line was in sight.
Finally, they arrived at the ninth and final store on the tour… HPB Humble!!! Can you tell how excited they are?
When asked what the best part of the day was, the couple said they enjoyed spending time with each other and seeing how much fun they had doing something they both love.
“I enjoyed the time with the hubby and working to expand my classroom library! I also enjoyed that the staff we met were super sweet! Some knew what we were doing, and we were being encouraged to keep going,” Adriana said.
If you’re up for the challenge of visiting every Half Price Books in your area, visit HPB.com for a full list of locations. Can’t wait to read about all your adventures, booklovers!