Half Price Books | 9,527 followers on LinkedIn. Your favorite local bookstore. Everywhere. | “Be fair to customers and our employees, promote literacy, be kind to the environment and remain financially viable so we may continue.” — Our Mission Statement in the words of HPB Co-Founder Pat Anderson It was 1972. Corporate dropout Ken Gjemre and fellow bibliophile Pat Anderson opened a used-book shop in an old laundromat in Dallas, Texas. They ran ads in the local paper, declaring “We Buy Books,” and soon found themselves with a few thousand books and hordes of customers.