A new 2nd & Charles opened its doors at Orange Park Mall on Thursday, taking over a 21,315-square-foot space near Belk that formerly housed a Books-A-Million store. The pop-culture retailer sells new and used books, music, movies, video games, toys, collectibles and other merchandise, and customers can also bring in eligible items to sell or trade for cash or store credit.
The opening caps a months-long conversion process. According to News4JAX, the Books-A-Million store that previously occupied the 1910 Wells Road address closed at the end of May for the conversion before reopening as 2nd & Charles on October 15. The Orange Park store opened on October 15, as reported by the Jacksonville Business Journal.
The new shop is a sizable addition to the mall's retail mix. The station's report notes the store carries more than 200,000 new and pre-owned items and typically employs 20 to 30 associates, according to 2nd & Charles Vice President Rick Rupp. Founded in 2010 in Hoover, Alabama, 2nd & Charles operates as a division of Books-A-Million, the nation's second-largest bookstore chain, and per the same account has grown to 46 stores across 19 states as of this month.
Halloween Grand Opening Set for Oct. 31
Shoppers will get a second chance to celebrate the new store later this month. 2nd & Charles will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Clay County Chamber of Commerce on October 30, followed by a Halloween-themed grand opening celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 31, per News4JAX.
The Halloween event will include a face painter and balloon artist bringing book characters to life, along with free cookies and tote bags while supplies last. 2nd & Charles Rewards members can also enter to win one of five $50 gift cards or a $100 gift card during the celebration. Orange Park Mall General Manager Randy Bowman said the store will offer the community “an interactive shopping experience for their hobbies.”
Part of a Larger Mall Makeover
The new bookstore arrives as Orange Park Mall itself is undergoing revitalization, a process that stretches well beyond a single storefront. Boca Raton-based investment firm Second Horizon Capital acquired the 950,000-square-foot mall for $60.5 million in August 2025, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The mall marked its 51st anniversary in September by completing upgrades that included new LED lighting, food court seating and updated furniture, as covered in earlier Hoodline reporting on the property.
Outside the peak holiday shopping season, the mall averages roughly 40,000 visitors per week and supports about 3,000 local jobs, Bowman told the Jacksonville Business Journal earlier this month. Demolition began in August on the mall's vacant two-story Sears building, empty since 2020, to make way for an 18-acre open-air redevelopment called Orange Park Place. Organic grocer Sprouts Farmers Market signed a lease in July for a 23,117-square-foot space as the project's primary anchor tenant, with an October 2027 opening targeted, per the Business Journal.
Mall management has framed the new bookstore as one piece of that larger transformation rather than a standalone addition, according to an Orange Park Mall press release. The shift comes as the mall has also worked to manage weekend crowds, having implemented a policy requiring minors under 18 to be accompanied by an adult and wear verified wristbands after 4 p.m., a measure Hoodline has previously reported on.
