Downtown Portsmouth, without a used bookstore since the loss of the Book Guild and the Portsmouth Book Shop, reversed its fortunes with the opening of SecondRun on Friday, Nov. 1.

The first book purchased, at 10:10 a.m., was a paperback of “Dante’s Inferno,” translated by poet John Ciardi. The book was in the dollar bin, which made it a nickel more expensive than the original 95 cent cover price.

The store features good condition hardcover and paperback copies of used books priced $1-$7. Rare and collectible books are not sold on site, but can be tracked down.

SecondRun is owned by RiverRun Bookstore, which occupied the storefront at 7 Commercial Alley until moving this September to its new location at 20 Congress St. In addition to its own merits as a bookstore, owner Tom Holbrook says SecondRun will also be available for people to use as a meeting space or to host their own events. “We’d love to see book groups, poets, political groups, knitting circles, you name it,” he says. A recent Sunday afternoon saw a pair of customers playing Scrabble on the couch.

SecondRun buys books for cash or credit good at both RiverRun and SecondRun. The store is open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. For more information, call 603-431-2480.