I know! Craigslist is no help. I've seen large 8ft wide breakfront bookcase/china cabinets on eBay that would be suitable but none are local enough. (See? I am flexible. Huge china cabinet OR bookcase! That's how I know I'm not committed enough to do builtins.)

Room&Board has customizable units that are acceptable quality but I think they might be too modern for my house. And again, there's that small fortune. I'm willing to pay if I like something enough, I suppose. I just don't know where to look.

Shall we start a club?? I have my doll collection and now my mom's Japanese dolls and several Japanese pottery things and I want to step up from my old IKEA IVAR solution (even that was just temp). But since my staying in once place tends to be temporary too, I want something not super expensive and ideally modular so I can move it easily when the time comes. I'm not looking for cheap, just something NOT MASSIVE. (I thought I'd use massive letters for special effect!)

Have you looked at a local unfinished wood furniture store? Some we have purchased from have had a pretty wide variety of bookcases available with some degree of customization, including paying extra to have the piece finished as you choose.

Not much help but I've been looking for the same.

Here's something from my CL: 17"x8'6" high for 3K. Just about 110 feet too long.

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/atq/5407075103.html

Pottery Barn has some, Logan bookcases

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/logan-modular-wall-system/?pkey=cbookcases-shelves&&cbookcases-shelves

Or IKEA Hemnes, either in their dark brown pine (or natural pine)

I've seen some at Arhaus, but it looks like their site is down right now. I got an email saying they have a sale up to 40% off with an extra 5% off this weekend. I saw one called the Tuscany in the store. They have it as a DR piece, but we were loking at it for general purpose.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll check them out.

I just looked at Restoration Hardware's site. I still have that coupon...but yikes! I couldn't get past thinking all their stuff would give me splinters. :)

Check out liveauctioneers

This thing is in Denver, PA:

New Jersey

Arhaus is back up so here's a link to ones we've seen. And some other options here.

I'd see if you have a local unfinished wood store. I've gotten some great pieces that way. Mine mostly sells pine, but that means it is lighter to move around when you want. Mine also carries a variety of stains and paints that do well on wood. Once in awhile you can even find glass fronted pieces (not always). Pieces range from very simple to much more stylized and elaborate. (When spring comes, I plan to buy a couple more - I'll be walking by then, and plus the weather will be more cooperative for staining them outdoors.)

Fori - I like the bookcase you show at the top. This is from NC, Guy Chaddock. The finishes are amazing:

We have this one from them as well as a desk and I love both pieces.

Forgot to add that ours has lighting built in to it, with a hidden knot you press:)

Very nice! I must have doors though. We have issues with dust. (Or is it issues with dusting?) Our local unfinished furniture stores don't show anything appropriate on their websites but perhaps I need to go in person and flip through a catalog. I'm still using a pair of open bookcases from one of those places I finished many moons ago when I was young and cute. And the finish on those is still as good as much of what I see on new furniture...

I have several bookcases with doors from Thomasville. I bought them 25 years ago, and they hold up very well. I have asthma, so I need the doors.

Not sure about the quality of Thomasville today.

I like that really gothic looking one from NJ!

Do check out Ikea. They have so many combos of shelving and door styles.

I think with IKEA, the only one that looks a bit more substantial is the Hemnes in wood.
Or the billy bookcases with glass doors and extenders. i wonder if you could either use the veneer ones or paint them.

Just as an example, this is a link to an unfinished wood furniture store's webpage on bookcases.

Thanks--Crl, I'm gonna go to that place. It's not too far. :)

I've really tried to figure out how to make the IKEA bookcases work. IKEA is just so easy to deal with I always look there first. (Cash. Carry. Assemble. Done.) I haven't been favorably impressed with Billy in the past but haven't looked at them in a while--they used to be just printed melamine but looks like they now have actual wood veneers! I guess I need to go down there too. But I'm pretty sure the colors won't work for Billy or Hemnes. While we do have a LOT of different woods in the general vicinity of the future bookcase, we don't have any blacks or browny browns or natural birches--we have more of the reddish brown mahogany of the 40s and the rich oranges of the 60s.

I'll do a lot of things, but I won't refinish new IKEA furniture! :O

On that subject, which I though was ridiculous a minute ago, can you paint a bookcase the wall color (maybe in a glossier finish) and have it look okay?

Fori, you must have read my mind. That's what I am thinking about doing and I am wondering the same thing. I can't afford to match the nice wood in the room I am putting the bookcases in, so rather than have cheesy wood that will not play nice with the other nice wood pieces, my current line of thinking says painted the same color or similar color to the wall, they will be tolerable. I won't do particle board or whatever it goes by now, laminate, manufactured wood, whatever. It does not hold up well to moving and is heavy yet sags in the end.

Exeggitally! It's hard to look good with the old stuff on a reasonable budget.

In a previous home I had built in bookcases that were painted the trim color. It worked well (but I bet they were glorious in the original oak). The trim in this room is wood, so I'd have to go with wall color. That would be yellow. Perhaps a glossier, deeper yellow. Cuz I don't have enough projects! :)

But those were built in. These wouldn't be. Does it matter?

Ballard Designs has several of the type you're looking for. Excellent company, good quality.

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/ProductSearch2#w=bookcases