Edward D. Libbey, Ojai benefactor and cut glass manufacturer, constructed this Spanish style building in 1922 to house the Arbolada Development Company. Using this real estate office he sold individual lots in the 360 acre Arbolada which he had bought to prevent the tract from being cleared for its lumber.

After Libbey's death in 1925 the building remained as a real estate office run by Rawson B. Harmon. It shared space with the Ojai Mutual Water Company until 1958 when the last lot in the Arbolada was sold. The building then became the Van Dyke Travel Agency owned by Lucy and John Van Dyke and their son Jock.

The adjacent library building dates from 1926 when it was designed and built by Carleton Monroe Winslow who also helped design the present Los Angeles Public Library. In 1981 the Van Dykes contributed to the expansion of the library by selling the strip of land for the new wing at half its market value.

In 2003 Jock Van Dyke retired and sold the building to the Ojai Valley Library Friends and Foundation to make future library expansion possible. Using volunteer labor, the building was tranformed into this bookstore.

The money from the sale of used books at Twice Sold Tales helps support programs and buy books for the Ojai Valley Libraries.