Independent Bookstores in California

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NewPages.com guide to best
bookstores in California

Alameda

store logoBooks Inc.

1344 Park St - (510) 522-2226 - Map

Books Inc., The West's Oldest Independent Bookseller, is a locally owned and operated independent bookseller with 10 locations in California. Books Inc.’s origin dates back to the Gold Rush Days of 1851 when Anton Roman struck it rich in Shasta City, California and set himself up in business selling books.

Anaheim

Book Baron - Closed 2007

store logoCompass Books & Café

Downtown Disney - (714) 502-9999 - Map

Books Inc., The West's Oldest Independent Bookseller, is a locally owned and operated independent bookseller with 10 locations in California. Books Inc.’s origin dates back to the Gold Rush Days of 1851 when Anton Roman struck it rich in Shasta City, California and set himself up in business selling books.

Aptos

Bookworks - 36 Rancho Del Mar - (831) 688-4554
General: Children's, Fiction, Psychology/Self Help

Arcata

Northtown Books - 957 H St.

Rookery Books - 853 H St.

Atascadero

Ann's Books - 8681 El Camino Rd

Ye Olde Book Shoppe - 4303 El Camino Real

Bakersfield

Russo's MarketPlace - 9000 Ming Ave #I-4

Russo's Downtown - 1416 Seventeenth St

Russo's Books - 6300 White Lane (used)

Balboa Island

Martha's Bookstore - 308 1/2 Marine Ave.

Benicia

Bookshop Benicia - 856 Southampton Rd

Berkeley

Afikomen Jewish Books, Gifts & Arts - 3042 Claremont Ave

Berkeley Art Museum Store - 2626 Bancroft Way -
(510) 642-1475

Black Oak BooksBlack Oak Books

1491 Shattuck Ave - (510) 486-0698 - Map

With stores located in three of the Bay Area's most vibrant neighborhoods, Black Oak Books offers an eclectic and intriguing selection of new, used, and antiquarian books. Our staff is well-informed and passionate about books, and they will be delighted to make recommendations or leave you to explore our abundance on your own.

 

Builders Booksource - 1817 Fourth St

Cody's Books - 1730 Fourth St - (510) 559-9500

Signal Books - 1816 Euclid Ave

Comic Relief - 2026 Shattuck Ave

Dark Carnival - 3086 Claremont Ave

Eastwind Books of Berkeley - 2066 University Ave

Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore - 1385 Shattuck Ave

Ecology Center Bookstore - 2530 San Pablo Ave

Lewin's Metaphysical Books - 2644 Ashby Ave

Long Haul Infoshop - 3124 Shattuck

Moe's Books - 2476 Telegraph Ave

Pegasus Fine Books - 1855 Solano Ave

Pegasus Fine Books - 2349 Shattuck Ave

The Other Change of Hobbit - 20220 Shattuck Ave

Revolution Books - 2425 Channing Way

Serendipity Books - 1201 University Ave

Shakespeare & Co. Books - 2499 Telegraph Ave

University Press Books/Berkeley - 2430 Bancroft Way

Big Bear Lake

Big Bear Book & Bean - 596 Pine Knot Ave

Bishop

Spellbinder Books - 124 S. Main St

Burlingame

store logoBooks Inc.

1375 Burlingame Ave - (650) 428-1234 - Map

Books Inc., The West's Oldest Independent Bookseller, is a locally owned and operated independent bookseller with 10 locations in California. Books Inc.’s origin dates back to the Gold Rush Days of 1851 when Anton Roman struck it rich in Shasta City, California and set himself up in business selling books.

 

Calistoga

Copperfield's Books - 1330 Lincoln Ave

Camarillo

The Bookworm - 2155 Ventura Blvd

Capitola

Capitola Book Café - 1475 41st Ave

Carmel

The Pilgrim's Way Bookstore - Dolores St betw 5th & 6th

Chester

B & B Booksellers - 140 Main Street

Chico

Lyon Books - 121 W 5th St

Clayton

Clayton Books - 5433 D Clayton Rd

Clearlake

Wild About Books - 14290 Olympic Dr, Ste A - 707-994-9453

Clovis

The Bookworm - 516 Fifth St

Concord

Bay Books - 1669 Willow Pass Rd

Coronado

Bay Books - 1029 Orange Ave

Corte Madera

Book Passage - 51 Tamal Vista Blvd

Costa Mesa

Book Soup - 3333 Bristol St. - (714) 689.2434

The First Page - 270 E 17th St

Cotati

North Light Books and Cafe - 550 E. Cotati Ave - (707) 792-4300

Danville

Rakestraw Books - 409 Railroad Ave - (925) 837-7337

Davis

Avid Reader - 617 Second St

Bogey's Books - 223 E St

Del Mar

Book Works - 2670 Via de la Valle, Suite A230

Earth Song Bookstore - 1440 Camino Del Mar

El Cajon

Somewhere Else Coffeehouse & Bookstore - 330 N Magnolia

El Centro

Fifth Avenue Book Center - 549 West Main Street

Fairfax

BookBeat - 28 Bolinas Rd - (used)

Fallbrook

Book Nook - 129 E Hawthorn St

Fort Bragg

Cheshire Bookshop - 363 N. Franklin St

Windsong Books - 324 N. Main St

Fremont

A Book Garden - 701 McDuff

Fresno

Book Nook - 6735 North 1st St

Fig Garden Bookstore - 5094 N. Palm Ave

Petunias Place - 2017 W Bullard

Grass Valley

Book Seller - 107 Mill St

Odyssey Books - 11989 Sutton Way

Gualala

The Four-Eyed Frog - 39138 Ocean Drive

Guerneville

River Reader - 16355 Main St

Half Moon Bay

Bay Book & Video Co. - 80 N. Cabrillo Hwy

Coastside Books - 432 Main St. #B

Moon News - 314 Main St.

Hayward

The Book Shop - 1007 B St

Levin & Company - 306 Center St

Healdsburg

Toyon Books - 104 Matheson

Irvine

The UCI Bookstore - 210-B Student Center

A Whale of a Tale Children's Bookshoppe - 4199 Campus Dr Ste A

Kentfield

1st Street Books - 850 College Ave

La Jolla

Museum of Contemporary Art Bookstore - 700 Prospect St

UCSD Bookstore - 9500 Gilman Dr

Warwick's Books - 7812 Girard Ave

La Mesa

The Yellow Book Road - 7200 Parkway Dr - (619) 463-4900 

La Quinta

Peppertree Bookstore & Café -  78100 Main Street #101

La Verne

Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop - 1030 Bonita Ave - (909) 599-4558

Lafayette

The Storyteller - 30 Lafayette Circle

Lafayette Book Store - 3579 Mt. Diablo Blvd

Laguna Beach

Latitude 33 Bookshop - 311 Ocean Ave - (949) 494-5403

Lake View Terrace

Tia Chucha

Long Beach

Cultura Latina Bookstore - 4125 Norse Way

Equal Writes - 344 E 4th St

Once Upon A Story - 3740 East 4th St

Los Altos

Linden Tree Children's Records & Books - 170 State St

Los Angeles

Arundel Books - 8380 Beverly Blvd

Chevalier's Books - 126 North Larchmont Blvd - (323) 465-1334

Children's Book World - 10580 1/2 W. Pico Blvd

Dutton's Brentwood Bookstore - 11975 San Vicente Blvd
(310) 476-6263

Eso Won Books - 4331 Degnan Blvd

Illiterature - 452 S. La Brea Ave

Koma Bookstore - 1228 W. 7th St

Skylight Books - 1818 N Vermont Ave - (323) 660-1175

Traveler's Bookcase - 8375 West Third St

UCLA Bookstore - Univ of Calif Los Angeles

USC Bookstore - 840 Childs Way

Los Osos

Volumes of Pleasure Bookshop - 1016 Los Osos Valley Rd

Madera

Cole's Books & Bagels - 1516 Howard Rd

Malibu

Diesel, A Bookstore - 3890 Cross Creek Rd - (310) 456-9961

Martinez

Sheila A. Grilli, Bookseller - 610 Ferry St

Mendocino

Gallery Bookshop - 319 Kasten St

Menlo Park

Kepler's Books

1010 El Camino Real - (650) 324-4321 - Map

For 51 years we have committed ourselves to delivering a broad selection of books to the community, while hosting hundreds of author events. We look forward to seeing you soon and assisting you in finding that perfect read.

Mill Valley

Depot Bookstore & Café - 87 Throckmorton Ave

Montrose

Once Upon a Time - 2284 Honolulu Ave

Morgan Hill

BookSmart - 80 East 2nd St.

Mount Shasta

Village Books - 320 N. Mount Shasta Blvd

Mountain View

store logoBooks Inc.

301 Castro - (650) 428-1234 - Map

Books Inc., The West's Oldest Independent Bookseller, is a locally owned and operated independent bookseller with 10 locations in California. Books Inc.’s origin dates back to the Gold Rush Days of 1851 when Anton Roman struck it rich in Shasta City, California and set himself up in business selling books.

Murphys

Sasha's Reading Room - 416 Main StSt

Napa

Bookends Book Store - 1014 Coombs St

Copperfield's Books - 3900A Bel Aire Plaza Hwy 29 & Trancas

Nevada City

Broad Street Books - 426 Broad St

Harmony Books - 231 Broad St

Neward

Book End - 5678 Thronton Ave

Newport Beach

Lido Village Books - 3424 Via Oporto

Oakland

Diesel: A Bookstore - 5433 College Ave - (510) 653-9965

A Great Good Place for Books - 6120 LaSalle Ave

Laurel Book Store - 4100 MacArthur Avenue

Marcus Books - 3900 Dr. MLK Jr. Way

Pendragon Books - 5560 College Ave

Walden Pond Books - 3316 Grand Ave

Ojai

Ojai Table of Contents - 208 E. Ojai Ave

Orinda

Orinda Books - 276 Village Sq

Oroville

Limelight Film & Theatre Bookstore - 2351 Washington Ave Suite E

Pacific Grove

Bookworks - 667 Lighthouse Ave

Pacific Palisades

Village Books - 1049 Swarthmore Ave

Palo Alto

Bob and Bob - 151 Forest Ave

store logoBooks Inc.

Stanford Shopping Ctr- (650) 321-0600 - Map

Books Inc., The West's Oldest Independent Bookseller, is a locally owned and operated independent bookseller with 10 locations in California. Books Inc.’s origin dates back to the Gold Rush Days of 1851 when Anton Roman struck it rich in Shasta City, California and set himself up in business selling books.

 

Stanford Bookstore - 135 University Ave

Palm Springs

Peppertree Bookstore & Cafe - 155 S Palm Canyon Dr

Pasadena

Alexandria II - 567 S Lake Ave

Bungalow News - 746 E. Colorado Blvd

Distant Lands - 56 S. Raymond Ave - (626) 449-3220

Vroman's Bookstore - 695 E. Colorado Blvd

Vroman's Bookstore - 3729 E Foothill

Vroman's Museum Store - 340 South Lake Ave

Paso Robles

Chelsea Bookshop and Café - 721 12th St

Petaluma

Copperfield's Books - 140 Kentucky St

Pleasanton

Towne Center Books - 555 Main St

Point Reyes Station

Point Reyes Books - 11315 State Route 1

Portola

High Sierra Books - 80 Commercial St

Best bookstore in Plumas County

Quincy

Bookshelf - 373 W. Main St

Riverside

Imagine That!  - 5225 Canyon Crest Dr #13

Sacramento

Avid Reader  - 1003 L St

San Diego

Mysterious Galaxy - 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., #302

Obelisk - 1029 University Ave

San Francisco

A Different Light - 489 Castro St

Alexander Book Company - 50 2nd St

Black Oak Books - 630 Irving St

Bolerium Books - 2141 Mission St., Suite 300

Book Bay at Fort Mason. - Building C Fort Mason Center

Books & Bookshelves - 99 Sanchez Street - 415-621-3761
(used books)

Books & Co. - 428 34th Ave

store logoBooks Inc. in Laurel Village

3515 California St - (415) 221-3666 - Map

Books Inc., The West's Oldest Independent Bookseller, is a locally owned and operated independent bookseller with 10 locations in California. Books Inc.’s origin dates back to the Gold Rush Days of 1851 when Anton Roman struck it rich in Shasta City, California and set himself up in business selling books.

Books Inc. in the Castro - 2275 Market St - (415) 864-6777 - Map

Books Inc. in the Marina - 2251 Chestnut St - (415) 931-3633 - Map

 

BookShop West Portal - 80 W Portal Ave.

Booksmith - 1644 Haight St - (415) 863-8688

Borderlands Books - 866 Valencia St

Bound Together Books - 1369 Haight St

Browser Books - 2195 Filmore St

bzinc - San Francisco Int'l Airport - (650) 244-0610

Christopher's Books - 1400 18th St

City Lights Bookstore - 261 Columbus Ave - (415) 362-8193 - Map

Compass Books - San Francisco Int'l Airport - (650) 244-0616

Cover to Cover Booksellers - 1307 Castro St

Dog Eared Books - 900 Valenciaa

European Book Company - 925 Larkin St

Farley's - 1315 18th St

Fields Book Store - 1419 Polk St

Get Lost Travel Books - 1825 Market St

Green Apple Books - 506 Clement St

Marcus Books - 1712 Fillmore St

Modern Times Bookstore - 888 Valencia St - (415) 282-9246

SFSU Bookstore General Books - 1650 Holloway Ave

Stacey's Bookstore - 581 Market St

San Jose

Hicklebees - 1378 Lincoln Ave

Sisterspirit Bookstore and Coffeehouse - 938 The Alameda

Willow Glen Books - 1330 Lincoln Ave

San Marino

San Marino Toy and Book Shoppe - 2424 Huntington Dr

San Mateo

"M" is for Mystery - 86 East Third Ave - (650) 401-8077

San Pedro

Williams Book Store - 443 West 6th St

Santa Barbara

The Book Den - 15 East Anapamu St

Chaucer's Books - 3321 State St

Tecolote Book Shop - 1470 East Valley Rd

Santa Cruz

Bookshop Santa Cruz - 1520 Pacific Ave - (831) 423-0900

Gateways Books & Gifts - 1126 Soquel Ave - (831) 429-9600

Santa Monica

Hennessey & Ingalls - 214 Wilshire Blvd.

San Ramon

Bay Books - 2416 San Ramon Valley Blvd

Sausalito

Habitat Books - 205 Second St

Sebastopol

Copperfield's Books - 138 N. Main St

Milk & Honey - 123 N Main St - 707-824-1155

Solvang

Book Loft - 1680 Mission Dr

Sonoma

Readers' Books - 130 E. Napa St - (707) 939-1779

Sonora

The Mountain Bookshop - 13769-I Mono Way

South Pasadena

Book'em Mysteries - 1118 Mission St - (626) 799-9600

Stanford

Stanford Bookstore - Stanford University

Stinson Beach

Stinson Beach Books - 3455 Shoreline Hwy

Studio City

Portrait of a Bookstore - 4360 Tujunga Ave - (818) 769-3853

Susanville

Margie's Book Nook - 722 Main St

Tahoe City

Bookshelf at the Boatworks - 760 N. Lake Blvd

Tehachapi

Books & Crannies - 20346 Valley Boulevard

Temecula

Hickory Dickory Books - 41920 Sixth St

Torrance

Catch Our Rainbow Children's Bookstore - 3132 Pacific Coast Hwy

Truckee

Bookshelf at Hooligan Rocks - 11310 Donner Pass Road

Ukiah

Mendocino Book Co. - 102 S. School St

Mulligan Books - 208 S. State Street

Venice

Beyond Baroque Bookstore - 681 Venice Blvd

Small World Books - 1407 Ocean Front Walk

Ventura

Adventures for Kids - 3457 Telegraph Rd - (805) 650-9688

Walnut Creek

Bonanza Street Books - 1605 Bonanza St

Diablo Books - 1831 Ygnacio Valley Rd

Watsonville

Crossroads Books - 1935 Main St

West Hollywood

A Different Light - 8853 Santa Monica Blvd

Bodhi Tree Bookstore - 8585 Melrose Ave

Book Soup - 8818 Sunset Blvd - (310) 659-3110

Unicorn Bookstore - 8940 Santa Monica Blvd

Willits

Leaves of Grass - 15 S. Main St. - (707) 459-3744

Woodland

Next Chapter Books - 622 Main St

 

 

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