Copperfield's Books is an awesome store/chain. In these Amazon, instant-gratification-centric times, I love taking a slowed-down and more conscientious approach to buying books whenever possible. Yes, the prices will be higher than Amazon and other online retailers. If something is not in stock, you may have to wait for them to order it, but waiting and supporting a small local business feels worth it to me. Their employees have always been kind and helpful to me over the phone and in person. They have an excellent selection of books packed into their brick-and-mortar storefront, and on the rare occasion they don't have what I'm looking for, they're willing to order it. I've been particularly impressed with their graphic novel selection. I've had consistently good experiences here, at their Napa and Petaluma locations, too, so I've got to give them five out of five stars across the board. read more

We were in the area saw this bookstore and decided to check it out. It's a cute little bookstore it had a good selection. They had a kids area that was really cute. They also had birthday cards, mugs, book markers, tea plates. I purchased a really cute mug as a gift. Prices were reasonable and great selection. Definitely check this bookstore out if you're in the area. read more

Copperfield's Books - Bookstores Near Me - San Rafael, California

Too bad the service was so bad, I left without buying the several books I had intended to buy. Every year the Best American series arrives in October. I enjoy the Mysteries, Short Stories, and Essays. I asked a man where I could find them and he just said, "they're all in their respective sections." Hmmmm, I'm guessing Mystery section, so I go there and can't find it. A young lady came up and was helpful, she located the Short Stories. But the man just continued putting new books on shelves, he clearly could not be bothered to help a customer who was clearly not able to find the other volumes. So, Books Inc is still the best, I'll shop at their stores. This is fixable, Copperfields! read more

I've asked them repeatedly at the San Rafael" Fourth Street Location" to carry more aviation magazines n only till recently in the last 2 months Did they begin carrying " current day military aircraft magazines"! I also called 2 days ago asking if they knew a good part time puzzle maker"? No success yet despite them carrying jigsaw puzzles for sale in their store? read more

This is such a cute bookstore !! I love their selection of books I wish they had an even bigger selection of romance novels though or what would help is have a table with all the TikTok trending books or ones worth the hype that would be cute . Love the Sale/value section ! Definitely will be back to get more books next time ! read more

Great selection, knowledgeable, friendly & super-helpful staff. Nice space! Local independent bookstore not owned by a billionaire wannabe oligarch. read more

Great place with nice customer service!! I came in to get my 10yr old son a couple books. I was having a hard time finding them so the manager came and helped us. We found exactly what I was looking for and we even got a sample comic book for free! Definitely coming back. read more

In my downtime, one of my favorite things to do is get lost in a bookstore, find a cute space to sit and read, and read and read! Love the smell of books used and new! I also love to checkout the magazine racks especially the Muscle Cars magazine. How ironic as I drive an electric vehicle. LOL But, I grew up with an old Impala station wagon you know, the brick car that last forever. They don't make metal like they used to. Copperfield is a fantastic place to explore new books and once you make a purchase, head to their café bar and enjoy your reading with a cup of cappuccino and their delicious nutty banana loaf bread. It was so moist. Love the service here. Very homey and very welcoming. I was told they've been in business for more than 35 years. Definitely a local hangout favorite. There's even a couple of comfy chairs towards the back where you can test drive a book, flip a few pages and explore. Truly a great place for food for thought. Cheers! read more

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Love it! Highly recommend! Besides great books, they have a huge selection of art, greeting cards, and interesting gifts!! read more

They have an extensive collection of nature and wildlife focused selections ranging in reading level from the tiny naturalist to the seasoned citizen scientist. There are many titles in each section at an incredibly reasonable price so bibliophiles can rejoice in finding a bookshop that won't break the bank! Grateful that this place is an easy walk from my house. read more

I really really want to give this place all the stars. They have an amazing selection, fun knick knacks and gifts. It'd really a neat small store. However, their book shelves are a hazard. I cannot state this enough. I went to pull a book off a top shelf full of large, hardback thick books and the whole thing collapsed into my face and chest. I was lucky enough to protect my face but gained multiple bruises on my chest and arm, and was shaking for 10 minutes after. A single lone worker appeared and looked surprised when I said "I just picked a single book up" and the response was "oh no, this happens all the time...but did you find was you were looking for?". I was in shock. I looked at her fix the shelf and noticed the problem--the shelf's left side, and the adjoining other shelf, share a single two-inch peg that had slid too far in one direction and the single action of me picking up one book unbalanced it and it collapsed. I pointed it out and she simply responded "oh yeah, that happens all the time here". It happens...all...the time?? My fiancé had to keep an eye on me after that--I was shaking from the adrenaline rush. As we walked around so I could calm down, we noticed yet more shelves with the same issue ready to fall. I still can't even fathom the fact that they seem okay with this? Not a single apology, or concern for me, just complacence? What if a child had been near me? Or of I hadn't protected my face? Basically, neat shop, but be VERY cautious and watch your kids...this place is a hazard... read more

My favorite north bay bookstore. San Rafael branch is nice, the Petaluma main store is worth a trip.

I think this place is absolutely adorable. I love how it is set up with the book store in the back and the cafe in the front. They had a large variety of books for sale, from adult to children, novels to comic books. The employees are okay, I didn't have too much contact with them. I went to the cafe to buy a drink. I didn't want anything sweet so the woman recommended the Chai Tea Latte, explaining it as spicy and delightful. I tried it and it tasted like a cold water/milk drink. I've had chai's before, from lots of different cafes and this was one of the worst drinks I've had. She probably didn't know how to make it and was just trying to get me to buy something. Yikes. I might be back but I'm getting something else and probably not anything they recommend. read more

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This is the cutest bookstore and cafe! Im so super happy I found it as I was checking out the area. Honestly, I havent seen a bookstore and cafe since Barnes and Noble closed down, so to find a quality place like this is exciting for a nerd like me. Copperfield's has a very cozy atmosphere. There are some comfy chairs to lounge in on the floor, and plenty of seating at the cafe. The selection isn't the largest I've ever seen, but what they carry is quality and reasonably priced. I always check Amazon for price differences. Copperfield's is surprisingly not far off. The extra couple dollars is worth it for the experience and to have what you want right then and there! I live in Oakland and San Rafael is a 30 minute drive from me. Ill be in the area for some business and now look forward to chilling in my new spot. Although there are plenty of bookstores closer, there are none that give the vibe of Copperfield's while providing a place to chill with a latte. The surrounding restaurants aren't too bad either! And the staff is super friendly too. So happy to find this place! read more

Ok... this is an AWESOME bookstore!!! It's HUGE!!! A lot like Barnes and Noble Bookstore but privately owned. Great selection and lots of cool things that catch the eye! read more

In an era where online sites dominate the bookseller market, it's nice to know that there are a few holdouts in the brick-and-mortar bookstore world. Copperfield's is a throwback to the old days "the 90s?" where you can wander the stacks and browse through title after title. Along with a section for newly released titles, there are plenty of Sale Book carts (both inside the store and outside), and a nice sized periodical area with magazines for every interest. But the kicker is the number of author appearances and book signings all the Copperfields have, both of the "famous" variety as well as some local and first-time authors. The staff here are very friendly and helpful, too. read more

Are independent bookstores making a comeback or do we simply live in an incubator--sorry, that's a little too Silicon Valley-ese--I mean, hothouse, for them? Whatever the case, I love that we have multiple independent bookstores in Marin: longtime popular Book Passage, the confusingly-named Diesel in Marin Country Mart (isn't that a jeans brand?), and Copperfield's in downtown San Rafael. Copperfield's is in the perfect location for stopping by and browsing while downtown for coffee, dinner, lunch, etc. We often stop there while walking downtown with a coffee. We usually take turns browsing while one of us stands outside browsing the card of clearance books with our dog. But I just learned from another yelper that dogs are welcome in the books area, so I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me. Copperfield's, I couldn't love you more at this moment. We'll be stopping in during walks more frequently now. Surprisingly good deals here include the children's books and the greeting card section. On a recent visit, we bought four board books and a Little Golden Book collection for a mere $18--a better deal than you could get on Amazon or at Target. The card section also features cards by local artists for $4. I particularly like the prints of local landscapes by an artist named Susan Hill which come numbered and signed. So much nicer than a Hallmark card for the same price. read more

I can spend hours in here deciding on my next novel or admiring some of the cute and unique merchandise. This is a great local bookstore to support and my go-to spot for last minute presents. There's lovely stationary, cute cards, and they even do gift wrapping - what a treat. The staff is knowledgeable and last time I was there someone was able to recommend a SciFi book, a genre that I know nothing about, that my husband ended up loving and reading nonstop for 3 days. An all around lovely shopping experience! read more

A quaint bookshop with a decent selection of books and friendly staff. The prices don't compete with Amazon but can always fulfill the need for immediate satisfaction. I stopped by here with one such need for a particular book and alas they didn't have it (a NYT bestseller). The cafe - "Taylor Made Farms" - serving organic coffee is a nice feature and offers a large seating area. The store is tidy and organized in a familiar Barnes and Nobles sort of way. I would recommend this place to meet up with friends or business colleagues as it provides a comfortable place to have a conversation over coffee. read more

Copperfield's Books - Storefront - Bookstores Near Me - San Rafael, California

Copperfield's Books was a chance drop-in. looking for Taylor Maid coffee at the time. set up is similiar to Books, Inc. many shelves with many titles. magazines too. not much time to read these days. when i have time, Copperfield's will be an option since they offer books on sale. (love sales!) read more

It felt good to support a local bookstore in the midst of the pandemic, and the process to order online followed by curbside pickup was streamlined and convenient. Thank you for keeping us safe and healthy while being helpful and kind. read more

Best place in Marin for books, gifts and greeting cards. It's also nice to have a sandwich and a terrific cup of coffee. I go back each time I'm here! read more

Thank you Copperfield's for creating an entire display dedicated to brave women from history and now. I bought 2 books that I never would have even known about. This may sound dramatic, but that display almost made me cry. I have a daughter and I want her to see female role models. So bravo Copperfield's, you rock. Brilliant. And PS - I love that you offer gift wrap. xoxo read more

What an awesome bookstore! I didn't even realize it until I left that they are a chain. What blew my mind so much was that they are located in Calistoga too and I've been to that shop so many times and never connected the dots. No wonder this location is so great. Anyways, I work really close by to this store, and decided to check it out last weekend to see if I can find my next book (I did! East of Eden, that'll be a fun trek through time) and was pleasantly surprised by how clean, organized and detailed this place is. I would say they have a smaller selection of used books here than say, Green Apple Books in San Francisco, but they aren't really focused towards selling used books. When it comes to new books, the sky is the limit. They have it all. And, even in the used books sections, you could find decent deals. My girlfriend got 5 books in the used section for $40 which was awesome since it even included an author she was looking for. I found an anniversary edition of East of Eden by John Steinbeck and was so happy. All in all, a great place to zone out for a few hours and find great books. Check it out. read more

Best lattes and restrooms in San Rafael. We came in for a ride on the SMART train and needed to kill time. You can read a book and sip a latte or do your homework. Enjoy! read more

This my go to place for gifts and gift cards. Great selection of books, magazines, cards, and gifts. If they don't have it, they can order it. The staff is very helpful with recommendations. Gift wrapping is complementary. Also they have a CAFE. Yep - coffee and books. Doesn't get much better than that! read more

Simply brilliant combination of books, coffee, baked goods, and fun trinkets makes it for the best way to spend time with friends. Or take a break from work. Or have a meeting. It's nice and quiet, without usual coffee shop music blasting. Coffee is absolutely delicious. Incredible locally made pastries by Taste. With gluten-free options! Clean restroom, comfy seats, pleasant atmosphere. Time will fly by and you'll realize you found your new favorite spot. I know I did! read more

Much much much better customer service. Much nicer, more communicative staff. Great sales tables, the price range at this place has severely improved. The kids section is great and full of unique and fun books. The pop up books they have are awesome and a great motivator for kids who don't like to read (or at least, don't KNOW they like to read yet, lol). My only thought is that it would be nice if they had a section for classics. Certainly would make it a lot easier to find some books that you forget but are on the tip of your tongue and all that. But that's a personal preference and has nothing to do with the actual quality of the store. It's clean, spacious, and bright. The book variety is lovely and they're happy to order in anything they don't have. I go here all the time and will continue doing so. No better spot to buy a book and then grab a cup of coffee and spend a few hours reading. read more

Life changing experience. And here's why: I walked in on a whim. I had walked by it a couple times running other errands, but I usually don't leave myself enough time to wander into other stores besides ones on my to-do list. I had to visit the AT&T store across the street, didn't find what I was looking for, and wandered into Copperfield's. I am a book lover. I am a lover of stories, of fiction, of page-turners, of revealing non-fiction. I am an aspiring author, and I love a good book, and adore even more a good bookstore. Lately, I've been frequenting a big-box competitor out of habit and convenience, but that has all changed after I walked into Copperfield's. High ceilings. Beautifully assembled shelves of colorful, intricately arranged books. Smells like freshly cut wood. Love, love. I've been on the hunt for a story that will pull me in like Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, and John Green's The Fault in our Stars. But Flynn's other books were too dark for me, and I'm not usually into young adult fiction. Enter Belinda. I told her my dilemma after wandering around on my own for a bit, picking up paperbacks, turning them over to read blurbs, leafing through the first couple pages of books that caught my eye. She led me to John Green's other novels which were in a featured section, and gave me her own version of the blurb for each of them, as she had read them all! I was able to have a really constructive dialogue with her about the type of novels I loved, and what I was looking for. She asked me a ton of questions to help me narrow done a couple potential choices, and I left, really excited, with John Green's Looking For Alaska and David Levithan's Every Day. They look great, and I just so enjoyed my experience in this bookstore and with Belinda. The vibe is so easy going. I could just wander around in there for hours. I felt immediately comfortable and at home, and not like someone was watching me, or asking me every few minutes if I need help finding anything, only to not be able to really recommend anything that I might actually like. I will return, over and over again. I will not go back to the aforementioned big-box store. I will recommend this gem to all my friends with the hope that this local treasure will stay and be utilized by our community. read more

Five stars for the cafe having Marin Kombucha on tap. It's the best! Melon rose, orange cardamom and pinot sage are all amazing.

Great selection of books and helpful, friendly staff. The only downside is that it's kind of expensive but it's definitely better to buy here and support a local company rather than a huge, internet-based corporation. read more

As much as I love to support a neighborhood bookstore, I'm going to have to dock a star from my previous review. Don't get me wrong - I love the addition of Copperfield's to downtown San Rafael. It's a nice place to browse books (both old and new), flip through magazines and gift cards, and enjoy a latte at their in-house coffee shop. However, on my most recent visit, I found the service to be lacking. In fact, it was borderline non-existent. I stopped in Sunday to pick out a book for a friend. I was hoping to find an employee to steer me in the right direction, but no one was to be found. I finally found the book I was looking for and took it to the cash register (which was empty). It did, however, have one of those old hotel bells for me to ring should I want assistance. I kind of felt silly hitting the bell to complete my transaction, so I just waited a few minutes. Perhaps the cashier was in the restroom? After about 5 minutes, I finally caved in and rang the bell. Still no response. Crickets. Finally, a few minutes later I heard an employee shout from the back of the store "I'll be right there." Kind of bizarre, if you ask me. Maybe they were short-handed that day, because I didn't see any other employees on the floor. It was just this one guy. So here's hoping Copperfield's can beef up their weekend staffing. At the end of the day, it shouldn't be this difficult to buy a book. And I would hate to take my business to one of the book chain stores or just buy online. I'll certainly be back to give them another try. Hopefully, the next review will have a happier ending. read more

I'm a sucker for a good bookstore. I love to wander around the narrow isles and take in the tall shelves filled to the brim with stories. San Francisco has no shortage of them; Green Apple Books, Booksmith, City Lights, Dog Eared Books, and Omnivore Books on Food are just a few of my favorites. There are a few gems in Marin too. In fact, I wrote a Weekly Yelp a while back on some favorites in the North Bay. Feel free to take a look here: http://www.yelp.com/weekly_yelp/fo7pe9dEsmlwbxvXg_Iiag. I wrote the list before I learned about my favorite spot in San Rafael, Copperfield's Books. Copperfield's is a great addition to 4th street. It's the perfect place to spend a few hours reading a new book, doing work, or relaxing with a magazine. They have a large selection of titles to choose from and plenty of space in their cafe to read. Copperfield's also hosts a great deal of author events in San Rafael, as well as their other North Bay locations. I'm happy to support a local bookstore like Copperfield's for all of my reading needs! read more

Cute bookstore. I really just come by for their cafe. Quite a few gluten free pastries. Espresso drinks are very good. The decor is rustic and nice. The service is good. Lots of outlets for plugging in your devices. read more

Copperfield's Books - Bookstores Near Me - San Rafael, California

So good to get a bookstore set up here in town- The coffee part is not complete, but I sure like the attitude here, I mean "hey," they even have chairs in the store - compare that to the mega book chain in Corte Madera. read more

I used to love, love this bookstore! At its old location, it was very community oriented, with a great selection of books and gifts, interesting author events, a small cafe to catch a second wind or meet with a friend, and public restrooms that made shopping with kids pain-free. I spent many happy hours there and usually brought home armfuls of treasures. Although I could often buy things cheaper at Amazon, I felt good about supporting a local community business, and happily paid a little more for a good cause. I was sad to see it move, but I understood the economic necessity behind it. So I took my kids to check it out with an open mind. My kids loved the old store, and were excited to see its new face and hopefully pick a few books to read. Sadly, the new store is a far cry from its former glory: we knew there wouldn't be a cafe and it would be smaller; but we were not ready for the lack of coziness and friendliness. After looking at a few books, one of my kids asked to used a restroom. He was coldly told there were no restrooms for customers. When I inquired where to take him, we were given no advice. Really? In a bookstore with a children collection, the children cannot use the restroom? How is that community friendly? What are the parents to do? We ended up running all the way to Double Rainbow which was as friendly as ever, and solved our problem (and I gratefully purchased ice-cream and coffee to reciprocate), but it was an unnecessarily stressful experience. We will not be returning. read more

This is a frequent spot for me to work and study. Cafe serves Equator coffee right now. Baristas are nice, cafe sells half off pastries if any from the day before are still around. Nice seating areas with many electrical outlets and nice music. Bookstore has a great selection of books for local interests and other knick-knacky gifts. Minus a star because they allow the crazies in downtown San Rafael loiter and do whatever they want (play loud music from their phones mostly), maybe they've discussed these issues with them as they've been fine company lately, but they've yelled at customers more than a few times. read more

I go out of my way to buy books here. I really enjoy the vibe and the quirky staff- Adam over at the cafe always brightens my day. The staff always have great recommendations and totally get me when I say things like "I'm feeling something a bit nerdy but not too cerebral." Or "I need a gift for a sarcastic chef." I love this place. -1* for getting rid of the Lavender coffee drinks. Ever since then I haven't been quite so desperate to get down there. BRING THE LAVENDER BACK! (I'll edit my post to 5* when ya do!) Keep up the great stuff, Copperfield's! read more

This is a great addition to Fourth Street. I love the coffee shop in the front. The only issue, which I know is not their fault, is the homeless population that sometimes hangs out in the front and tries to come in. read more

Great place. Good customer service. New place seems likeable for me. Though menu for the café isn't broad as Starbucks and Peet's but it's calm and quiet with nice music. read more