After a long walk around Lake Merritt with my niece, I was on a mission to find a restroom. She…read moresuggested we stop by Clio's Bookstore & Bar, describing it as part bookstore, part reading lounge, and part bar. I expected a quick pit stop--I ended up wanting to stay. This place is an absolute gem. The atmosphere is eclectic, cozy, and full of personality. The shelves are lined with books spanning more eras and genres than I even knew existed, making it feel like a literary treasure hunt. Every direction I looked revealed another fascinating title or beautifully aged collection. One of my closest friends is a librarian, so I found myself snapping photo after photo to send her because I knew she'd be completely enamored with this place. I didn't order food or drinks during this visit (I rarely drink), but I already know I'll be back. The ambiance alone is worth experiencing. It's the kind of place where you can lose yourself browsing vintage books, settle into a chair with a good read, and simply enjoy the unique energy. From what I could tell, many of the books are also available for purchase, which makes it even more tempting to return. I also noticed that Clio's hosts community events, so I'll definitely be checking their calendar before my next visit. Whether you're a book lover, a history buff, or simply someone who appreciates unique spaces with soul, Clio's Bookstore & Bar is well worth a stop.

I heard about Clio's via an instagram reel and I was hooked. My friends and I went to see if it…read morereally was a book bar and lo and behold, it WAS! The ambiance was great. The space is decent size and the drinks are great. My friends and I brought books to read while we had a drink but I did like that the shelves were stocked with books you could purchase. The bartender and host were amazing, I got an old fashion and a charcuterie board and had an amazing conversation about our books. I like that you could come by yourself or with friends, it's very low key and intimate, so this would be a great place for a small after dinner drink spot.

After all these years, Walden Pond Books is still a place I like to go into to see if I can find a…read morebook to purchase and read on BART. I always find a good book to read. Good reason to take BART and walk over is the Grand Lake is a great place to sit around as if we are tourists from a planet named Saturn.

Adore this bookstore that makes its beliefs known real loudly. Great selection of books to choose…read morefrom for adults and kids. Decent prices on all the books. Always quick to assist you and very friendly.

I often went to the Fox Theatre but somehow always missed the bookstore across the street! So often…read moreolder books (those published 20+ years ago) are often super pricey. But many of these books are very reasonably priced, like $7.50-$25! Almost all of the stock is older, even obscure books. But it's a book lover's treasure hunt. I picked up a really interesting book about San Francisco's history from 1948 for only $10! Definitely recommend this place and it's a very quick walk from the Broadway BART station. The only thing I'd "change" is recommending that the owner put more of their stock on ThriftBooks.com to enhance their profits. But that would be at the peril of Bay Area bookworms! :)

I ordered a book from them in Aug 2024. It never arrived, and after multiple attempts at contacting…read morethem, they finally said they had moved and couldn't find the book at the moment. (Luckily they hadn't run the charge through on my credit card yet). Every couple of months or so I'd follow-up--sometimes they'd respond, sometimes they wouldn't. Still couldn't find the book, and kept asking me to be patient. I was patient for a long time. Now it's July 2025, about 3 weeks shy of ONE YEAR since I ordered the book. Wrote to them again, no response. But they still have it listed for sale on their website, so I took a shot and ordered it again. Then they wrote me a snotty note and told me to quit ordering it, they haven't found it yet. I wrote back and asked how they can possibly still be looking for a book after one year? Then they wrote back and said they were canceling my order! Very crappy customer service. Zero stars.

I've been following Jessica Hische's work and career for a while now, and I was super excited to…read moresee that she opened up a shop. At the time, I was pretty sad, because I lived on the east coast. Little did I know, I'd find myself in the area after all. This shop is a nice little oasis for designers who just love nicely designed little every day objects. Hische stocks this place with all kinds of delightful things. I think the best part is that there are things at all price points. It's not just some snobby place, where nothing costs less than $100. There are solid quality and affordable pens, as well as some specialty items that are on the more expensive side. There is even original designs/works of art from Hische herself. Definitely a fun spot to check out if you're in the area. Highly recommend!

Do people give any less than 5 stars to local arts and crafts, woman owned businesses? Anywho, any…read moredesigner knows who Jessica Hische is but her store is for anyone. There's actual art supplies, pins, art books and kids books, some branded items like shirts, totes, onesies, and cool stuff like gorgeous desk clocks or hourglass timers that I can't afford lol. Anyways, worth a visit if you're in the area. I ended up getting a bunch of my holiday shopping done for my creative friends.

Date: 10/14/2023. Time:3:30 PM. 68°. Sunny…read more My sister and I were searching for Chinese wedding envelopes. This book store had plenty of red envelopes. We decided to go with the gold instead of the red envelopes. For six envelopes, the price was $3.50. We were in and out of there in less than five minutes. The only item we could not find was a Chinese wedding card. We figured the gold envelope (money enclosed) was good enough to give my nephew and his bride-to-be their wedding gift. I'm just glad that we did not spend a lot of time shopping for those envelopes in Oakland Chinatown.

Lisa and I LOVE bookstores! You never know what kind of treasures you'll find. Today we were lucky…read morewith quite a few treasures! Treasure #1, this owner sure is the sweetest. He's kind, helpful, and extremely polite. It was very easy communicating with him. He's not a pushy salesman either. We enjoyed taking our time to browse. Treasure #2, the variety of items will cater to all ages and interests. They even sell music here. Believe it or not, Obama's book was available! Until we purchased it and brought it home :) Treasure #3, if you're into traditional calligraphy, they have all kinds of brushes and paper. He can explain which brush suites your comfort or preference. Lots of fun! So glad we came across this treasure in Chinatown!

Very helpful staff, lovely selection of new and used books. I got help finding a very niche book as…read morea gift and was directed to exactly what I was looking for.

I fell in love with Spectator Books as soon as I walked in!…read more I love that there's a station to leave your water bottles and drinks. I also appreciate that they have masks available if needed and offer them proactively. On top of that, they provide free drug testing kits, like fentanyl test strips -- which is so vital, especially with the spike in fentanyl overdoses and contaminations in recreational substances. It's just really nice to see that kind of care in the community. The range of books is massive -- both new and used. The selection of new books is decent, but the used book selection (and price) is phenomenal. They also have a whimsical collection of bookmarks, stickers, and random stationery, which is super charming. Honestly, it's just a really solid bookstore. The first time I visited, I'm pretty sure I spent like two and a half hours just browsing all the sections I was interested in -- and there were so many. Lots on religion and spirituality, metaphysics, physics, psychology, cookbooks, music, art, fashion -- so many topics that caught my eye. I took my time and walked out with maybe $125 worth of books and oracle cards, which was such a joy. They also have a book exchange policy where you can trade in books for store credit, but you need to make an appointment to do so. The last time I visited was maybe a month ago, but I'm thinking about going again... tomorrow! XD

PROS: Clean, working escalators, friendly staff. Well stocked. HUGE! Great selection of games and…read morepuzzles!!! They validate your parking in the front during check out! CONS: No seating on the 1st floor. After a day of shopping I wanted to relax with a magazine while my sons checked out the books and other items and there was absolutely nowhere to sit downstairs. I don't know if that is purposeful but it didn't seem to make sense. We did find some cool items to purchase and a card game so that was a plus.

The service was wonderful and the books are great. But, I wish book series were together in the…read moresections of the store to be a little easier for me. However, it is still a nice place.

This is another good bookstore to spend time in browsing. I like their selection of books. I spend…read moreat least one hour browsing each time I show up and I usually purchase at least 1 book. I am on a budget when I arrive and I bring cash with me to keep me from purchasing too many books. The books are heavy to carry home. One book isn't every too heavy to carry down to BART and onto BART and then start ready on my way home.

The staff here is a bunch of clowns. When they're told that a published author with a major…read morepublisher (me) is shopping in their store, they quickly kill the conversation. This is a book store with a mediocre selection and a staff that exhibits a certain type of aloof rudeness that customers really don't like. The book I bought used was overpriced, but still a little bit better deal than buying it on Amazon. Moe's Books is only a few blocks away and much better.