If you are in the area and like unique custom made shirts and different art work from the areas artists then you will find it here. During the cicLAvia bicycle event I always stop by to see what new inventory is in stock. I love collecting shirts so that's why I'm in here to find that one of kind item. read more

Espacio 1839 - CicLAvia bicycle event OCT2025 - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Los Angeles, California

It has been nine years since I first wrote a review for Espacio 1839 so it's time for an update. Still five stars. In fact, it is a STRONG five stars. This gallery/community space/boutique/gift shop had endured the pandemic and a shaky economy, STILL holding space for events that fortified, uplift and support the neighborhood and community. This is the place where you can catch a live music show, listen to poetry, meet authors and learn about their latest book release, look at art and find a new art piece for your home and buy the most unique gifts around. Their space is filled with local artists, but traditional and modern, unique clothing line, progressive books and items that are hard to get. This place is too good to gatekeep and the prices are very fair and reasonable. For their art shows, they take care of their artists by waiving a commission fee and collaborating with local business to treat them with a dinner and drink. In a city where galleries feel cold and transactional, Espacio 1839 sets the bar for the art scene. Come by, grab your next book, buy presents for your loved ones and start your art collection. read more

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If you are lucky enough to be near Boyle Heights, visiting this treasure is a must. Espacio 1839 features gorgeous, powerful, original art and an incredible selection of unique gifts. Absolutely recommend. read more

I'm from boyle heights and I was hesitant about a trendy little shop opening up! However, it's actually really nice! They have mostly Chicano artwork but a good range of topics and authors in books. The only thing I would complain about is their return policy!!! Like please take my money but I'd be cool if you could help me at least exchange something I bought! read more

Beautiful shop. I love the selection of books & the art on the walls. It is a very welcoming shop with welcoming staff. I love the quality of the shirts & the softness of the fabric. read more

Espacio 1839 - Shirt & Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Just came to buy some cute stuff on my day off and they are closed !!! New hours guys !! Very unfortunate I was hyping this store to my friends and I guess we will make another trip when they are open! read more

Espacio 1839 - New hours - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Los Angeles, California

In an area fighting gentrification, Espacio 1839 does a great job of bringing our culture into today's world. I love that this space promotes the arts, culture and life of the community. It's definitely a haven for those of us who wish to celebrate our history and modernize it into today's day and age. The only thing I'd change is that I wish it were more inclusive towards different nationalities. So many of us in the East LA area come from countries and backgrounds throughout Latin America, and I wish it could be reflected in the art and vibe that the shop has. read more

Alright, so just wanted to update everyone on my experience. About 2 months ago someone from Espacio reached out to me letting me know that they haven't been on their game in responding and communicating to folx. I was refunded for the incorrect shirt size that was sent to me. I understand that times are tough with Covid, and that this is a small community business that might be under staffed and doing their best. I appreciate the refund and communicating with me. Updating my review because they did reach out and refunded me (even though I was willing to return the shirt). Gave them 3 stars because of lack in communication. I appreciate their products and will still purchase from them knowing that there will be delays and potential mistakes in my order. So long as there's communication, I'm okay with giving them a try! read more

Came here last night for the first time and it felt like I was back in my old neighborhood of Chicago/Pilsen. Many great finds and cositas muy lindas que representa a mi cultura mexicana. I'll be visiting soon! read more

Espacio 1839 - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Los Angeles, California

So you fall in love with a brash yung thing. Maybe a forgettable someone, but lately I have worked late almost every night; so I guess I have laid my hand and folded an empty man. People from the street and neighborhood know your name. They wink at me as I walk in and imply I should know the same. Something is not right but the imply is that I will know your name, at least some day. I ain't scared and I won't be then. Not now, not then, not any day. Some might say you're trouble and I can see what they mean. "Run for your life, white boy" Well, if I was ever scared of trouble I ain't now. They say you are trouble, wink their eyes, and look in mine. But your crooked smile and my crooked minds eye. If I ever see two crooks, it is you and me. Always, you and me in my mind's eye. read more

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I've been following this store on insta for a while & was so happy when I realized our trip to LA was going to include a stop. My mom was born & raised in ELA/Boyle Heights so this was a little bit of a pilgrimage for me, especially given their activism around gentrification. We stopped by on a Saturday afternoon around 2:30ish and the place was empty, customer-wise. I was a little disappointed by the lack of merch. Sure, there were a few shirts but not much. The selection as far as styles go was pretty limited. I agree with a different commentor that the staff can seem a little pretentious or disinterested in helping... and that's cool, you're probably an artist & working a cash register isn't your career, but when it's operating as a store, you're repping yourself as an artist too. As a cultural center, the altars were amazing. The art work was also fantastic but, I wish I could support the artist by actually buying a piece and sharing this amazingness. Keep up the work and continue improving. read more

Came here to fil a podcast a few days ago! I love this business, their books are on woke topics and they have cute household items and clothing for sale as well! Good vibes if you wanna get back into touch with your latin heritage read more

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It's a nice cool and chill spot to shop knick knacks and very Xicanx cultural friendly. However this shop is useful for books more than anything. Good range of books from colorism to intersectional feminism. The customer service was awful. I wasn't greeted and mind you I was the only one there. Upset. The employee glanced at me and looked back down on their phone. I was annoyed already. Wasn't asked if I was finding everything okay or if I needed help. But once I was looking at the pins the employee got up and was surveilling me the whole time. Relax I'm not going to steal your concha pin. It's walking distance from my home and I've gone to a few art galleries and that's the only time I ACTUALLY like going. Mostly because the artists representing the art are friendly and nice. read more

Radio Sombra's new space! Great community store. Love the jewelry and clothes. Got some really cool vintage earrings from here. There's a lot of handmade stuff too I feel. There are also some vinyls you can sift through. Definitely check this spot out! read more

We came to this store because my sister had been following them on Instagram and wanted to make a few purchases. Customer service was horrible. The female at the cash register appeared irritated doing her job. She asked us if we needed help once, but once my sister inquired about specific merchandise, she appeared annoyed. Based on the reviews of other, it appears that customer service is not one of forté. The store has some nice merchandise, but the atmosphere and tone set by the staff overshadows everything. read more

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I don't want to give them any stars, just the BIRD!!! I ordered a shirt from their site on the 9th of December. On the 12th i sent them an email letting them know i did not receive shipping confirmation. That same day i did get an email stating my item had shipped. There was no tracking info provided in the email. Dec 18th i emailed them again letting them know that i still had not received my item and by this time it had been a week since i made my purchase. There was no reply from Espacio. My item should have arrived by now. On the 20th, I go onto their FB page and send a message letting them know that i STILL had not received my item and i ask for the tracking number. If you're familiar with FB messaging, you can see when someone reads the message. Which someone did. And yet again NO REPLY FROM ANYONE. Oh, and since the 12th I've been calling their store. Over and over and over again. No one ever answered. The item i purchased was going to be a xmas gift for my brother. So much for that. I finally just gave up. I called my bank and filed a claim to get my money back. I do not understand how a business can have such horrible customer service or none at all. Someone at Espacio is too lazy to actually work therefore does not care about their customers. I would advise anyone NOT purchase anything from their site. Or better yet, don't even waste your money on this place. The other reviews about the owner and the employees being rude are legit. Yes, they have "cool" stuff, but i rather give my money to Mi Vida or another local shop that actually appreciates their customers. Customers like myself keep places like Espacio in business. Never again will i ever spend a dime at this place. read more

This is a really cool shop but unfortunately they don't really care too much about sticking to their business hours. I first visited this shop last year and arrived about 20 minutes before they opened. So I decided to wait. The employee finally arrived almost 25 minutes after their posted hours for opening, not even apologizing or saying hello; just asking all annoyed if I was to for Espacio. Pretty rude. I still went in and bought a t-shirt, some pins, and some earrings. All very unique and cool. I tried to go again today, during my lunch break, after previously checking their Instagram and noting their new hours of operation. I get there at noon, which is when they state they will be open, and it's closed. I even went to the taco shop next door and ate some bomb tacos, thinking may be they're just running late...again. Came back after eating, still closed. I double checked times and dates to make sure. I posted a comment in their post on instagram telling them I'd been waiting for half an hour for them to open and to please update hours. I get a private message from someone apologizing and saying people are out of the country on medical leave, at MD appointments, or coming later and that I should call to make sure they are open. While I understand that they might have circumstances the prevent them from being in their shop when they have posted that they will be, they should also be proactive and update so that people know what's going on and if they should make a trip to their shop or not. I shouldn't have to call and see if they are open because they already posted publicly that they would be. The reason the I'm writing this on yelp is because after they sent me the private message, they deleted my comment on Instagram. I guess they don't want other people knowing that they don't care about leaving customers hanging and would rather say something about it after they get put on the spot. I won't be coming back here again. I've got burned by these people too many times. read more

Has a great selection of books, accessories, stickers and clothing! The shop was clean and well organized. It's very welcoming and the customer service is excellent. Everything is priced extremely fair. I can't wait to come back and buy more! If you're in the area definitely check this shop out. read more

Great products. Good prices. Show your Latinx pride with all the awesome merch they have.

This store is amazing! Every time I'm in Boyle Heights I stop by to see what new stuff they have. They have a great variety of books that can't be found at large bookstores. I've purchased several shirts for myself, for friends and family and they always love them. They also host poetry readings and art shows. And every time I come the staff are so kind and helpful. And whenever there's an item out of stock they are very quick to find out when they'll get another shipment and give you a timeframe which helps me plan when I should come back (which I don't mind at all because I'll find any excuse to stop by). I love that this store allows you to support local artists and writers/artists of color. read more

Lots of books, and quite a few kids books too. I definitely want to use some of these books to read to my students. Cool little store, and the clothing felt like nice material. Definitely check it out! read more

Love this store great items reasonable prices. Since the store closed due to Covid I've bought 3 of their masks great quality and good price.. Will continue to purchase to support the community. read more

I'm a fan BUT the customer service was bad (with this one person):/ I gave her 4 chances to be cool but it didn't happen. If she reads this she'll remember me but I'm not going to punish the store. Store merchandise was fantastic and I'll be going back soon! read more

Thee best place in the world for hard to find books! Great art, records, clothing and random gifts. Also a internet radio station so you might see the DJs in action. Lots going in this place. You'll keep coming back for new stuff! http://radiosombra.org/ read more

Such a great Little hole in the wall location that caters to the rebellious anarchist soul. Very strong and feminism and providing against the grain cultural art. It is very grassroots and in the heart of Boyle Heights next to the mariachi plaza, this is authentic and as Mexican as you can get. I also love The assortment of aware books to feed Any progressive left mind. read more

Espacio 1839 - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Walked into the store. Picked up item I've been craving since discovering it on their Instagram feed. No one in the store to charge me for my purchase. Huh? Walked out empty handed and disappointed. I wanted to like this place. #fail read more

This store is badass! I have bought a couple of hats, earrings and shirts. Everything in there is cool and unique. Boyle heights pride!

Idk if it was the owner of espacio who was helping me out today but let me tell you.. I had such a good experience. I came into the store looking to buy borderlands by Gloria anzaldua but sadly the store didn't have it at the moment. The man who was working gave me many cool suggestions on books he has read and prompt me to buy "the new confessions of an economic hit man". Although it was not the book I came in looking for I had a great talk about the book I did purchase and I am looking forward to reading it. Thank you to the kind man for being so helpful. You rock! read more

PROS: Friendly staff. There is a good selection of empowering Chican@ books and the variety of records is pretty awesome considering the limited space in the building. I like the fact that there are books that Mexican and Latino children can relate to and I liked the creativeness seen in their shirts, posters, stickers, and accessories. I fell in love with their Virgen de Guadalupe socks and I really admire the effort that lives in this shop when it comes to spreading knowledge. CONS: The only thing that annoyed me about this place were the hipsters. I noticed a poster that said something about a "pinche hipster" and the first thing I saw when I looked up was a pair of them. It seemed kinda hypocritical to me for the staff to shake hands with them and what not specially after looking through a book that mentioned something about gentrification :/ OVERALL: I think the location of this spot couldn't have been better for it stands beside the Mariachi Plaza which reminds many in the community to learn something about the history of Los Angles and la raza. There are plenty of good reads inside this place although they may be limited. I have been wanting to check out this spot for a while now and I am happy that I did. read more

Probably the only place east of the river to buy books retail -- the kind of selection that includes Roxane Gay and Bukowski -- there are also T-shirts and other accessories I haven't paid much attention to -- this review is to counter the people complaining about customer service: what the h--- are you looking for in a cashier? It's a sparsely stocked store. Buy something or don't, then leave. One of the books in stock might help you with whatever validation you're seeking. read more

My daughter and I came to shop at the Store. The store is really cute but no one to help if you have questions. There was a girl named Kim at the register who has an attitude that leaves a lot to be desired. Her attitude stinks I noticed 3 or 4 customers that just walked away for the lack of help. This girl should not work with the public. She really has an attitude that stinks. Hope the store owners take the time to read the reviews since it seems too many people are commenting about the lack of customer service and it seems they do not do anything to better the issue. read more

I drove an hour from the inland empire to shop at this place and i was not dissapointed. They sell alot of really cute stuff and its not overpriced. My only complain is the customer service or lack thereof. I walked in and i disnt think anyone was there until i heard 2 girls talking. I was looking around for about 20 minites and was never greeted or asked if i needed anything. When i did get up to pay i got a death stare for interrupting the coversation the 2 employees were having. I barely heard my total brcause the girl said it so low. I would totally come back but this place needs to hire people who have customer service skills or at the very least can smile and speak. read more

A Chicano/a voltron shop! Imix bookstore, Teocintli shop, radio sombra and various other community retail. Come support! read more

Espacio 1839 - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Los Angeles, California

They have really good quality shirts. One of a kind store I love the vibe and the culture pins and shirts. I highly recommend this place read more

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I love this store! You can walk in and take your time looking at all the cute things. The people who work here are really chill, if you have questions just ask and they will answer your questions but please don't expect them to be all over you, they really are respectful of your space. The shop has a lovely collection of earrings and has a great selection of books. read more

Love the ambiance love the fact that there's a radio station within the place and lots of great books, art, shirts, music, jewelry and accessories. I enjoy the Wednesday running meets and the company of those that join us :) was introduced to this place by two sweet sisters and I'm very thankful that they did :) Defiantly worth a trip down to Boyle Heights read more

Looking for great books? How about a T shirt that speaks truth to power? Well Espacio has you covered. I bought my entire James Baldwin collection here and they carry work by poets like Yessika Salgado. What I love most is how they use their space to empower women of color and other folks historically marginalized by arts establishments. If you're visiting definitely check it out. read more

This spot has so many great things about it and I love that they promote local vendors. I have gotten some amazing socks, books written by POC, earrings, and stickers from here. They have a whole section for old records and the store owners are very nice. This spot is always showcasing local artists on their walls and even have a small radio station in the shop. I definitely recommend visiting and supporting this place! read more

Been here a few times,for im a local i live like 2 blocks away from this spot the few times ive been there i leave because i dont like people looking over my shoulder everywhere i walk inside the place the its not lime im going to steal theres nothing good anyway its just another attempt to make boyle heights. Hipster place, just like Guisados, Reds bar and Eastside love.. most of the people who go in there anyway are tourist hipsters just go home hipsters!! read more

Very cute shop with unique gifts for yourself or for a friend. I bought a t-shirt a few years back and it is still in good shape. Definitely going back. read more