Two stars for cleanliness and friendly staff. Three stars off for the most important aspect of a used bookstore... price. $5 per paperback? More for hardbacks? For a book whose spine is parting? Missing pages? C'mon. Don't even bother looking at most of what they call "Vintage" books. They ask a king's ransom for them. I found paperback after paperback that was priced at over $20 each... for a book barely 50 years old and a cover price of $1.50. Outlandish. I actually performed a reality check and went to Ebay to check on 7 or 8 of those titles. In each case the books sold for much less on Ebay than Helen is asking. They most definitely need to adjust their pricing schema. It's not like they're paying rent in downtown La Jolla for goodness sake. I was originally, upon walking in, going to say their large, diverse selection is a strength. Now I understand it's simply a function of them not selling their books at a good turnover rate at all... consequently, their stock piles up. Shame. read more

This place has a TON of books and I'm so happy I discovered it! I was able to find 3 books in my TBR list, which I was surprised with because they're all contemporary authors who are pretty hot right now. I could honestly stay in this place for at least a couple hours; there books wall to wall and they even have a large romance section in the back. I can't comment on the stock as I don't really read romance, unless it's for sh*ts and giggles. They have also got plenty of comfy chairs for you to sit around in, too. Pricing is average as many are half off the cover price. Some books are deeply discounted and are in little baskets scattered in the store. I'll definitely come here again! The only drawback is that they're open Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only. read more

Maybe the most ridiculous prices I have ever seen in a used bookstore. They're charging $9.50 for a trade size book that currently costs $11.95 brand new! How is this place still in business?! read more

I walked in and immediately felt welcome! The lady behind the register was so friendly and attentive. They had a huge selection of books and had exactly what I was looking for. The price was unmatched. I'll definitely be returning! read more

I first discovered this store a few years ago when I moved to Escondido. It has a ton of books - mainly fiction but some non-fiction as well. I love that the books are arranged by author's last name so you can quickly find the book you're looking for - much better than the thrift store where everything is helter skelter. Fiction is separated from non-fiction. Prices aren't exactly cheap but it helps that you get credit for books you bring in. Friendly, helpful staff. read more

Sellers beware!!! Do not waste your time trying to "exchange" your books here. I brought in 30+ books, about 20 were accepted as trades and I was offered approximately $60 of "in-store credit". Yay! However, I quickly realized that this "store credit" cannot actually be applied toward purchases and instead functions only as a small discount at checkout... Their website repeatedly uses the term "exchange" and states that customers "receive 35% of the publisher's price as in-store regular credit," yet nowhere is it clearly communicated that this "credit" cannot actually be used as credit at checkout. Only after reading the fine print and experiencing the process firsthand does it become clear that customers are still required to pay most of the book price out of pocket, and that what is offered in return for a large stack of books is a discount, not true store credit. This discount excludes new releases and cannot fully cover items. None of this is explained before books are accepted. When I asked if I could use my store credit to buy a book, the cashier stated, "Well you always have to pay something... it's not a library." The owner then echoed this in a rude, demeaning tone: "This isn't a library. It's not free!" I was never expecting something "free." I was hoping that my $60 credit could cover at least one book, but apparently the meaning of the word exchange has been lost here. If this "exchange" model is how the owner wants to operate her business, that is totally her prerogative. What upset me was the lack of transparency upfront, coupled with demeaning comments insinuating I was looking for something free, especially given that she essentially received 20 books from me at no cost. In hindsight, I regret not donating these books so they could have gone to a good cause rather than supporting this shady business model. read more

The young woman working here is so friendly and welcoming! This book store is super cute inside, quiet, and a great local business to shop with! Actually, you can buy, sell, or trade books here. I will absolutely be back! read more

Excellent book selection, organized, and fairly priced! Plus their customer service is incredible!! We love coming here! read more

Helen's Book Mark - Bookstores Near Me - Escondido, California

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Love this used book store. They have wonderful prices and lots of different book genres. The romance genre section in the back is also huge.

Love this bookstore! The owner and staff are so friendly and helpful. I am constantly asking for recommendations on books to read. I have enjoyed every book the staff has recommended. The prices are great as well as the chance to recycle the books I have read. This bookstore is a hidden gem! read more

Most interesting bookstore I've ever been in. Unusual decor, vast selection of books in every genre, puzzles, postcards and greeting cards. Friendly staff. Credit given for returns. You will want to spend a lot of time here! read more

Service is always wonderful. Decent selection of modern fiction. Love that they display current popular authors in the front. Unique collection of vintage novels but not really my style. The only thing that still confuses me is how they give credit on books they buy from you and how much of that credit they actually apply to the books you purchase. I'm not sure how I walk away paying more than the credit I have. read more

Such an amazing cozy spot! They had a fantastic mix of books and the customer service was amazing. Great spot to pop into and grab a book or two. Especially if you want to stock a tiny library! read more

Hidden gem in Escondido that you do not want to miss. The store is quite large, so don't let the storefront fool you- rows and rows of used books! My first time here I purchased a few children's books and a 300 piece puzzle. This summer, my youngest son has fallen in love with large puzzles. I never pay full price for kid things. Why? They lose interest in them so quickly! I really didn't want to pay almost 20 dollars for a puzzle on Amazon....and then I remembered this bookstore. I called to make sure they still had a puzzle section and they sure do! They have such a lovely variety too! I'm sure you'll find something you like. My kiddo was thrilled when I let him pick two puzzles and I picked one. You can't beat the prices....and they offer an credit policy too! Three puzzles cost me less than one puzzle at a big box store or online. Stop in here and support local business. I'll be back! read more

the customer service was amazing. she was so engaging with the baby and shared the new puppy with us. they have a great exchange program that is helpful to the environment and ease economic hardship for the reader. that's really great! the used books have so much charm and she has a wide variety of genres and authors. i found a john d mcdonald, which was shocking and appreciated! read more

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Great book store! Nice, clean, and organised. The staff are very friendly and helpful as well.

So glad I finally decided to take my bag of read books into Helen's Book Mark. I know they'll be appreciated here. The staff is friendly and helpful. Looking forward to selecting more discounted books with my exchange credit! read more

It was great! It's much bigger inside than you expect and can be overwhelming (in a good way) with how many books they have. A million times cheaper than any new book store but not as much as thriftbooks unless you buy their final sale books. I love how you can donate books for credit! You can even bring books back you've bought from there for credit (that's the "exchange" part! only open certain days so make sure you check. The owners dog hangs out inside and she's a sweetheart!! read more

Readers and book lovers will be happy with the offerings at Helen's. The selection is fantastic! For the most part you will find all the different types of books that you could want. Everything is in really good condition and you can find tons of recent books as well as old stuff. Helen's will buy your old books or take donations. The store doesn't look very big but it goes back further than it appears. Helen is very nice and is fun to talk to, the other employees are nice and very helpful as well. This is a primo place in North County to buy and/or sell books. read more

By far, the coolest used bookstore in the county. GREAT selection, and Helen is so great. My husband and I are addicted. Can't wait to bring books in and get some new reads very soon! read more

I loved the romance room! I last visited in like 2017 and I'm so sad that I haven't been back since. But I'm so glad I made the visit! I got 36 books and I'm planning a visit in a few more weeks! They do take credit card now, when I last visited they didn't take it so I came prepared with cash. They also have an interesting credit system, so I plan on brining some books to get credit for! I like the idea because it helps when you're buying more books! read more

My husband and I strolled in here during Cruisin' Grand. I just love old bookstores, my grandfather was a librarian and we used to visit used bookstores in every town when I was little..this brought back those memories for me. The shop is very clean and well-organized but has a warm and welcoming feel to it. The owner is super friendly and sociable. I found a like-new cookbook, "The How Can it be Gluten Free Cookbook" that I would have had to pay an arm and a leg for had I bought it new. Overall, I had a pleasant experience here and will be back again for another treasure hunt in the near future. read more

I've never read a romance novel in my life, so when I walked into the Book Mark I was shocked to see how HUGE their collection of trashy romance novels is--it took up the entire back room! I guess I never knew these crappy things were in such high demand. The sci-fi section here is pretty cool, but unlike other used book stores, their prices are kind of high. They let you take half off the original price (there's a $2 minimum for sci-fi books), which can be high if you're looking for a good book that was released not very long ago. Oh, the non-fiction section is hurting. Don't even bother looking through it. read more

Helen's Book Mark - The mark of a book. - Bookstores Near Me - Escondido, California

You gotta love having a used bookstore in your town. I seriously do not buy a lot of books anymore since I usually listen to a lot of audiobooks, so use my local library! But, sometimes you need that certain book... it's hard to find. It's old. This is the place you go. I did just that recently when i was looking for some series books that I need the old ones to catch up with. Loved that they carried exactly what i waas looking for. Prices are a little high for used books... 1/2 the cover price, but the good part is you can bring them back afterwards for credit. That makes it a little cheaper. Overall, this is your typical used book store. It's exactly what you picture when you think "used books". They even have a selection of Audio, but I'm just too cheap for that. Oh, and bring cash... or your checkbook. read more

I've been stopping by for years to pick up paperbacks. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable about what's come in. This is an Exchange bookshop. You can bring in titles you've read and pick up more! Came in today with my BFF to show them around! What a great place to find a great read. We'll be returning soon! Love you all at Helen's Bookmark! read more

I wish more places like Book Mark existed in this world. The shop has been around since the 70's, but the owner acquired this gem only in the last few years. A couple stand-out things about this shop is that they have a decent stock of puzzles and a special puzzle system. When you buy a puzzle, you get a puzzle credit, something like a stamp card in their internal system. Purchase 9 and get the 10th free! (or something similar). Also, if you have puzzles at home or have completed a puzzle purchased there, you can bring it back and sell it back to them. Puzzles usually run $3, so bring back a puzzle you're done with and sell it back for $1.50! We spent several minutes just browsing in the store and the owner was so kind and friendly and offered us Andes chocolates. I felt like I was visiting a shop from my childhood. We came out with several good children's books, but they have much more there. A good book store is hard to find these days, a great one, is a rarity. read more

I am not much of a reader, but I went into this store with a friend the other day, and I think it is such a cute used book store! They seem to have a wide variety of books as well! They take cash or checks, so keep that in mind! I look forward to my next visit! read more

Helen's Book Mark - My purchase! - Bookstores Near Me - Escondido, California

What a gem this place is! They have a great selection of all genres, even comics! You can bring your books here in exchange for store credit. Helen and her team are wonderful and will help chose a good book if you're indecisive. PLUS, they take card payments now! read more

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The staff is top notch! I love their attitude and helpful ways! I am a self proclaimed Bibliophile so trust me when I say, the books at Helen's Bookmark are legit. read more

I'm giving it 3 stars only because if you like fiction, sci-fi and nasty romance this is the place for you. I found nothing good here. I mostly like non-fiction, occult, medical, herbal, nature. I did have a fiction author on my list, just didn't even get to it. CASH ONLY Books are not well organized - or weren't today. Not by author, not by title, not even really entirely by genre (was sticking to the VERY small non-fiction section). And didn't peruse any more in the fiction because I was irritated by the disorder in non. read more

I was very impressed. It is a large shop, well laid out, with a really excellent selection of science fiction and fantasy, mostly paperbacks. They also have a whole back room devoted to romance novels, if that is your thing. Prices are reasonable and service was friendly. read more

If you are cruising down Grand then you got to stop by Helen's Book Mark! She has a huge variety of novels here that you can literally find a book for any reader. It's better than buying a new book too cuz it's cheaper and friendly for the environment! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle guys! read more

nothing special here, unless you want pulp sci-fi or romance novels. seriously, their romance novel section is INSANE. and it's all labeled. everything from "lusty historical a-z" to "temptations". there's a few signs in there telling parents not to let their kids take the books down. i didn't really browse, but they must have some pretty scandalous cover art back there. my favorite was "Blackmailed Into the Italian's Bed". i liked some of the covers a lot, on a purely aesthetic level, but i couldn't bring myself to purchase one. chicks in those novels always seem to be getting "ravaged" or straight up raped. i'd be emabrassed if somebody thought i wanted to be ravaged/raped by an indian chieftan holding me captive in his wigwam. cash only, by the way. read more

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Helen is a great people person!! She has a great smile and a wonderful positive personality!! We miss the store being open during this tough time in our world, but we look forward to her return. This is a fabulous bookstore, with a wide variety of books to chose from--as well as many other forms of self-entertaining items. She made the store so inviting, with a nice touch of "color, warmth, cleanliness, as well as such friendliness" towards each person she greeted. If for some reason you cannot find the exact book you are looking for 'in stock', she will do her best to locate a copy for you. Her exchange/credit policy works well and her prices are very reasonable; she takes credit card as well. Escondido needs Helen's Book Mark on Grand Avenue! Everyone Stay Safe!!!!!!!!! Thank you Helen, and we'll be back to support your store upon your return! Paul and Karen H read more

I went in here because a friend of mine had trade-in credit that she wasn't going to use. The deal with trade-in is that for each book you pay half the price of the publisher's price. Then pay 75 cents for each book. Each book is at least $2. You can find a lot of good books here if you remember to bring a list of your favorite authors. Otherwise, there are so many books to choose from. There is a section of books from Mystery and beyond that where all the acceptable books for trade-ins can be picked. Also, all the trade-in books are stamped with the name of the bookstore, so in a way, it feels like the book is always theirs. When I went into the store, I was greeted with a smile, but as I spent more time inside, the less positive feedback I received from one of the cashier. I came to her with questions about the trade-in system and particular books, which as a customer you're allowed to do. It just seemed like my presence was more of a bother than the books I was going to get was worth. The last straw was when I asked if I could take a picture of the three by five card with how much money was left for classics and general. I said I'd like to know how much is left for when I came in again. The lady said, "You can take a picture, but it doesn't do anything for us." The manner in which with this was spoken was so rude and condescending. Like I can't keep track of the trade-in amounts for my own purposes? I'll have to bare and grit my teeth when I go in there next. It almost doesn't seem worth the good deal only to be treated this way. read more

Reading is my absolutely favorite down time. I could spend hours in a used book store without even realizing it. I was so stoked to find this place just a few doors down from my work place. They do have a nice variety of books but it is a bit pricey in my opinion. I loved that I could bring my old books in to get credit for them that I could use in the store to purchase more! I was very disappointed to find out that I could only use my credit for certain books. That seems unfair. Of course every book I wanted in the store was located in the front which are all the books that you must pay for and are unable to use store credit. read more

This is a great place for used paperbacks. Don't expect a large selection of fancy first editions or rare hardbacks. this is a place to get your next relaxing read or the next paperback in the series you like. Good customer service. well organised. clean. a little pricier than I'd expect, but a good exchange/credit system if you are there often. read more

If you love books and puzzles, you must check this place out. They even exchange your old books and puzzles for credit. The only thing I wish is that they had larger selection of genres. IMHO the romance novel from the 1980's have way too much space devoted to them. Yuck, maybe there are a lot of single people in Esco that need them? My only guess! read more

Great selection, clean, organized and courteous. This was my first visit so i haven't taken advantage of the exchange/credit policy yet. Most patrons looked like return customers. I will be back soon. Thanks. read more

This place is awesome. Who could not love a used bookstore? There are some great deals on great books. For someone who loves to read, this is the perfect place to find obscure and out of print titles. Sure it can be funky, and despite the complaints about their pricing and trade system, I am not sure I understand the complaints, you are getting books for a fraction of their original cost. Check it out and enjoy! read more