If you know me, you know I love books so when I knew there was a book shop in town, I had to stop by. Unfortunately, the shop is closing so everything was 50% off and everything must go. So a good price for what you want. The shop had multiple rooms filled with books. Each genre is labeled on each shelf but the books are stacked different ways so a little hard to read everything. Not much walking room since books are stacked on ground, too. There is a huge selection of mystery and thriller. Also, a huge selection of John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and other top authors. Lady at register did not speak English and was watching YouTube so didn't really ask if we needed anything. But it's okay, it was good to be able to browse around. read more

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A wonderful surprise when we stopped for gas. I'm so sad to hear they're closing at the end of April, though. Everything is 1/2 off right now which was nice, but I'm still sad. Especially good if you're looking for more "vintage" books (versus new bestsellers). Prepare to spend a good bit of time as it's like a book warren in there. Joan is knowledgeable if you're looking for certain topics or genres. I've had bookshops close where I live, so to see another fold somewhere else is a damn shame. Enjoy while you can! read more

JLM Bookstore - Closing - Used Bookstore Near Me - Cambria, California

A treasure! Don't miss it. Unbelievably good value and selection. Every time we visit Cambria, we go there and can depend on finding an armful of good reads. read more

This has been my favorite bookstore since I found it about seven years ago. You have to go in, and search for the unexpected find, which i always do. The books here seem to be outside of the regular titles I find in other bookstores. Among my finds are old paperback novels, artist biographies, poetry and non fiction. read more

A little scary but tons of every kind of book. Don't knock over a towering stack or step on a random little dog and you'll be fine.

great selection of books with a wide range of topics. organization is wholly lacking but this is not that kind of bookstore. the lady working the register was very friendly and loves Jesus. very cool, would come again! read more

This was one of those experiences that I honestly will never forget. Hanging out at this bookstore was liking stepping off the last step of the Planet X rover. And in this case, the planet was ran by a tiny old Asian lady that took the Lord Jesus Christ REALLY seriously. You get no greeting when you walk in. Not a nod, a glance, a mumble, a grunt.... you get nothing from this lady. The above described Asian lady (let's just call her Lucy from here on out) is sitting at her desk nestled into a cave she created with books. She is intently watching Youtube music videos of contemporary Christian worship songs. The walls contain many crosses and homemade signs displaying bible verses. This would be cool if JLM was a Christian bookstore or if Lucy was moderately friendly. Nope. This is just a regular bookstore. Ok. ok. How are the prices? How is the selection? High and eclectik. I found Photoshop 6 book published in 2001 priced at $18. (Same book on Half.com was $3.99) About 20 minutes into my visit I was ready to start a dialogue with Lucy. My personal account of the dialogue is as follows: Me: "Do you have any old car books?" Lucy: "No" .... So the customer service needs a little work.... The physical state of the bookstore is pure chaos. Books stacked on books stacked on boxes and then stacked on books. Her filing system looks like something she abandoned 10 years ago, making the hunt for books more like finding your friends necklace in the Chucky Cheese ball pit. Some sections of the store are literally no longer accessible due to boxes of books blocking the path. GO HERE FOR EXPERIENCE. (period) read more

JLM Bookstore - Used Bookstore Near Me - Cambria, California

gives new meaning to the word "clutter" with the "piles in the aisles" coming close to entirely blocking some. HOWEVER - an amazing amount of books CRAMMED into a very small space. Fair pricing; not cheap. An entire room devoted to mysteries. Well worth a visit. The owner is a somewhat gruff but "friendly if you are" oriental lady. Not for the faint of heart or those for whom clutter is a distraction. The enduring never-to-be-exceeded standard for bookstore clutter was achieved by the now deceased and much missed Peter Howard at his Serendipity Bookstore in Berkeley. Peter also set a similar standard to gruffness and inpenetrable pricing codes. JLM has a long way to go. As I said, worth a visit. read more

This store is situated in such a small spot and has so much inventory it is completely impossible to find anything. The books cost quite a bit more than a used bookstore usually runs ($14 for a hardback). Since we couldn't navigate the store easily we stayed all of three minutes before heading out. The lady at the front was cordial enough. She greeted us when we came in and said goodbye when we left. read more

JLM Bookstore - Used Bookstore Near Me - Cambria, California

TONS of books for such a small space!! Yes it may be a little hard to find things, but owner (a cute elderly lady barely 5 feet tall) is very helpful and points you to the area of your topic. Books are in great condition! I found a 500 page French cookbook that was originally $45 for $18 and it looks in perfect condition. In fact, I'd consider it new. And that's a better price than Half Priced Books! I highly recommend to even go in just to browse. read more

This used bookstore is home to a wide variety of authors and genres. This place has been home to me for how many years now. The owner knows every single book inside the bookstore, just give her the name of the author and she'll tell you exactly what room it's in. Something I love about this bookstore is how the books are priced at a reasonable rate. This bookstore has 5 rooms filled from top to bottom with books. The walkways used to be pretty packed with boxes of books over the years, but they've been cleared up making it easier to walk through each room. If you're ever looking for a classic read or a missing book to your collection, I'd definitely recommend stopping by and peeking into this bookstore. You'll just never know what you'll find. read more

Finally a real used books store, at least until you walk in to door. It's surprises me that the local fire marshal has not closed them down or at the very least made them move some of the books out, there is very little room to walk, you can only look at about 1/2 the books on the selves because there are boxes of books everywhere and they are piled in the aisles and about 1/2 way up each shelf, there are many little rooms but the piles of books make it impossible to see any significant portion of the store, a quick trip through the store and we gave up. Many bookstores are a little cluttered but this one was a serious danger to life and limb. read more

If you're looking for a modern, sanitary, Barnes & Noble-type retail store, you will be completely disappointed at JLM Bookstore. If you appreciate the spirit and presence of a small business owned by someone whose love of books provides the motivation to stick with it in the face of huge odds, you will love this place. Pay no attention to those who cite "high prices" here. They are probably members of the spandex bicycle crowd that's willing to pay twice the little donut shop prices for coffee at the mega-java drive thru. Yes, this little shop is overcrowded with a massive collection of books. But the current stock and variety are wide-ranging. Free books out front. Vintage technical hardbacks, tons of sci-fi paperbacks, classic literature (some first editions), mystery, romance, grocery store steamers, kids' books . . . and the aroma of a real bookstore. read more

This place had a sign that it was up for sale, so a lot of the books were packed in boxes, which made it hard for me to really look much, However, I must always stop at a used book store whenever I am out and about. Picked up a copy of Jane Eyre, as it's been recommended to me for awhile now. Maybe one day I will read it. It was a little bit higher cost than most used book stores I go to. But the lady was very nice and well, I have to support small businesses whenever possible, so a book store ... yeah.. it was worth it. read more

Chaos. Absolute chaos. I love used book stores but doubt I will set foot in here again. Smells, loud fundamentalist preacher in the background, ridiculous pricing, inaccessible aisles. Ownership must have changed. It wasn't always like this. Feel sorry for the lady running it. I think she's overwhelmed. read more

Friendly service, cute little store jammed full of books. She has old novels, cookbooks, new fiction, romance...Organized by genre & author but in some places it is just too crowded read more