Soyodo is a place that feels deeply familiar and comforting to me. My parents used to come here…read moreoften, so every visit carries a sense of nostalgia and connection to home. Since Chinese painting and calligraphy are among my favorite hobbies, Soyodo has always been a meaningful place to find traditional Chinese painting supplies and guidebooks esp for maobi, painting flowers, landscapes, and ancient figures. I really appreciate that they also carry crafting supplies and classic Chinese literature, not just generic art books. Everything here feels rooted in tradition and care. The store also offers novels, children's books, Chinese New Year decor, vases, and small toys, which makes it feel like a cultural space rather than just a bookstore. On top of that, the pricing is very reasonable. I've even found books for as little as $2-4, which makes browsing and discovering new reads even more special. The owners are an older Chinese couple who are quiet, reserved, and genuinely kind. One of the things I cherish most about Soyodo is how peaceful and calm the store is. It's the kind of place where you can slow down, browse without pressure, and feel grounded. Stores like this are rare and I truly hope Soyodo continues to thrive. If you value culture, tradition, and supporting a small family-owned business, this is absolutely a place worth visiting and supporting.

The store has a large selection of Chinese calligraphy brushes, tools, Chinese novels and…read moretranslated Western -authored books. It also has herbal ai cao 艾草related products and other health tools , and other Chinese culture-related accessories.

Another lovely location for half price books!!!…read more I love strolling around, checking out the popular books and other nice stationery options.

I wouldn't bother bringing books in to sell! Store selection is great, staff is very polite & nice!…read moreThe bathroom is clean. However I brought in 7 large grocery bags of books & novels... most in like-new condition. Many by very famous authors. They wanted all but about 10 of the books & offered me $18 for the ones they wanted to keep.... Had I left them 'all' of my books, I was told they would have gone on their shelves or to other stores. Crazy to donate products for them to sell. Makes more sense just to donate them & let a non profit sell them...or donate to Friends of the Library... I waited well over an hour to hear the $18 offer LOL.... CRAZY ME!! But it's a very nice place to shop!

What a gem in Fremont!!…read more The employees here are always super friendly and the book selection keeps me coming back. There is something here for everyone's interest. I love how there is a great selection of cute gifts designed by local artists as well as community events. The children's section is inviting and offers so many books for all ages levels. I usually stop here before visiting Asia to pick up books for my niece and friends' kids. I'm always able to find an age-appropriate book that suits their current interest here. You can count on finding the latest and greatest titles here for prices that are super reasonable. Need help finding a book? The employees here are always happy to help!

Came here to attend the Author Event: SG Prince in conversation with TA Chan, on February 4,…read moreWednesday. It's about a 20 minute walk away from Fremont Bart. The event was great, and I was happy to support my friends by showing up! The staff was super nice, and the store is clean and well-lit, with a lot of great books on display. I added several books to my Goodreads to-read list and Libby. Happy to see this book store in Fremont!

This bookstore is awesome!! I can't believe I've never been here until now, though I have visited…read morethe Campbell location. First off, I love the political signs posted on the windows, like the "everyone is welcome here except ICE". When I walked in, the store looked exactly like what I've always envisioned a cozy community bookstore to be like--filled to the brim with books and with a lot of character. I came here to sell some books and it was pretty quick--I had probably 20-25 books and the employee finished in less than 10 minutes. As I was waiting for my books, I walked around exploring. I was very impressed with the selection of fiction. There were actually quite a bit of new releases, but also older books and editions that I would likely not find at a corporate bookstore. If I had the time, I'd love to spend 1-2 hours here just browsing. I didn't expect to get much money for my books; I was actually going to donate them and didn't realize that they still buy books, so their offer was ok. I was moreso pleasantly surprised that the employee was so nice lol, and also a little chatty. Honestly the last time I sold books was probably 15-20+ years ago at Half Price Books and I remember they were always pretty rude/standoffish lol. In addition to the service, the atmosphere, and the book selection, the cherry on top for me was that they have a special shelf where you can buy a book there for 50% off for them to donate to the library at Elmwood Correctional Facility at a bit of a loss for the store. I used most of my credit from the books to get a Stephen King book for the library.

I've been visiting this bookstore for over 20 years and I definitely have a love/hate relationship…read morewith this bookstore lol. The Bad: The staff can occasionally come across as a bit unwelcoming, and I personally wish the storefront atmosphere stayed more focused on books and less on outside messaging. They sometimes price popular or trending used books higher than what you'd pay for a brand-new copy elsewhere. The Good: I absolutely love the character of this bookstore. Shelves packed floor to ceiling, creaky wooden floors, stacks of books everywhere, and even a cat roaming around the store it feels like something straight out of a fantasy novel. I've visited countless bookstores, and nothing beats the old vintage feel of this place. They have a great selection of beautiful leather-bound books, plus an excellent fantasy and sci-fi section. I especially love when they put books out in under $6! The prices at this location are better, and this store feels much more like a classic old bookstore. The Campbell location feels more like a modern bookstore, and the prices there can sometimes be higher. At the end of the day, this place is a San Jose landmark and everyone should visit it at least once. Even when I disagree with certain aspects of it, I still keep coming back because it's nostalgic.

Great variety of records! I came on a Friday afternoon and was easily able to get street parking in…read morefront of the store. All the records are well organized so it's easy to find what you are looking for.

I love this place, the staff is awesome and they have a great selection. My only "complaints is the…read moreweird hours that make it hard to visit. They are only open 3 hours early afternoon and they close at 6pm other days. If you work till 5pm like myself that makes it very hard to ever get there before they close. Other than the operating hours this place is amazing.

Cool spot! Came here with a friend on Thursday morning. There is a huge selection of used vinyls…read moreand equipment. They also offer cassettes and some books. The vinyls were grouped by music genre. They were in better shape than the $2 piles. The $2 vinyls weren't sorted, so it was fun to see what was available. As we were paying, the owner said that he regularly rotates what's out. Would come back to browse again! I found out about this place when I had purchased a few vinyls over at Minasan in Japantown and was told they were sourced from here. There is a small parking lot in the front, which was empty at the time, otherwise there is street parking nearby. There is a middle school nearby so the streets might be busier when school gets out.

Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Nice selection. Reasonable prices. I was able to return a…read morerecord without a hassle after learning I had already purchased a copy.

My Favorite Card shop in the Bay Area. I play One Piece here alot and the atmosphere and vibes are…read morealways great. Staff are always friendly and tentative with any of your needs. Ac is always on and it's really clean in there also. They have a great selection of cards and a good prices also. Will forever be a customer here.

Magitek is my goat. Sells product at MSRP and customer service is great. They usually only have 1-2…read morestaff members manning the store though, so patience is a must

Very knowledgeable and Dope collective and distributer of comics and Gamez …read more Feel free to visit if your a fan collector or a _________ , Supervillain . No capes allowed P.S. Athello Gamez and fam

Every single person who works here is professional, helpful and kind. They have helped me and…read moreordered out of print stuff and are super responsive and polite. I pick my comics up there every week. It is rad!