One of the neatest bookstores in the US. The Poetry room upstairs is wonderful. So much fun…read morehistory here to learn about. And this bookstores has some amazing staff book recommendations with little tags on the bookshelf telling you why they loved that book so much; found some great new finds that way. Dont forget to get your books stamped with their bookstores stamp on the way out!

An amazing bookstore and so glad I asked chatGPT to give me some ideas for a stroll around SF near…read moreUnion Square. Well, ok, this place isnt close to Union Sq, about a mile away, but it was a perfect delicious end destination for a post dinner stroll! I like bookstores and I like eclectic, unique ones. I'll go to Barnes & Noble if I had no other choice, but my favorite bookstores are independent ones and ones where they carry very unique books you can't find elsewhere. This bookstore made my inner little nerdy self so happy. I immediately got lost up front looking at very recent publication by Ai Weiwei. I then wandered onto the main floor and found an entire section of Asian works, which you will not find at B&N. I also found books from Norwegian writers too which I had never seen before, which thrilled me. I then made my way up to their attic floor which is dedicated to poetry and seems I just missed Allen Ginsberg's Howl centennial celebration. Ugh! I then came back down and then proceeded to their basement section and again I was quite pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of Asian themed books they had. They had plenty of the Chinese classics in English and found so many different versions of Journey to the West, I was completely overwhelmed. And then, saw an entire section on Africa and I had to fight hard to not pick up a copy of a book titled Prison Letters, which is a collection of Mandela's letters while imprisoned. I ultimately settled on two books by Ai Weiwei as he has continued to inspire me to be proud, to not conform, to be brave, to speak up, to be authentically and unapologetically me, to honor my ancestry and to push boundaries and to fight for what matters. And it just so happens too that my Chinese give name is also Weiwei. I loved coming to this bookstore and it will definitely be on rotation for me when I am in SF again.

No glorious market building is complete without a bookshop and this is the one crowning the Ferry…read moreBuilding. Book Passage has great readings, is convenient to the financial district, and is a beautiful place to browse. I usually read between 40-80 books per year and you can never have enough. It's a joy to have local booksellers.

Friend invited me to "Benjamin Schneider with John King - The Unfinished Metropolis: Igniting the…read moreCity-Building Revolution" at the Book Passages location, it was a treat to visit this store! * Shop is compact but multiple bookcases were rearranged to allow for fold-up chair seating for ~30 or so, with standing room at the back. * Staff was very helpful & helped crowd with seating. * Hour-long event was free to the public (no RSVP required), and was a great opportunity to hear the author both speak on his book and hold audience Q/A session. Great event, will definitely be monitoring the calendar for more opportunities!

On Waverly is all about supporting the AAPI community and local Asian artists…read more There's something for everyone - fun risographs, SF and Asian pride paraphernalia like clothes, totes, stickers, pins, books etc. There's even MJ sets for sale. I love coming in here and seeing how creative the community is. Also there are events they hosts too.

Happen to have stumbled upon On Waverly over the weekend walking around Chinatown. This is such a…read morecute corner shop with something for everyone. Most items are created/designed by locals/individuals, and not from big companies who mass produce things. Lots of fun trinkets! Staff is friendly. Store is spacious. Parking is as expected in this area, but definitely able to get to this place by foot via public transit or just strolling around the neighborhood.

First went to this place for the opening event and had a great time...rumor has it that maybe more…read morelive acts will happen in the future, and that sounds really fun! I didn't have my card with me that night, so I came a few days later after work. The craft market was bustling pretty hard that day, but the shop girl, Courtney (ps anyone who has the same name as me is a+!!) made sure to give me some good recommendations. I walked away with a really cool food focused zine (Remedy) a San Francisco zine (Wonder & Wander) and a hilarious red hot chili peppers fan fiction zine. Courtney recommend a few others, but I grabbed all my lil bag could carry. Despite the small little store front, I felt like there was a pretty good mix of things to look through. A lot of feminist lit, lots of political stuff, travel, food, and just general aesthetically pleasing things. I told her id be really interested in reading more queer zines, (they definitely have some!) and she assured me that she cosigns in small quantities to keep the shelves fresh and to date. I really enjoyed the market itself, but this newsstand is definitely a gem and brings a lot of community to a place where some locals would consider a tourist trap. I look forward to seeing The Grand Newsstand soon!!

This is perfectly awesome small 'zine, poetry and art kiosk right off of market street by that…read morepublic market thingy they do. This is a walk up kiosk by justin herman plaza/fountain and thus you will not be driving here. This is however, one of the most walkable parts of one of the most pedestrian friendly cities in the world so you have about a half dozen non driving ways to get here from around the city. This is the business inspiration of one local artist (it's the woman running behind the counter) and it sells art. It's in an re-purposed ticket booth and as such it's super tiny. There is no interior space so you'll be browsing via the sidewalk. Small whimsical locally produced self published pamphlets (hereafter referred to as 'zines), buttons, patches, cards and suchlike. The written items focus on various themes-love, city life, humor etc. are the stock in trade, made both by the owner and by other local artists. Pricing can be as low as a couple of bucks for a tiny booklet to 20 ish for a full size book. This is a perfect place to get some unique, local art/spoken word items and to find a little inspiration.

Definitely a "hole in the wall" store located in an unassuming alleyway in SF Chinatown. Store…read morehours appear accurate and the owner Tony opened the door right at 1:00 PM. The store is cramped and ceilings are low, so be mindful of any big purses or backpacks - you wouldn't want to knock over any of the delicate figurines. The place sells mostly Gundams. Not as many Real Grade (RG) gundams available, but still a great place to check out. Prices are marked on a majority of the products which I appreciate, though I still did find some items that didn't have a price tag stuck on it. Overall a cool place to check out if you're just browsing and seeing if anything catches your eye, but not if you're hoping to find something super specific (you might be able to call ahead of time to check inventory but I haven't tried this)

The service was good and nice. The selection was wonderful, there were so many model kits!…read moreThe value was not bad but some of the Gunplas were a little expensive.

I have been to a lot of interesting Chinese Gift Shops all over the San Francisco Chinatown Ca USA…read moreArea & Asia Star is one of them!!!!! The only when this Asia Star Gift Shop gets really busy is during the Chinese Lunar New Year!!!!! If your here visiting from another country or from another US State & If you like Chinese memorabilia try going to this Asia Star Gift Shop at the San Francisco Ca Chinatown USA area!!!!

Shopping in San Francisco's Chinatown…read more.. I was strolling around when I passed by a display of red Good luck envelopes. I wondered if they had my family's last name... and they did! I also looked at some keychains and jade charms... thinking that they're easy to pack in my suitcase and great as gifts... hmmm... For example, my sister is Year of the Horse... my mom is Year of the Dog, etc. Maybe next time! For now, I'm happy with my lucky red envelopes!

The bookstore is right next to the hotel and last night I found it open.I loved the store!The smell…read morewas homey and familiar.All the beautiful bookcases filled with a great variety.Plenty of art and ephemera.The owner is very friendly and I enjoyed the conversations so much!

An SF classic. Amazing rare books and beautiful antique prints as well. Great CA and SF ephemera…read moreand an absolute must visit for anyone who likes history. Excellent service and conversation from the owner as well!

A true San Francisco gem and institution. They have a beautiful, unique and expertly curated…read morecollection of architecture and design books. There is really no other place like it in the Bay Area. The whole neighborhood around them is filled with other delightful sights (The Transamerica Building), shops (Isabel Marant, Paul Smith), and restaurants (Bix, Cotogna). Definitely worth a visit even if you're not into architecture and design. You'll be surprised at what you'll discover there.

I have walked past this place many times and finally stopped by last week looking for a gift for an…read morearchitect friend. The customer service reminded me of another time. I showed up around 5:30 and didn't even realize they were closing, because I was so welcomed. The girl there quickly got an idea of what my friend might like and lead me around the shop, expertly pulling and explaining different books, and helped me choose a truly special one that spoke to a few of my friend's interests. I ended up wanting to read some of them myself even though I don't know anything about architecture. I'll definitely be back!

Very friendly lady helped us find the Chinese "lysee" red envelopes with our last name.read more

Said had kpop music and Korean videos my daughter loves that stuff we had to walk supper far and…read morethe shop was as big as my closet but had no music at all