I fell in love with Spectator Books as soon as I walked in! I love that there's a station to leave your water bottles and drinks. I also appreciate that they have masks available if needed and offer them proactively. On top of that, they provide free drug testing kits, like fentanyl test strips -- which is so vital, especially with the spike in fentanyl overdoses and contaminations in recreational substances. It's just really nice to see that kind of care in the community. The range of books is massive -- both new and used. The selection of new books is decent, but the used book selection (and price) is phenomenal. They also have a whimsical collection of bookmarks, stickers, and random stationery, which is super charming. Honestly, it's just a really solid bookstore. The first time I visited, I'm pretty sure I spent like two and a half hours just browsing all the sections I was interested in -- and there were so many. Lots on religion and spirituality, metaphysics, physics, psychology, cookbooks, music, art, fashion -- so many topics that caught my eye. I took my time and walked out with maybe $125 worth of books and oracle cards, which was such a joy. They also have a book exchange policy where you can trade in books for store credit, but you need to make an appointment to do so. The last time I visited was maybe a month ago, but I'm thinking about going again... tomorrow! XD read more

I was hoping this was going to be like, a half price books situation, but it's more of a local book store. Huge selection, I am sure it's well organized. A lot of local authors. A nice selection of books in other languages as well. I did hear the employees kind of talking about some of the patrons, but I mean, I work in service, it happens. But maybe talk a little quieter, or wait until there aren't other patrons in the store. read more

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Love me a good bookstore. Spectator books in Oakland has a wide variety not only of books, but also stickers (delightful!) and cards (useful!) Both are particularly handy if you are prone to purchasing books as gifts for friends and loved ones, as we are. There is sometimes a line, which is how you know you're in a good bookstore :) Parking can be challenging, but Piedmont Avenue is highly walkable, so it's worthwhile to park anywhere you can and wander by. read more

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Spectator Books is a lovely bookstore in the Piedmont neighborhood of Oakland. It is a magical little bookstore that actually is very well curated and eclectic array of titles. If you are a lover of books like I am be sure to drop in and support your local bookstore! read more

Spectator Books - Used Bookstore Near Me - Piedmont, California

Love this place. I've been a loyal customer for the past 15 years. It's one of my happy places. Great service. Awesome used book selections. And absolutely love the new books selections, especially the graphic novels. read more

My favorite bookstore in Oakland!! They have a great selection of both new and used, including mainstream titles and a more curated variety. They've got wonderful literary fiction, fantasy/sci fi, and art books in particular. I love the layout of the store; it's easy to navigate and the signage is very fun and personalized. The staff picks area is always great as well, and they are friendly and helpful, always offering to special order titles when possible. The back room of children's books is fantastic and so much fun to browse. The nice thing about Spectator is they also stock cards, wrapping paper, stickers, pins, and other great gift items (that don't feel like filler--you can tell they are thoughtful about what else they bring in). Their Christmas/holiday card selection is always stellar. Plus they carry vintage postcards, etc. I find that their used books are priced very fairly and I also love that they offer a punch card reward system--$10 store credit for every $100 spent! I've been going to Spectator my whole life and I really appreciate the direction that Stacie has taken the shop in during recent years. It is so vibrant, welcoming, and well maintained. I am so happy to have the option of buying books at a brick and mortar like Spectator--please shop small! read more

Spectator Books - Christmas card selection (2023) -- they have SO many options!! - Used Bookstore Near Me - Piedmont, California

It's huge inside despite looking small from the outside. Great selection of books and I love their disability studies section - I've never seen one at a bookstore before! Lots of signs to help you find what you need They sell used books, new books, DVDs, stationary, stickers, etc. They have stamp cards here which I love. It is on the pricier side for a used bookstore, most books about $10. You can tell they put a lot of work into curating their section though I happened to be wearing a backpack and the rows were so narrow and difficult to get through so it's definitely not accessible for strollers, wheelchairs, etc. read more

I always head right to the genre room - just keep heading in, and it's on your left. Mysteries and thrillers, sci-fi and horror, and my favorite, historical fiction. Quite a bit of that. It's open later than most places on Piedmont Ave, 8 pm. Cool mix of new and used books, and other ephemera. Very cozy, and good prices too. read more

Spectator Books - Used Bookstore Near Me - Piedmont, California

I was visiting Oakland and realized I needed a book for book club and found this shop on accident (Thank You Google Maps) I really loved the clear labeling of sections of genres and that the shop is deep, it felt like a pleasant surprise as I was exploring and found the 2nd and 3rd rooms. Something that I thought was cool is that this shop also sells new books in addition to reasonably priced used books! They have cute knickknacks like magnets, greeting cards, stationary, and bookmarks. I saw a selection of tarot cards that looked interesting! Unfortunately, I only packed a carry-on otherwise I would have come back with a lot more!! Oh and finally they have a punch card where they punch out for every $10 you spend pretax and you get $10 off when it's full. I love that, especially if I lived in the neighborhood!! read more

Very beautiful indie book shop!! A favorite amongst the English majors of the UC Berkeley population I hear. Gorgeous area and nice staff :)

Great bookstore!! I came here looking for a calendar, it's amazing how hard it is to find a decent calendar nowadays!! This place actually had a selection of them, on sale no less, just what I was looking for!! I'll be back again, there were a lot of people in this small bookstore, that's usually a good sign!!! read more

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Solid used book store. I could spend a long time exploring this store and they have a lot of intresting new books I hadn't seen anywhere else. read more

Very cool little shop with a great selection of used books and very reasonable prices. The staff is friendly and helpful! read more

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Great place! There's a huge selection of books, stickers, postcards, cards, stationery, journals, and more. I love that a lot of their items are centered around Oakland and the city's history. The cards/stationery/stickers seemed a little pricey (about $2 - $4 for small stickers), but I know that it's going to a local/good cause, rather than corporate profit. I was able to find a book that I've been looking for -- huge plus! read more

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Rude staff. Make sure to be right on time for book trade ins or they'll snarkily turn you away.

Cute indie bookstore! I've left with cool artist stickers and postcards. It is smaller but the selection is still big! Service is always sweet, too. read more

Spectator Books is a great bookstore! Lots of diverse sections and fair prices. My only regret is that I didn't spend more time there. Definitely recommend! read more

Spectator Books - Used Bookstore Near Me - Piedmont, California

Always a pleasant experience. Clean, organized, and if I'm in a rush I just go to the "staff picks" shelves and find something great within 5-10 minutes. Open until 8 thank god. read more

D: hmm... i'm super confused about the 1-star reviews of this bookstore based on their interactions w/ the staff! personally, i actually have had nothing but positive interactions with the staff at spectator, & i go quite frequently as i work within walking distance so i'd like to think that i'd be bound to walk in on a "bad day" too. ofc, not invalidating anyones experience lol -- just putting out my own two cents here like everyone else HAHA. i guess keep in mind the inevitable bias of voluntary review sites -- the customers that review the most frequently are disproportionately people who wanna write 1-stars, followed closely by 5-stars, thennn a scant few in the middle, i'd say. AAAAANYWay that has nothing to do with the bookstore lol!! as i said, i'm a regular customer & have no intentions whatsoever in changing my ways LOL. if not for how mcfreaking amazing the selection is... for the punch card LOL. one punch per $10 spent = ten punches gives you $10 store credit. it doesn't seem like a lot, but i buy a lot of books in one go and fill up the card pretty quickly, so... they have soooo many genres & subgenres, & all of them are stocked incredibly. their used book selection is seriously dangerous -- hence me always buying a ton of books LOL. so even if a book is used, don't necessarily expect it to be dirt cheap -- i'd say everything is priced fairly based on what you're getting (e.g., a beat-up looking copy of a book that is no longer in print can still be, say, $16.) again, that's just mi opinion ~ The Thing™ that made me instantly decide this was my favorite local bookstore was their lil selection of used booklets. seriously !!! on the first visit i've ever taken to spectator books, i found like a 1640 farmer's manual for like chicken coop wiring or something LOL. don't quote me on the year, because it's certainly not accurate -- but the booklet was literally held together in like a plastic sheet LOL it was just so old but. idk. if this isn't your jam then feel free to ignore me but. THAT WAS SO COOL ?? i didn't expect to come into a bookstore and then literally hold historical artifacts ?? tldr i always zoom straight to the booklet section whenever i come ( ´ ` )b LASTLY to add to the conversation on staff -- i wouldn't say that i've personally become friends with anyone LOL despite my repeated appearances, but i can say that i send in book order requests on their website all the damn time (i actually have one waiting for me right now lol), & stacey is always suuuper responsive, helpful, kind, understanding, etc etc and she gets me my books lol. i'm not really sure what the deal is in other situations but everytime i've been in the store as well, i've had nothing but pleasant conversations. with both the staff and other patrons included !!!! holy crap this was a long review lmao i didnt mean to write that much thanks for reading, hope it helped ~ if anything, just give it a try yourself & then report your findings here hehe ^^ read more

Spectator Books - just a few of the used books (& booklet) from my last haul ! - Used Bookstore Near Me - Piedmont, California

I like the front section of the store - particularly this one area right in the center, it's where I congregated most of the time I've gone in. It is kind of tight inside - not good for crowds - I always feel like I need to keep it moving if I see someone out of my peripheral cause the walkways are narrow here. I ended up buying a couple books for my sister and one for myself - total came out to $80ish - wasn't anticipating on spending that much on books that day. I actually had to go back to return one of them cause my sister already owned it. The first time I went in, the staff was nice. Second time I went in to return a book I felt like she kind of gave me attitude. She never greeted me or asked if I needed any help. I was always just browsing in the same section - right in front of her and the register. When I finally found something I wanted to exchange the book for, she told me next time I needed to leave the merchandise I wanted to return at the front but I thought she said it in a weird way. (I never saw a sign that told me I needed to do that, but maybe I overlooked something - still nonetheless, I walked in with the book and had the receipt to prove it was purchased here - though I guess really messed up people could try to trick you, but I would never do anything like that... but you never greeted me and I was a 2nd time customer and you were helping someone at the front when I was there). It's like that awkward silence shit. Any way, I have a few $$ credit here to use up and they wrote it on the bookmark. I'm going to give this to my sister to use since she is more of an avid reader than I am. Don't lose that bookmark! read more

Awesome inclusive bookstore, a must see if you're in the area. They've got new and used, there's some real gems in here. They've got trans and queer titles, foraging, gem hunting (i bought a used field guide!) mushrooms, everything. More than my scope of interest too. I was happy and surprised they had a Zine section. This is up there with other queer bookstores for sure, I just happened upon this while waiting for my glasses next door. What a gem. read more

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First of all, its organizational system seems less "browsable bookstore" and more "hoarder's dream house". It's visually chaotic, not to mention difficult to navigate. What's more, the people who work here at pretty rude. Unfortunately for me i made the mistake of taking 3 steps into the store with a drink in my hand. I said to the woman at the counter, I have a question, and she basically lost it that I had a drink in my hand and started spluttering and gesturing about putting my drink down and she was really just beside herself. I wasn't near the merchandise, I wasn't walking around the store, I was barely inside the door and wasn't even allowed to ask my question until I put the drink down. Look, it's your store and your rules and I realize it is hard being a small business, but maybe you are making it even harder on yourself. I'll be spending my money at local bookstores without all the employee created drama. read more

I live nearby and have been shopping at Spectator for at least four years now, since moving to the neighborhood. It's has a decent selection of used and new books, and I usually always find something to buy when I'm there. There have been some changes over this time that I haven't loved-- such as when they redid the store layout-- as it is now very tight to navigate and def not wheelchair/disability accessible. You should certainly consider the accessibility of your store so everyone can shop there comfortably! A lot of people seem to complain about the service. Personally, it's never felt like an overly welcoming place, but for me, I don't really mind if the hourly staff doesn't bend over backwards to engage with me. They're just doing their jobs, and I don't expect anyone to put on that painful customer service act on my behalf, nor do I particularly need any hand holding to shop for books. However, I do expect the owner to treat their staff with respect. When I was in the store today, I overheard the owner (I know who the owner is from frequenting the store for so long) engaging with a staff member in such a demeaning and rude manner. I could tell the staff member was so uncomfortable, and the conversation was happening right behind the front desk where customers could easily hear. This is such inappropriate behavior. Shame on you. You should treat your employees with respect, and ensure they feel safe in their work environment. I hope the employee you were treating that way gets an apology, and you stop talking down to the workers that are essential in making your business run successfully. read more

Best local bookshop! They've got a great selection and are always friendly. The frequent customer punch card is a nice incentive to be loyal. read more

Ive loved this place before covid and now it has a solid place in my heart. We've been lucky enough to order books through Staci, she makes ordering and pick up a breeze. If they dont have it in stock, they will do their best to get asap. They even have a collection of used books. Today Staci went above and beyond when i asked her to help me with a gift for a 7 year old and I had no other info besides hes going to be 7. She put together a thoughtful group of books for me to choose from. Support this lovely and amazing small business - we need it to stay on Piedmont Avenue read more

Spectator Books - Great selection - Used Bookstore Near Me - Piedmont, California

The staff is very helpful. They have an amazing collection of children's books and the ww2 selection was great. I'm glad I got a book on General Patton and the battle of the bulge. The pricing was very reasonable and just an absolute delight seeing so many books in such packed shelves. Just an amazing experience. We must support more such indie bookstores. It's 70 mile drive for me but well worth the effort. read more

I have told a few people that this is the best curated bookstore I have ever been in. Love the staff selection mini reviews on the shelves. Made me wish I was Californian. read more

Just such a cute little spot! I especially love their tarot card selection, plethora of blank cards and antique postcards, and great selection of political literature. Cozy vibes. read more

What happened to this store? Had friendly staff. No more. Employee was busy on cell phone and seemed annoyed to be interrupted to help customer. Had new books displayed clearly on table at entrance. No more. New books now crammed on vertical shelfing. (And shelving blocks sight line into store.) Had appearance of being reasonably organized. No more. Back rooms look like tornado hit. read more

Always loved buying used SciFi books from Spectator Books. That changed today. Their large back room has been split into two smaller rooms, with books spread across serpentine shelves in a manner that completely defies logic. I found scifi books by authors whose last names start with D, in three different places, in a single small room. Even worse, was an extremely snooty clerk that thought there was something to be gained by talking down to me, as if I were a pre-teen child. Not sure why she thought it was my fault that I found their byzantine organizational system incomprehensible. I didn't come into Spectator books looking for an excuse to buy from Amazon, rather than shopping locally, but that was my takeaway, after dealing with that clerk and the store's new, absolutely wackadoo, organizational system. I certainly won't be returning to Spectator, even though they're less than a 5 minute walk from my house. read more

Spectator is a magical place, with an incredible selection. It may appear to be a small bookstore, but it has an almost Hogwartsian way of growing when you dive in and start looking around. It is my favorite spot for an afternoon of aimless book exploring. All the staff I've met are passionate about reading and books, and have given me strong recommendations and help. That said, they're also really cool about leaving me alone when I'm just meditatively searching around. Their shelves stock so much cool stuff that a couple of hours will go by in a flash. If you are an avid reader or general bookstore enthusiast, hop on over to Spectator - it's the perfect place to spend a quiet afternoon indulging your curiosity and finding incredible books to add to your collection. read more

one of the coolest bookstores i've ever been in. it's got a great atmosphere and a wide selection of books, both new and used

My favorite bookstore in town! Be sure to check out the back rooms-- I missed them my first several times in. I always find something I like here. read more

Very rude ladies at the front we're never coming back. There aren't many independent bookstores but I have zero tolerance for eye rolling and snickering. I'll take my money elsewhere. There seems to be a number of similar complaints maybe it's time for a change... read more

It makes me sad that I cannot help support a small, well stocked ,independently owned local bookstore. I have been in this bookstore five times, and every single time, the woman owner is so incredibly rude to me. I would love to refer this bookstore to all my friends and clients. Unfortunately, instead, I will be telling every friend, family member, and client, to skip this one. I understand that not everyone is exceptionally gifted in the social department, but this woman is just downright rude and has no manners. By the looks of the other reviews, you could increase your business by multitudes if you could just learn basic manners, or hire somebody to be the face of your store. You are losing a lot of business by not listening, and changing. Get some help. read more

This used to be a good store. That is no longer so. It's just terrible now. The layout and displays are horrid. The selection and stock have fallen off badly. At least the grumpy old guy who used to own the place kept it clean and well-stocked. The new owners treat it like a joke. It's nearly impossible to navigate or find what you might be looking for. What's more, the clerks are quite rude and are not helpful at all. Frankly, they are quite judgemental and flip. At least there are much better stores nearby like Walden, Book Tree, Pegasis, Moes, Green Apple across the bay..... We don't want for good new/used stores. There's no reason to go to Spectator, at least until there is a change in management. read more

Excellent selection. Really nice owner. Most of the people working there are really friendly and happy to help if you're looking for something special. They're always happy to order if they don't have it. read more

His own words said an epitaph best: "Age has no reality except in the physical world. The essence of a human being is resistant to the passage of time. Our inner lives are eternal, which is to say that our spirits remain as youthful and vigorous as when we were in full bloom. Think of love as a state of grace, not the means to anything, but the alpha and omega. An end in itself." Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez (1927 - April 17, 2014) Thank you sir, for being. read more

Yelp, you're making me MAD! I wrote a review of Spectator Bookstore in December 2011 - and now it is just MISSING! Let me try to recreate what I wrote: After living so close for so many years - and walking past this bookstore so many times - I am still kicking myself for not going in sooner. I love books. I love bookstores. I'm always at risk of being sucked into a bookstore like it's a big black hole and Spectator Bookstore is a very dangerous place for me - it's deceptive from the outside - it seems like a small bookstore. Once you get in there are many smaller rooms going all the way back the length of an apparently endless building and many places to get away from windows and outside activity, the perfect formula for being undistracted browsing that results in what seems like stepping into a time warp. Warm, friendly folks work there - tons of books, excellent organization - great bookstore. Set a timer so you don't miss the start of your movie! read more

I hope everyone uses this bookstore for their Christmas gifting. Please support local stores like this before they all disappear. Especially during covid! read more