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    Spectator Books

    4.3 (140 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Services - Spectator Books

    Cards and stationery

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    Shane S.

    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!

    Christmas card selection (2023) -- they have SO many options!!
    Ella G.

    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!

    Bob K.

    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.

    Phil A.

    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!!!

    Children's section
    Mike J.

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

    Three stickers, thank you card, washi tape, notepad, and book for about $40!
    Kimmy B.

    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!

    Julie M.

    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!

    just a few of the used books (& booklet) from my last haul !
    Wuxian W.

    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 ^^

    Used books!

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    10 months ago

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    Stacie W.

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    1 year ago

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    Stacie W.

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    11 months ago

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    Stacie W.

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    3 years ago

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    7 months ago

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    Stacie W.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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

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    Stacie W.

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

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

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    Stacie W.

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    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

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    Stacie W.

    Thanks so much for saying so Milo!

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    4 years ago

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    Page 1 of 4

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    Review Highlights - Spectator Books

    The neighborhood bookstore is dying everywhere but it's alive and well on Piedmont Avenue.

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    Clio's Bookstore and Bar - Partial reading area

    Clio's Bookstore and Bar

    (121 reviews)

    I've been here a couple times, once for a community event and once to have drinks with a new friend…read more- both times did not disappoint! The vibe here is old skool intellectual lounge meets chic cocktail connoisseur. (Although I enjoyed a crisp glass of white wine during my second visit.) The literary selection in each room is vast and interesting. The seating is comfy. The staff are welcoming and fun. Moderately priced, Clio's is a must each month if you can swing it.

    I have waited to write this review, but I'm seeing that other bipoc customers have had similar…read moreexperiences. I went to Clio's in the first 6 months of them opening and my partner and I have not been back. When I entered the space, I was excited to try something new- but it started when I went to order tea- I know now that the guy at the bar was the owner- I asked what kind of teas they had and he seemed annoyed at my question- like I was wasting his time. I had to ask again but then asked my partner who is white to deal with the rest of the ordering. We are a queer couple and both felt the vibes were hella off. Lots of white men in the space at that time. I also remember they didn't used to have any books by people of color. They had a "world" section of books though (lol) and throughout the rest of the place, a bunch of stuff written by white men. I feel like the stuff they have up now is a performative attempt to not appear what they actually are. I have not gone back since and don't recommend it

    The Book Tree

    The Book Tree

    (27 reviews)

    $$

    Montclair Village, Oakland Hills

    ​I stumbled upon this book store before dinner recently. It was during the holiday season, so…read morethere were a few customers browsing the stacks with only one staff (the owner?) working that afternoon. Pros: * For such a small shop, there were a ton of books of all genres. While I could have spent a good hour looking through all the inventory, I found and purchased 1 children's book and 1 sports book in the 20 minutes I was in the store. There were plenty of newer best sellers as well as a good selection of independent and local authored books. * The selection of children's and young adult books was also impressive, filling the back 3rd of the store. Cons * The store is quite cramp, with the aisles very narrow. Scooting by other customers was at times tricky (think human Tetris). * There were books everywhere, many shelves (especially in the children's area) double stacked. Perhaps is was because of the holiday season, there were also many boxes on the floor, opened with unshelved books. Not sure if this is like this during the year. If you like treasure hunts when visiting book stores, this place is for you. But if you prefer a cleaner, more organized experience in your book shopping, you'll probably want to go somewhere else.

    David is so nice ! This place is a book lovers dream so many !!! It was my first time here but I'll…read moredef be back . I picked up one of the new reads by one of my fav authors here .

    Spectator Books - usedbooks - Updated May 2026

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