This Barnes & Noble is beautiful! I didn't realize there was a 2 story location in the Bay Area. It…read moretook me an hour just to make it around the store because there was so many things to look at. Their book selection is endless, they have a ton of board games, Legos, music, and DVDs. Additionally, they have book merch, rows of manga, crochet sets, and greeting cards. It's over an hour drive for me, but I definitely want to come back and support this location. Hopefully the Fremont one opening will be even half as nice as this location is. I always want to support small, local bookstores, but it's always so hard to find what I'm looking for there.

We come here once a week, my three year old and I. We usually split a pastry and I get coffee at…read morethe Starbucks, then he plays with the Brio trains and toys. If I get the chance, I'll browse any books that catch my attention, but we mostly go for the third-space aspect. It's a great place to just walk around and occasionally pick up a book, toy, or game. I will say that books have gone up in price (across the board, not just B&N). But the board books and games for young kids aren't bad. I also recently bought a chess set that was half off in their sale section. Customer service is generally good. They don't give us a hard time about playing with the toys, and they're friendly at the coffee shop and checkout. We like this spot and we'll keep coming back.

Planet Mix is located in Redwood City…read more Planet Mix is a part of The Record Man -- located in the back. Their focus is on video games, but they have many discounted items -- vinyl, CDs, DVDs, comics. While The Record Man has pricier items, the Planet Mix offers more affordable records. One could spend hours just perusing all of the items they offer. It's a good way to spend a couple of hours. Treasure hunting at its finest.

This place is better for records and not video games. I was looking for some NES games but they…read moreonly had 2. The rest of their selection is Wii, Wii U, X box, PS2, PS3, and PS4 games. They didn't really have a large stock and most of the games were fringe or sports games. There was nothing rare that I saw. Someone does work there unlike the other reviews have said. The good thing is most of the games were cheap $5-$30.

Had one of my favorite records 'BB King' Live from Cook County Jail. Decent price and good service.read more

One of our favorite things to do is collect records! It was my first time here and my bf has been…read morecoming here for years. LOVED the vibes in here and so much to sift through! This place has personality and a nostalgic charm to it. They are a brick and mortar store that has been in business since 1988. They sell every genre of music both online and in store. Besides music they sell electronic equipment-guitars, Cds, Tapes, 78's, 45's, DVDs, video games, comic books, collectibles. Anything you pick up and later change your mind leave on the floor or at the counter so it can be placed back accurately. There aren't prices on them so they'll tell you the price when you ask. | September 13, 2025 |

I have gone to Encore Books for a couple years. Here is…read morethe place to find Their Link. Click on the Photograph where it says Encore Books to get into the Store : http://www.historysmc.org/ Please come visit Soon and Often ! I have just begun as the volunteer for taking care of Comic Books , most of which I am donating from my decades as a reader , and collector , and part-time Geek. I am selling some of my extensive collections online these days to survive S.F. Bay Area living. Encore books is operated by volunteers of the Funder's Sale , which raises Income for the San Mateo History Museum ~~~that is the former Courthouse which is on the Plaza, on Broadway, downtown Redwood City. It is above Encore Book's basement locations. The first , sprawling room you enter has vinyl, CDs, Dvds and Blu rays, and many imports and Anime films. Biographies. Hobby books. Hardcover Fiction and trade paperbacks . Non-fiction sections include : Music. Theater. Art and museum exhibitions books. Architecture. Some unique non-fiction categories , such as "weird" and paranormal studies. Signed Books are near the Anime dvds. The comic books & graphic novels should be in this area , as well. Sometimes the ladies who volunteer move categories around. So, if you don't find a section of Books , Please Ask at the front Desk. There is a massive children's books selection in the big, rear room. This includes vintage , olde and collectible kidz Books. Go father back into the final , medium-sized room where the paperbacks are in this rear area. Sci-Fi mmpb. Mystery mmpb are back there, also thrillers, romance , and westerns. Many rooms here full of all genre of fiction and non-fiction. Many olde , vintage hardback Books are in the entryway enroute to the big room in back.

This may be my favorite used bookstore yet!…read more The ladies working there were so welcoming and friendly. They let me and my boyfriend in a few minutes before opening so we could get out of the cold. So thoughtful. The selection was amazing. I snagged some older titles and then came across a table with some newer titles and all $6 and under. What a bargain. Will absolutely be back!

Recently drove to SF from the Peninsula because after lots of research this is the only store in…read morethe Bay Area worth visiting if you need to purchase a new or used classical guitar and want to benefit from a robust inventory of options at various price points. The attention we received over the course of two visits and the patience that allowed us to try many guitars and ask countless questions before we decided was simply incredible. The kind of service that I had forgotten even existed. I purchased a used classical guitar made in 1974 for myself and my son got a 7/8 Alhambra. We are both very very happy!

Best acoustic guitar selection in San Francisco. Nice guys…read moretoo. Stop in and spend some time trying out a bunch of beautiful guitars. Then buy one and take it home. Be happy.

Jay spent almost 30 minutes searching front and back for a unique item on my list - even moving…read morestacks of boxes out of the way in the process. She did all that with a bright smile on her face and at no time made me feel like it was an inconvenience for her. Simply outstanding customer service!

Only one rep working so had to wait about 10 min to pickup an online order, but process was smooth…read moreonce I got to the front.

This was a hidden gem in downtown San Mateo! Great curated offerings on Asian American history,…read moreAsian cultures and languages, fiction, cookbooks, children's books, etc. They keep up to date on new releases as well. I saw plenty of titles I would expect in an Asian American bookstore, as well as many others that I was glad to learn about. The offerings seemed to be majority East Asian though were not restricted to that. The shopkeeper was welcoming and gave a tour of the different sections, and found some good picks for us. I wish I had taken photos of the interior, but I was preoccupied with browsing! If I wasn't on a schedule I could have spent a lot longer there. This is definitely worth a visit and they're doing important work!

I was so excited to see the Asian American Curriculum Project when I looked up bookstores in the…read morearea while we were visiting San Mateo today. I used to visit East Wind Books in Berkeley often before they closed, so I was happy to see another store that focused on writings by Asian authors. It was a great selection to choose from in every category! I wish I had taken some photos! The gentleman working was super friendly and explained where everything was and how it was organized. We had a great time browsing and found some great books to bring home. We were even gifted some handmade knitted bookmarks! We will definitely be back when we have even more time to browse!

Carlos came through big time for my wife and I on our special day back in July. I procrastinated…read moreon booking our first DJ and with just over a month to go we had no one. Since our original DJ was booked, he suggested I go to Carlos, and my wife and I met him later that week. Our meeting went great and he made really great suggestions on how our reception should go with our choices of music Our reception started off a bit slow, but after dinner and our first dance it was poppin, just about every song on point and Carlos would come to is to make sure we were comfortable and also make suggestions on what should happen next, he would also be in communication with our caterer to make sure everything ran smoothly. Carlos went above and beyond and if my wife and I (and all our guest I'm sure) could give him more than five stars we would, it was a bit of a blessing I lagged on booking the first DJ then ran into Carlos. Worth every penny.

I would highly recommend Knight Sounds Entertainment for any large or small events needs. Carlos,…read moreRalph and their team I worked with was wonderful! Very professional, kind, and they well prepared on our 200+ peoples event. Set up all audio, video system with a quick turnaround time as well. Ralph so pro, was extreme flexible and listened to exactly what we wanted and the finished perform beat our expectations. I'm so glad I chose Knight Sounds Entertainment.

B Street Books remains an absolute gem. While I certainly miss having them right in downtown San…read moreMateo, their new Burlingame location is well worth the trip. They have a fantastic, curated selection where you can truly get lost in the stacks. I rarely leave without finding one or two obscure titles that feel like once-in-a-lifetime finds. What I appreciate most is the atmosphere: the owner and staff are incredibly knowledgeable if you have a question, but they truly respect the "browser's right" to wander in peace. No hard sell, no hovering--just a quiet, welcoming space to discover your next favorite book. It's the kind of local shop that makes a community better.

Don't try to sell your used books here . I got $20 first round I took four boxes of books there …read more Second round the owner only hand me $7 cash and I just left and should not come back anymore .