Dog Eared Books
900 Valencia St., San Francisco
Nestled on the corner of Valencia and 20th is a turquoise building: Dog Eared Books. Founded in 1992, this Mission District bookstore carries a mix of new, used, and remaindered titles. But what makes it worth visiting is its playful spirit.
Walk through the bright red door and you’ll find an atmosphere that’s cozy, handmade, and deliberately offbeat. As you weave your way through the shelves, let your attention settle on all the little minutiae of the space: the vintage bike dangling from the ceiling; the wooden skeleton overlooking the cash register; the notes and stickers and manifestos taped to the shelves.
Though Dog Eared Books may be small, it refuses to be predictable. If you’re looking for the perfect place to wander, read, and get pleasantly lost, then this is the bookstore for you.
Kepler’s Books
1010 El Camino Real #100, Menlo Park
Looking for something closer to school? A literary haven, a personalized book recommendation, or just a fun hangout space? Kepler’s Books may have what you’re searching for.
The store boasts a vast selection; bestseller hardcovers sit on roll-away tables near the entrance, while fantasy, sociology, and everything in between fill out the aisles. If you’re overwhelmed by choice, the staff has you covered—laminated recommendations are tucked throughout the shelves, and booksellers are happy to help if you ask.
Just a two-minute walk from the Menlo Park Caltrain station, Kepler’s makes for an easy after-school stop. Come browse, stay awhile… and maybe grab a screen-printed tote bag on your way out.
City Lights Booksellers & Publishers
261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco
City Lights Booksellers & Publishers is part bookstore, part literary landmark. Established in 1953, it became a gathering place for writers and progressive activists of the Beat movement, and in 2001, was granted official historic landmark status by the city of San Francisco.
It’s easy to understand why. The store itself spans three floors, each with its own, distinct character. The ground level is bright and welcoming, packed with classics, staff picks, and contemporary fiction. Upstairs lies the poetry room: a woody, dark nook lined floor-to-ceiling with shelves and shelves of verse. As you descend to the underground basement, notice how the atmosphere shifts again, the brightness of the street swallowed by shelves devoted to world literature and critical theory.
There is a museum-like quality to City Lights; each floor feels like an ode to different chapter of San Francisco’s literary identity. Book or no book, you’ll leave with a piece of that history.
