LA's Endangered Used Bookstores
LA is a formerly literary-obsessed area rife with old booksellers whose collections are nods to a bygone era where people actually read books on the regular. With mom and pop bookstores constantly closing as a result of a struggling publishing industry and corporate monoliths taking over, independently run bookshops are increasingly rare. So, in support of the local indie book shop, we've gathered up the best of the bunch in Los Angeles and listed them below.
Acres of Books
240 Long Beach Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 437-6980
Acres is the largest used bookstore in California and has been around for ages. It holds millions of books specializing in every possible subject. [link]
Book Alley
611 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 683-8083
Unlike most labyrinthine bookstores where part of the appeal is winding through the maze to find the section you want, Book Alley looks more like a spacious corporate shop with wide aisles and well marked signs. There are still the signature piles of books, but it's never hard to find what you're looking for. [link]
Brand Bookshop
231 N Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 507-5943
LA ranks Brand as both the most welcoming and the most organized of the city's used bookstores. They have excellent signage, no random piles of books cluttering …
walkways, and a few scattered seats and tables. [link]
Cosmopolitan Book Shop
7017 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 938-7119
Local institution Cosmopolitan has been around for almost half a century and is one of the more cluttered and scatterbrained shops. However it leads to more chance discoveries of hidden gems. [link]
Iliad Bookshop
5400 Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 91601
(818) 509-2665
More than just a book store, Iliad is a cultural hot spot for all book lovers. They have an especially eclectic selection including a shelf for "Old and Strange Paperbacks" which has according to LA "a comprehensive collection of retro erotica and vintage pulp novels." [link]
Acres of Books
240 Long Beach Blvd
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 437-6980
Acres is the largest used bookstore in California and has been around for ages. It holds millions of books specializing in every possible subject. [link]
Book Alley
611 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 683-8083
Unlike most labyrinthine bookstores where part of the appeal is winding through the maze to find the section you want, Book Alley looks more like a spacious corporate shop with wide aisles and well marked signs. There are still the signature piles of books, but it's never hard to find what you're looking for. [link]
Brand Bookshop
231 N Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 507-5943
LA ranks Brand as both the most welcoming and the most organized of the city's used bookstores. They have excellent signage, no random piles of books cluttering …
walkways, and a few scattered seats and tables. [link]
Cosmopolitan Book Shop
7017 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 938-7119
Local institution Cosmopolitan has been around for almost half a century and is one of the more cluttered and scatterbrained shops. However it leads to more chance discoveries of hidden gems. [link]
Iliad Bookshop
5400 Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 91601
(818) 509-2665
More than just a book store, Iliad is a cultural hot spot for all book lovers. They have an especially eclectic selection including a shelf for "Old and Strange Paperbacks" which has according to LA "a comprehensive collection of retro erotica and vintage pulp novels." [link]
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