5 of San Francisco’s Best Bookstores You Need to Visit ASAP
By: Joe Wadlington
Tags: Literature, Independent Bookstores, Bay Area, San Francisco, Bookstores

The Booksmith

Photo: Instagram via

When I “graduated” from pre-school, Miss Lisa loved me so much and was so sad to see me go that she put me first in the ceremony — claiming that if she waited until the end, she’d be completely undone. This is why I’m listing the Booksmith first.

The Booksmith just moved from their location on Haight Street to… slightly further west on Haigh Street. The store shares a wall with the craft cocktail bar, Alembic, now and (once metering customers is no longer needed) hope to let customers flow blissfully between the two; drinking a cocktail, buying a book, rinsing and repeating until enlightenment is reached.

The Booksmith is known on the national level for its stellar programming. Old salties will wax poetic about how drunk and loud they got at a Shipwreck event or how many free incredible finds they got at a Bookswap. Introverts will (later, in writing) tell you all about the Silent Reading Parties.

Like all other ambitious cradles of culture, Covid-19 whipped all of the Booksmith’s events out or online. And, for now, they’ve got the new, gorgeous location to break in. But subscribe to their newsletter! Because when authors begin touring en mass this fall, they’ll be at Booksmith (after a few drinks at Alembic).

Until then, shop their “staff shelves”. Here, each staff member displays a mix of old favorites and what they are currently reading.

You’ll certainly vibe with one of their reading styles and want to return to stay up-to-date.

TBI tip: Afterwards, (assuming you already hit up Alembic) head to the storied and beloved Amoeba Music for a record or music merch.

booksmith.com, 1727 Haight Street (Haight-Ashbury)

2. Dog Eared Books

Photo: Courtesy of Dog Eared Books

This bookstore power triple has three locations: Dog Eared Books Castro on Castro Street, Dog Eared Books Valencia on Valencia Street, and Alley Cat Books on 24th Street.

All three locations sell (and buy) used books as well as fresh copies. Used bookstores are vital for the heavy book buyers among us. They offer cheaper versions of that last Morrison book you need to finish your collection and some pride when you trade in the books you’ve already read for cash or store credit.

All three locations are top-tier bookstores, but we especially love Dog Eared Castro for its extensive LGBTQI+ sections. When you want to better understand a person or group of people’s experience — there’s no better tool than grabbing a book by and about them. (Following that, how can we-as-a-city be an epicenter for queer thought, expression, and compassion if we don’t have a hella gay bookstores slinging every LGBTQI+ title there is? We can’t. Or, at least, we shouldn’t try.)

If you need children’s books with LGBTQI+ characters, histories of lesbian artists, magazines by local queers, memoirs by trans people, or just a glossy magazine with hot gay guys — Dog Eared Castro will have the best selection in the city. (Which means they have one of the best selections in the nation, btw.)

TBI tip: Afterwards, go to Harvey’s for chicken tenders and martinis

dogearedbooks.com, 489 Castro Street (The Castro), and 900 Valencia Street (Mission District)