Kelsey, Keith and I took a little excursion on Memorial Day, a train ride to Santa Barbara and then a stroll down State Street. After eating a lovely lunch at Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro and passing blocks of chain stores, we wandered into The Book Den, a used bookstore with it’s own unique atmosphere. Combining the best of new books and used, The Book Den provides ample opportunity to stumble upon a new literary treasure. Five steps into the door, I turned to Keith and said “this looks and feels like a used bookstore in Hay-on-Wye.” It is certainly the first store I’ve seen in the United States with an extensive collection of Folio Books. As for new books, I saw every book I’d recently read about in the New York Time Book Review section, including the ones I read about on the train two hours earlier.
I was intrigued by a floor to ceiling bookshelf filled with beautifully bound books, all seemingly from the same source. The bookseller filled me in on Black Sparrow Press, a now defunct Santa Barbara publisher. Most famous for publishing Charles Bukowski novels, every Black Sparrow Press volume I pulled from the shelves was gorgeous. The Book Den has the publisher’s un-numbered copies, some of which are highly sought after and prized.
In addition to collectible books, the store offers a selection in many non-fiction genres, most notably to me essays, gardening, and cooking but history, politics, and biography are well represented. The literature section shelves new and used together and lines the entire back section of the store. An entire table is dedicated to local history and topics. I complimented the bookseller on an “intellectual” selection of used books. He said it wasn’t so much that the books were overly intellectual, but that they were the finest available. Anyone can buy a mass market book online for a cent, there is no competing with that, the niche for The Book Den was supplying the best books. I couldn’t agree more.
The store opened in Santa Barbara in 1933 (in Northern California earlier in the century) and plans to be in open for another 100 years. The bookseller noted that The Book Den is the only downtown store that survived two Borders stores, both of which are closed. He said that The Book Den experienced added foot traffic, but only a slight uptick in sales. In his opinion, the Borders stores with libraries where coffee was served, people went there to hang out but didn’t buy any books. Alas, many stores are experiencing a similar phenomenon. I was happy to hear the cash register rang several times while I visited on a sunny holiday afternoon.
The Book Den
15 E. Anapamu St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
T: 805.962.3321
Before visiting Twice Told Tales, I wondered why anyone would open a used bookstore in the same small town as Bart’s Books, arguably the best used bookstore in the nation. Well, there are a few reasons to stop by Twice Told Tales. First, the proceeds of the store benefit the library next door. Given the state of funding in California, it is important that everyone help out our libraries. Second, the prices are dirt cheap. I found a YA book for my daughter for 50 cents. If I could buy all her books at that price, or even a portion of them, we could retire early. Third, it’s simply a lovely store. It really smells like a used bookstore, the aroma of sheets and sheets of old paper. The staff are incredibly friendly, talking to everyone when they enter the store and suggesting specific books that they are eager to share. While I can’t imagine going to Ojai without going to Bart’s Books, Twice Told Tales is worth stopping by and supporting the local library.
Claire
Kim
