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    Argonaut Book Shop

    5.0 (12 reviews)
    ModerateUsed Bookstore
    Closed Closed

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    Ask the Community - Argonaut Book Shop

    Review Highlights - Argonaut Book Shop

    In this case the specialty topic is western US history and especially California history, and Bob the owner is a treasure trove of San Francisquiana, Americana, and Californiana.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Green Apple Books

    Green Apple Books

    4.6
    (1.5k reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    If your idea of a good time is an afternoon spent rambling around in a 5000-plus foot maze among…read morethe books, then Green Apple Books is for you. What I love here are the carefully curated staff selections that are found everywhere. There are always unexpected finds and books you'd never unearth online all housed in this labyrinth of a store. The tables of discounted and used books upstairs are worth a browse. The atmosphere is welcoming, dusty, and this old Victorian house is perfect for wandering. One of my favorite Sunday rituals: browsing until I find something unexpected, and then heading down Clement for dim sum, some thrifting, maybe a Kamei treasure, a strawberry crepe, and some Asian groceries. A Green Apple visit makes the outing complete. San Francisco still has a few good remaining bookstores, and the selection hidden in the winding nooks and crannies at Green Apple, keep it near the top of my list.

    I was walking by when I saw the bookstore. First time here. They had several carts with books on…read moresale. It was hard to go over the books as they were not organized. Once you go inside it is a tight place but cute. They have new and used books , two floors. What I liked were the flashcards in front of books giving a little description and thoughts on books. I felt some new books were overpriced. However their clearance and sale books were a great deal. I got an art book for $6. Service was not personable. I was not greeted even at register when I was ready to pay. The lady just charged me. She didn't offer any bag either. It was a little awkward. I love visiting bookstores. However, this one might be the one least friendly I encountered. Overall they have a good selection of books.

    Photos
    We are looking for some gifts for the kids. May have found one. Lol.
    We are looking for some gifts for the kids. May have found one. Lol.
    Bobbing for apples - so fun!
    Bobbing for apples - so fun!
    Laser cut Green Apple Bookmark - gorgeous details

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    Laser cut Green Apple Bookmark - gorgeous details
    City Lights

    City Lights

    4.4
    (816 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    One of the neatest bookstores in the US. The Poetry room upstairs is wonderful. So much fun…read morehistory here to learn about. And this bookstores has some amazing staff book recommendations with little tags on the bookshelf telling you why they loved that book so much; found some great new finds that way. Dont forget to get your books stamped with their bookstores stamp on the way out!

    An amazing bookstore and so glad I asked chatGPT to give me some ideas for a stroll around SF near…read moreUnion Square. Well, ok, this place isnt close to Union Sq, about a mile away, but it was a perfect delicious end destination for a post dinner stroll! I like bookstores and I like eclectic, unique ones. I'll go to Barnes & Noble if I had no other choice, but my favorite bookstores are independent ones and ones where they carry very unique books you can't find elsewhere. This bookstore made my inner little nerdy self so happy. I immediately got lost up front looking at very recent publication by Ai Weiwei. I then wandered onto the main floor and found an entire section of Asian works, which you will not find at B&N. I also found books from Norwegian writers too which I had never seen before, which thrilled me. I then made my way up to their attic floor which is dedicated to poetry and seems I just missed Allen Ginsberg's Howl centennial celebration. Ugh! I then came back down and then proceeded to their basement section and again I was quite pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of Asian themed books they had. They had plenty of the Chinese classics in English and found so many different versions of Journey to the West, I was completely overwhelmed. And then, saw an entire section on Africa and I had to fight hard to not pick up a copy of a book titled Prison Letters, which is a collection of Mandela's letters while imprisoned. I ultimately settled on two books by Ai Weiwei as he has continued to inspire me to be proud, to not conform, to be brave, to speak up, to be authentically and unapologetically me, to honor my ancestry and to push boundaries and to fight for what matters. And it just so happens too that my Chinese give name is also Weiwei. I loved coming to this bookstore and it will definitely be on rotation for me when I am in SF again.

    Photos
    Downstairs
    Downstairs
    The upstairs location of the bookstore.
    The upstairs location of the bookstore.
    The bottom floor that you have to go downstairs to.

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    The bottom floor that you have to go downstairs to.
    Friends of the SF Public Library Annual Big Book Sale

    Friends of the SF Public Library Annual Big Book Sale

    4.6
    (30 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $

    Unfortunately, the annual book sale is no longer happening; however, there are monthly sales, check…read morethe web site, and weekly sales at the main library, weather permitting.

    Blissful people kept waltzing by with brown paper shopping sacks. So many that I grew curious:…read morewhat were they all buying? I've attended many wonderful events at Fort Mason's Festival Pavillion and now another. They were all buying books - imagine, in 2018 - courtesy of the Annual Big Book Sale which benefits San Francisco's Public Libraries. This book sale is gigantic. When you enter (free of charge) you're given a map and you'll need it. The space is huge and filled. Literally, there are too many books here for me to get my head into. I went first to the "art" books and got a bit lost in the sheer volume. Then I made my way to "cookbooks" and almost ran back to "art". There's a lot to digest here. Mercifully, "graphic novels" had a smaller footprint as did "games". I made my way over to "comics" then to "LPs" and then to the checkout where I purchased 2 books as gifts for my son. It's easy to spend a lot here (hardcovers $4, paperbacks $3) but the cause is good so spend away. Thoughtfully, there's shopping carts at the entrance so if you want to walk around with 100 "maybes" before whittling down your actual purchase this helps. Well organized (as one would expect from librarians), this massive book sale is for those who still enjoy the act of turning paper pages. Amazingly, this tribe still exists and they're my people.

    Photos
    Friends of the SF Public Library Annual Big Book Sale
    Friends of the SF Public Library Annual Big Book Sale
    Friends of the SF Public Library Annual Big Book Sale

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    Community Thrift Store

    Community Thrift Store

    3.9
    (382 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    I am a sucker for visiting independently owned-and-operated thrift stores as they sometimes have…read moremore of a vast selection of merchandise to choose from than your average Goodwill. This takes me to "Community Thrift Store" that is located in the heart of the Mission District - San Francisco. Located directly on Valencia St. and adjacent to 17th St, this very popular thrift store has been serving its customers dating as far back as the mid-1980's. I came here on a whim as I just finished buying some baked goods at nearby Tartine Bakery (a must-try if you're in the area). Parking can be hit or miss but I would advise coming here by public transit (Bart/Muni), rideshare, or simply by bike or foot. The exterior part of the building is a distinctive hot pink color that gives it a strikingly bright charm. Once inside, you will notice just how much space is occupied as every square inch is utilized to its full potential. Usually when I shop at a thrift store, I walk out with at least a few items that are really cool finds. However, during this experience, I left empty-handed and walked out with the same amount of money I had when I came in. From what I noticed, many of the items (which includes clothing, kitchen items, and other knick-knacks) were quite pricey. For example, I saw a pair of Levi's jeans that looked GREAT; only problem is that they were asking $29. There was even a small stain as the jeans should've been less than $10. I even saw a very nice glass casserole baking dish w/lid but even at $25, I could find this same item at Target or even HomeGoods around the same price. I am not stingy but thrift items should not be costing an arm and a leg. I will say that their selection is quite extensive with a ton of men's/women's/children's clothes, purses, book, electronics, furniture, area rugs, music (vinyl records, CD's, cassette tapes), housewares, and other odds and ends that is sold here. But unless there is an item I really want, I don't think I will be making any future trips back here. Again, don't let this review deter you from shopping here. What someone else might find as a diamond in the rough might be classified as junk to others. What that said and done, I am giving "Community Thrift Store" just an average three star rating.

    I really wanted to love this thrift store but I did not. There were several items that had stickers…read moreall over them with different prices. It was unclear which price was the accurate price, is it the lowest price or the price on the item the most? The store is pretty big however Items were way overpriced in my opinion for the condition they were in. (kitchen and houseware items, especially) I did find a curio cabinet I wanted to repurpose as an altar for our pets that passed but it was not marked and I walked around looking for someone who worked on the floor. I didn't want to wait in the pay line to ask a question and I did not want to be rude and walk up in front of a customer to ask my question. My suggestion would be to remove the old stickers if a price changes and have (identifiable) employees on the floor to assist customers with questions. I ended up giving up and leaving. :(

    Photos
    Round thing
    Round thing
    Inside
    Inside
    Metal

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    Metal

    Argonaut Book Shop - usedbooks - Updated July 2026

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