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    Bay Tree Bookstore

    3.6 (18 reviews)
    PriceyBookstores
    Open 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    17 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Continue to have a great experience. Great customer service staff. Basically my go to convenience store for any last minute needs.

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    20 years ago

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    12 years ago

    pretty neat but not that big for a UC school. no parking but lots of forests around. i love campus so i love the bookstore too

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    7 years ago

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    16 years ago

    RENT TEXTBOOKS! Simply go to chris.bookrenter.com and rent there! Save an average of 75% off all textbooks..... Enjoy!

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    11 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Bay Tree Bookstore

    Attended this years graduation and stopped by Bay Tree to pick up some UCSC apparel and what a pleasant experience.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Bookshop Santa Cruz

    Bookshop Santa Cruz

    4.5
    (424 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    This place is so cute! It reminds me of Powells Books in Portland. Its open and full of little…read morenooks and has fun recommendations and stands. You can spend the whole day looking around and exploring. It also has tons of fun stationary, or kitchen decor things, like the fun stuff for your home or office, not necessarily the stuff you need, but the stuff thats going to make you smile (so, the things you need). I also loved that there were two doors. I know that is silly, but I liked that you can park in the back, walk in, go shopping, then walk out the front and you're now in downtown. It is a bit overwhelming, but, super cute and I would recommend any age stopping by for something you'd like.

    This bookshop is one of the stores I *must* stop into when I'm downtown. It calls my name! It has…read morea huuuge variety of books -- the usual suspects, but also some interesting subjects that are very à la Santa Cruz, like LGBTQ themes, and then there are the huge number of gift items as well as a UCSC section, which is always fun to look through. The staff is lukewarm-friendly, but overall I find them talking amongst each other behind the register like they're at a Sunday backyard BBQ, so if I have a question, I am disrupting their conversation. They'll help me out but they aren't too happy about it. That's how it feels anyway. I wish there was a self-price scanner and a way to find books more easily, so it takes out the need for customer service. All in all, the Santa Cruz Bookstore is a place you can easily spend an hour or longer to kill time or to meander after dinner. It's really fun, and is a perfect place for the loner types who don't like people talking to them... because usually staff won't approach you here on their own. (See? This can be a positive!)

    Photos
    Inside (4/27)
    Inside (4/27)
    Inside (4/27)
    Inside (4/27)
    Inside (4/27)

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    Inside (4/27)
    Two Birds Books

    Two Birds Books

    5.0
    (47 reviews)
    5.3 mi

    This place is outstanding! It's small, but jam packed with a tremendous variety of books. I go to…read morebookstores to encounter authors and titles I haven't heard of, but I get tired of having to spend an hour wading through the piles of poorly written books that are continually being pumped into the market. At Two Birds, all the work has been done for you. The dross doesn't make it onto their shelves. I spent about 12 minutes, and came away with 6 books worth reading. This is now my favorite bookstore.

    This is my favorite bookstore, and I don't even live in the area, but it is a must visit every time…read moreI'm visiting. Gary has the best book recommendations! He has little notes around the bookstore to guide you in the right direction if you are unsure of what to read. The selection is so vast, but if need be, Gary is able to order you a book or at least let you know when the book will be back in stock. The kids section is also so cute. There is a little sectioned off area for the kids that has books at the eye level of children and there are so many options from fun kids books to fun, educational books. And so many pens, stickers, and doodles kids (and kids at heart) also love. There are both new and used books in this bookstore, which is amazing because there are so many recent books that you can get at a deal and the quality is still fantastic! This place is truly a gem and I love to visit, and I already look forward to visiting again.

    Photos
    Back room
    Back room
    Mystery / thriller shelves
    Mystery / thriller shelves
    Two Birds Books

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    Bad Animal

    Bad Animal

    4.3
    (180 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$$

    Came here to share a bottle of wine with my son who is a student at UCSC. what a pleasant surprise…read morewe got when we ordered food. This was some of the BEST FOOD that I have had. We pride ourselves in eating in some of the best places all over. Bad Animal exceeded our expectation of a 'wine bar' food menu. We had Oysters Miso Black Cod Crostini And I never order dessert it with every bite of food I couldn't pass the opportunity to try what they had to offer. We went with the lemon verbena gelato with fresh blueberries Our server ( we sat at the bar) was very knowledgeable about the wine and food. He took his time explaining every dish which made the experience much more enjoyable. Whenever I get a chance to visit Santa Cruz, I will Make a point to eat here.

    Bad Animal was almost the perfect meal…read more.. We started with the gougères, which were light, airy, and absolutely addictive, the kind of bite that sets the tone for a great meal. The king salmon crudo was beautifully composed, fresh and bright, and the peaches were a standout, simple but perfectly executed. The chicken schnitzel was crispy, well-seasoned, and satisfying in all the right ways. The NY Strip was where things got slightly complicated. The seasoning and flavor were genuinely excellent; the spice profile was spot on and the crust had great character. However, about a third of the cut was too fatty to eat, which was disappointing at that price point. It didn't ruin the experience, but it did feel like a quality-control miss on what was otherwise a beautifully cooked piece of meat. Also, put this steak over something else besides elaborate mixed greens. Service was warm and knowledgeable, and the space has a wonderful energy. Bad Animal is doing something right (for the most part). Hopefully I'll make it back but hoping for a better trim on the steak next time.

    Photos
    Books upon books!
    Books upon books!
    Yellow curry with tofu
    Yellow curry with tofu
    Inside (9/14)

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    Inside (9/14)
    Atlantis Fantasyworld

    Atlantis Fantasyworld

    4.8
    (97 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    I've been on a hunt for a specific back issue of Dr. Strange so whenever I see a comic book store,…read moreI need to swing in. I'm so glad we just happened to park in the large parking lot next to this store. It was a delight. The store is much larger than it appears from the outside. Mainly because there's a whole second half you might not realize is there until you come in. The selection here is wonderful and the lay out newer issues in a very easy to browse way. The back issues are in your traditional long box that you need to flip through, but they're all labeled in a way that makes it easy to narrow down your search. While they did not have the specific issue I was looking for, they happily went online and found an online retailer that had it for a reasonable price. That's great customer service that no other store has ever shown me (including my own local comic book shop where I've been a regular for 10+ years). Even when I told them they didn't have to do that they insisted and had a site for me within a minute or two. I really appreciated that. The two workers were so friendly and helpful. When I mentioned I was from Los Angeles they asked where my local store was & immediately knew it and had nice things to say about the owner. You could tell they really loved what they did and the comic book community as a whole. While I don't know how often I will be in the area, if I am ever even remotely close I will absolutely come by again. This is one of the best shopping experiences I've has at a CBS outside of my area.

    Store is really clean. Great selection of newer comics. Comic don't come with a bag and board which…read moreis a little odd. Second room has some back issues and a few 50 cent bins. Always fun to look through those. Staff was super friendly.

    Photos
    Atlantis Fantasyworld
    Atlantis Fantasyworld
    Atlantis Fantasyworld

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    Streetlight Records

    Streetlight Records

    4.0
    (143 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    Well, where do I begin? The service streetlight provides is great!!! Got to hand their enthusiasm…read moreand care for their customers and the store itself, they have lots of good selections of records, games and movies. Although the layout is average for a store itself kinda cramped when walking through the store. Downtown Santa Cruz, definitely needs to keep this store around I know Santa Cruz wants to tear everything down and build apartments everywhere it seems. I always raid their movies section, because I still collect physical media and I'm NOT on board with streaming, I never leave streetlight empty handed. The best part? NONE OF THIS IS CRAZY EXPENSIVE! I left the store with four movies, I could've easily got more but I decided to get the HELL OUT OF THERE before my wallet took a huge dive. Props for staying in business and truthfully I would rather support places that have knowledge about what they're doing, rather than your typical generic-random-big chain store - thank you for the hospitality and I am satisfied with my purchases, please keep up the great work! I'm already looking forward to my next visit.

    Felt nostalgic coming back here. I always love coming here just to walk around and look through all…read morethe physical media (DVDs, CDs, vinyls, etc). I particularly like this record store more than Redwood because of the large variety of music genres. I saw how they had some of my dad's favorite bands like REM and carried older albums of my favorite artists. My boyfriend and I were able to score an old Lil Wayne album as well. Love the charm this place has and they are able to cater to everyone's kind of music. Still giving niche, but up to date as well!

    Photos
    Rock on, little girl!
    Rock on, little girl!
    Streetlight Records
    Streetlight Records

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    Bay Tree Bookstore - bookstores - Updated August 2026

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