It's an overdue review, but it's a landmark, super unique spot, and a must if you love books, or if…read moreyou want to take really nice photos that are book themed in some way or form (think magical library themed, etc.). The times that I've gone, we've walked from Little Tokyo, but know that you might have to walk through some sketch areas and one time that we visited someone was having an episode outside, but truly that's just another day in LA if anything. Staff here is SUPER knowledgeable. I mention an obscure, STEM related subject, the gentleman working led us to the exact general area and part of the shelf and then pulled several books that were related to the topic that I was inquiring about. Insane. Also the books are super affordable too. In a day and age when literacy rates are abysmal and physical media is perishing, this is awesome. There's also the option to sell and donate to the Last Bookstore, I'd look at their website for details and it's not only just books here, there's CD's, vinyls, and DVD's, and again, physical media heaven. It's just so mesmerizing to see the architecture and decor here, especially how they use books as artwork and how they're arranged into shapes and into photo ops as well. Definitely lots to explore and of course read and dig into.

to the owner defending their fowl behavior, lie and say…read morethat I'm not a repeat customer, but I have spent thousands of dollars in here totaled up upon my visits, have came multiple times on many occasions to buy vinyls, matcha, and clothes from gimmie danger.. I'm literally your neighbor residing 2 blocks away.I normally get Matcha upstairs from the neighboring cafe before entrance and have been coming down here on my days off for the past four to fives months along with friends with the EXACT SAME BAG that was worn the day of the incident. This time did not even make it into the store to spend my money, was singled out because I was alone with my dog with no matcha rather than with friends and a drink so the attitude and demeanor towards me were completely different upon entry. My average purchase in this store each time I shop is from two to $400. The video attached you are saying your security guard is remaining calm but if you actually listen to it, your security guard is mocking me and saying "ha ha you can't come in ha ha you can't come in" on video (I only took out my phone because your "security" told me his name was "a***hole" and was telling me to get the f**k out and spend my money elsewhere"!) the manager was called because of him saying this with a horrible attitude and him cursing at me and rather than your manager, stepping in and taking appropriate action, he let his guard continue to use foul language and aggressively conversate with me having a completely horrible attitude, so yes after 7 minutes of being cursed out and degraded by your "security" and then your "manager" not handling the situation properly, I had every right to be upset and finally respond back with the same words your guard used with me but somehow as a loyal customer getting harassed with those words thrown at me many times first while trying to spend my hard earned money with a small business, im in the wrong... got it. I will never be returning, and I will be spreading the word of how horrible your business and customer service is to other locals of Dtla. I guess supporting a small local business isn't the move and will gladly take my money to Barnes and nobles how your own Securty guard recommended me to while he was cursing me out saying he doesn't give a f how much I spend or about my business

Kinokuniya is a Japanese bookstore chain founded in 1927 and this overseas location in Little Tokyo…read morewas temporarily closed in July 2025. The store used to be located on the 2nd floor of the Weller Court Shopping Center just above Marukai Market, but the bookstore recently reopened in a new space just across from the Weller Court Shopping Center in June 2026. The new space is twice as large as the previous space and this is currently the second largest Kinokuniya store in the United States. [Parking]: Aiso Parking Garage is across the street from the bookstore, but unfortunately it is now $1 per hour for the first two hours and $5 for each additional hour with a daily maximum of $18. $6 flat rate after 5 PM. [Selection]: The bookstore combines books, stationery, and gifts all in one place. There is a permanent corner for Studio Ghibli items with two giant plushies - Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service and Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro. The bookstore has an incredible S-tier art book selection with sample books available for visitors to flip through those pages. There is also a section of the bookstore for a pop-up exhibit and the July exhibit corner was showcasing special commemorative illustrations and comments from Steel Ball Run: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. [Conclusion]: Look some of the books they sell here will be a bit more expensive than just buying them online, but the quality of the selection here is absolutely top-notch. This is one of those bookstores where anime enthusiasts can wander around for more than an hour and browse through English/Japanese manga, magazines, and anime merchandise.

Kinokuniya in Little Tokyo has moved to a new and bigger location! They are located across from the…read moreWeller Court area. Inside, they have a massive setup and is definitely one of the bigger Kinokuniyas I have been to in America. They have all the usual goodies from books, manga, figures, stationery, blind boxes, and more. Stop by and you will most likely not leave empty handed!

Hennessey + Ingalls Bookstore is a one stop shop for some of the best selection of art and…read morearchitecture books. This spot is located in the Arts District of LA where street parking will be your best bet. Inside, they have a pretty spacious setup with a wide selection of books. Their books are organized really nicely with different categories ranging from Fine Arts, Art History, Graphic Design, Photography, Fashion, Cooking, Architecture, and more. All of the staff here are friendly and welcoming. You could definitely browse around and spend up 1-2 hours here!

Specialty bookstore for visual art books. Lots of cool coffee table style books with gorgeous…read morephotos of Googie coffee shops from the 50s, or all of Spielberg's movies chronologically, or local history in the LA basin (focused on architecture through the decades). Fun to browse for sure.

Artbook is a bookstore located inside the Hauser & Wirth gallery space. They are primarily focused…read moreon art style books, but they also have a lot of other books ranging from different genres. Definitely stop by to browse around after you walk around the galleries!

We loved walking into this little bookstore. I need to get a couple of cards so this was the…read moreperfect place to do it. It's in a space that houses a restaurant there's street parking. There's parking across the street. It's not a huge bookstore, but they really do have some nice artistic and noteworthy books and cards.

I was in Little Tokyo a few days ago just looking around different stores trying to find a specific…read moremanga. I came here looking and I found it!!

It's a Bookoff in name, sure they have figurines and books, but... that's it. It smells bad in here…read morefor some reason and like someone smoked multiple packs of cigarettes. I've been here 3 times while I was in Little Tokyo, but I've yet to find reasonable prices and I literally saw a used book listed for a dollar more than new... What? Everything in this store seems overpriced and the selection isn't great. You're better off going to Kinokuniya down the street especially when a used book is listed for new pricing. Employees don't seem helpful or care that they're there. Just not a great location... It's Little Tokyo, you NEED to have Japanese language manga here...

Another very cute bookstore that's located in Los Angeles. It's fairly difficult to find street…read moreparking, especially on the weekends. I used the ParkSmarter app to reload my hourly fees for my car. Just a little hint if you're visiting from out of town. I didn't walk away with a purchase, because nothing truly peaked my interest. As an indie bookstore, you are offered a variety of items: cards, books, Knick knacks, magazines, and more. I think the best part of this bookstore is that they have a study area located in the back of it. Combined with the study area is a coffee shop that also sells beer. How cool is that! I was hesitant to sit at the bar since we were in a time crunch, but h would have loved to enjoy it. There were numerous patrons sitting around and having conversations and enjoying their beverages. The vibes eye very vintage yet hipster. Loved it entirely and I absolutely want to visit again !

My Stories Books & Cafe Diary:…read more Week 1 - I bought the Robert Crumb book of Blues, Country & Jazz Artists, had an espresso. The espresso was only $3.50. I wish it was served in a tiny porcelain cup. Week 2 - Bought a pack of Tarot cards and laughed at Keith Morris' memoirs - highly recommended. Bought an espresso, which was still served to me in a paper cup. Week 3 - Bought a collection of Anne Sexton's poetry. When will they film a biopic about her? She's totally movie material. I didn't know Vashti Bunyan wrote a book, holy cow. Couldn't slurp my espresso because all the chairs and tables were taken by campers, so I took my $3.50 espresso and hung out at the huge parking lot next to the patio.

TRENDY LITTLE STORE w/ GREAT FINDS! Central Library's "The Library Store" is a current,…read morewell-stocked gift shop with buzzy reads and stylish merch. I loved seeing their pocket-sized collection from their genre-specific books to celebrity finds. I spotted a Chappel Roan book among other favorites. Additionally, they had a selection of Heated Rivalry novels and other fan-favorites. I definitely see myself coming here more often, too bad my booklist is currently full. My Mom and I got a few items (a small version of Macbeth, socks, mug, etc.). Staff were pretty polite but a little awkward, I think they're on high-alert for shoplifters. The store was neat and tidy. Lighting was dim and the store wasn't packed. As this is a gift shop in LA, library-specific merch is slightly pricy. However, the quality of the goods are great. If you're entering through the backside of the library go straight down the entrance hallway a bit and turn to your right. The Library Store is hard to miss!

I felt like a kid walking into a candy store while visiting this charming and well curated gift…read morestore in historic LA Central Library! When I heard the greeting, I said "im definitely walking out of here with a gift or two," I got four! And, why not? It feels good to support the Library and get something special too :)

Great selection of new and used books in this pocket sized space. Mostly books on art or made by…read moreartists but tons of other great things too. Totally scored on my visit!

I don't recommend this place at all. I went to Korea last year and came home with the first two…read moreHarry Potter books in Korean. While in Korea, I didn't know that Incheon Airport would have shipping boxes for excess luggage, so when I thought I would be limited by just the space I left for souvenirs and other gifts in my bags, I could've bought all seven Harry Potter books. As you can tell by the town I'm in, I'm in the Bay Area. Here in the Bay, we don't have a lot of Korean bookstores, and the one I could find here didn't really focus on fiction/fantasy books. I found this place after searching the internet for "Korean bookstores in LA/SoCal." I called and asked the staff if they had Harry Potter. They said they didn't, but they told me that if I found some store back in Korea that had what I was looking for, they told me to email them the link or something and then they would order the books for me. When I pointed out that by that logic, if I could find a book by myself and then pay for the store to mail the books directly to me, customs and all, then I'd just be doing their job. The employee told me to "take it or leave it," and they acted completely shocked that I did leave.

This is the Korean Christian bookstore. Very neat, very clean, good collection here. And so…read morepeaceful here. They have some cute stationary stuff here too as well as some English books. One book I was looking for wasn't here but the person quickly identified it and was able to ship to my address! Also Korean book covers are fire!! Typography and illustration is on another level. I appreciated it so much and was some good inspiration to me as a designer haha.

First time visiting this book store that I ran across online and it was a great experience. They…read morehave a wide selection of books, many that you won't find anywhere else. I went looking for Spanish literature and was not disappointed. Staff was very helpful and friendly.

Obscure, interesting books you won't find anywhere else. I never leave this place empty handed.read more