After all these years, Walden Pond Books is still a place I like to go into to see if I can find a…read morebook to purchase and read on BART. I always find a good book to read. Good reason to take BART and walk over is the Grand Lake is a great place to sit around as if we are tourists from a planet named Saturn.

The store is surprisingly big and has a pretty solid inventory. Their used books are in good…read morecondition, so you can expect to pay more for them than you would at an old-timey used bookstore where some of the books are pretty seasoned, but also will get them in better shape. I had a super negative experience when I went during their book buying hours to offer them some books, though. Their buyer was out during the buying window, and the person they had step in was shockingly rude. I was offering six recently-published books in new/mint condition from a popular radical independent press. She took one look at them (I'm pretty sure she had no idea what she was looking at), spat out a bunch of gibberish about different types of store credit so quickly that no one could have followed a word she was saying, and when I asked whether the amount they would offer in cash was the same as store credit, she basically sneered at me and said she would offer me maybe $6 (for three of the books I'd brought, about $75 worth), clearly implying that they were garbage and not worth anything. It was such a needlessly disrespectful and off-putting way to talk to someone for no apparent reason (if she wasn't interested in the inventory that's of course totally fine, but the rudeness was completely uncalled for). I haven't had my day ruined by someone working in a shop like that in a really long time. Obviously I said no thanks. I had just found this store for the first time a week ago and bought a haul of books, and was looking forward to being a frequent customer, but I won't be going back.

This place is awesome. Acacia was super helpful. I got there on a Friday just before closing, and…read moreAcacia took the time to help me find some good books that matched my interests. At no time did she make me feel rushed or hurried, even though I was well past their closing time. But the bookstore is beautiful, and gives very good vibes: I look forward to coming back here again!

This Black owned book store has been a treasure in the city of Oakland for many years. This…read morebeautifully positioned bookstore has all the books you could think of by Black authors and more. I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an event that included the Author reading one of his latest books and signed any books that individuals had of his. It was such a pleasure! Definitely looking forward to visiting this bookstore again, soon.

wack as wack can be! I released two back to back records with these clowns. both dot splatter. 1st…read morepress came out with with what looks like polka dots ....all 500 of them. sent sales rep a message and he gave me the most lame excuse "its cause its a 7in not a 12 in so the splatter trails aren't dynamic" 1st of all......this is my 6th release under my own label and 15th overall with other projects....ive done nothing but 7in releases and NEVER had a problem. offered me a crummy 100$ refund ( which I never got back) fast forward a few weeks later to my next release and same dot splatter came out perfect. sent rep a message with photos of the two and got ghosted. no reply. no refund, nothing. I slent well over 4k to get ghosted by a third party broker. stay far away from these shucks. below are photos of the two release and a photo of advertised dot splatter from "manufacturer " aka broker.

poor quality product. poor service. poor attitudes! I would strongly recommend DO NOT USE!read more

I love this bookstore for a variety of publications , clothing and everything about the magical…read morereligion of Islam. I got great resource material here for my recent trip to the Middle East. Mashallah!

I really loved this place! They were supposed to close at 8, but when I called, they told me they…read morewould stay open until I arrived. They waited for me and let me finish shopping without ever rushing us out. The owners, a kind husband and wife, were so welcoming and helpful. They told us they used to have another shop but recently moved to this new location. The store has everything you could be looking for when it comes to Islamic items, along with beautiful and very modest clothing for women. You'll definitely find what you need here, and the owners go out of their way to help. Very reasonable prices. Highly recommend checking them out!

Every time I try to convince myself that I'm on a book-buying ban, I get pulled right into Womb…read moreHouse whenever I'm in the area. You'll feel like you stepped into a turn of the 20th century time-capsule the moment you walk into the store. It's really warm and inviting. As the name would suggest, you'll find curated selections of mostly female authors. Although I did score some vintage copies of Freud and Lacan. The owner is really nice and personable and knows her stuff so she'd be able to give you good recommendations. Shout out to Jessica!

This is such a magical space. I was taking a stroll during my lunch break and happened to walk in…read more It smelled divine, the staff member was so kind, and the energy of the shop felt like a warm hug. I could have spent hours looking through their amazing book selection and enjoying the ambiance. I'm so happy they're in Oakland.

I accidentally placed an order and asked to cancel immediately. They told me they couldn't because…read morefor the first time in their history they shipped within 24 hours. When I asked why I didn't receive a shipping notification they said that sometimes their system goofs up. 11 days later I get a shipping notification, and checking with the post office they don't have it yet. I contact them and they tell me that due to an unforeseen shipping error, the package that got shipped without a shipping notification has now been returned to them! It's obvious that when they told me the first time they had shipped it they hadn't. No notification, no tracking number, no package headed towards me. That's a far more likely explanation than two rare glitches in a row, one with the shipping notification and a second with the shipping. I will no longer be doing business with this company. They've now lied to me multiple times just to keep the profit from a couple of books.

I ordered a book from Alibris with the total including shipping and tax costing $85. Received the…read morebook yesterday, and promptly contacted Alibris because the book is not as described in the listing. a "Client Services" person named Dhaval Suthar replied that I could return the book, but I would have to pay for return shipping. I replied that since it was their book description that was wrong and misleading, they should have to pay for return postage. I haven't heard from them. This is very poor customer service or client service, or anything they might want to call it.

Decided to drag myself from my desk and get some much needed fresh air for lunch. While walking I…read morecame across this gem of a bookstore and decided to stop in. Great selection of books and the woman at the register was really kind. I didn't bring my wallet, as I had no intentions on spending money, but after seeing a few titles that were worth bringing home to my book collection, I asked if they accepted Apple Pay - they do! FYI, Apple Pay requires at least a 2.00 minimum purchase. Checking out was a breeze, and I now have three new books. I will definitely return the next time I'm in the area!

A very good bookstore on Broadway in Oakland!!…read more As I was walking back from Chinatown, all the books outside caught my eye, and they were very inexpensive. Outside offered 1 dollar, 2 dollar, and 3 dollar books!! Inside, the books were also marked down significantly, although not as much as outside. You just have to be ready to browse a little. Technically, this Bookstore is in Old Oakland, just a block away, walking distance, from Swans Market. I've been here a few times since!!

My girlfriend brought me here because she knows I'm into anime and looking for some toys from my…read morechildhood to fill my display cases. Yes, there were a lot of awesome figures and statues to see that bring back some nostalgia to when I was kid. However, a lot of the toys both in package, on card, or loose were a bit overpriced. Some figures had horrible sun damage to them seeing as this location is in a warehouse type building. The lady behind the counter wasn't helpful as we walked in and around the front in for about 10-15 minutes before she even said hi. After that she just walked around putting things away and sat behind the counter. Now what's upsetting? My girlfriend found this 3-pack of Shattered Glass Transformers (Evil Dinobots) from SDCC. I clearly asked if I could open them and she said they were new. I didn't like that answer and how snappy she was with me. I kept them in the box until I got my new display case and Lord behold, they're all broken. All 3 figures wastes are popped off and will not plug into the bodies or stay in place, Grimlock's dino head is snapped, the plus to keep Slag's dino head on its body are broken, and some of Snarl's scales are broken. There's no point in keeping them. And I would feel bad, like the owner should feel, if I were to try and sell them off broken to anyone else.

Shop located in Oakland that specializes in collectibles and primarily Manga and Anime IPs and…read morecharacters. The place looks like it's located within a residential home so it threw me off at first. But there's a sign at the front. The folks here are very friendly and they're very knowledgeable. In terms of value, it's hard to say only because there are a lot of items that are highly collectible in addition to your run of the mill, newer IP's. In my opinion, I feel like the prices are pretty fair, especially since they may have some hard to find pieces that collectors are looking for. I came here with my nephew before we had dinner in the area. He's a big fan of anime and manga and especially things related to Godzilla. He ended up buying a figure. Just a really cool store in a very unexpected non-descript place.