The Booksmith

This cheery bookstore near Golden Gate Park offers a welcome respite from the head shops and tie-dye tourist traps along Haight Street. Owner Christin Evans also runs Arts & Letters, Berkeley’s author event program, and Booksmith is known for hosting a full schedule of readings, signings, and book parties. (In particular, it’s lauded for the Shipwreck series the first Thursday of every month, wherein six writers rewrite cult classic books for comedic effect.) Thoughtful staff recommendations are scattered liberally throughout the shelves. The bookstore that goes above and beyond in a number of categories, whether it’s the expansive kids section, hard-to-find international magazine editions, or the beautiful range of coffee table tomes. But locals swear by the customer service. If for some reason they don’t have what you’re looking for—a rarity—they’ll order it on the spot and call you in a day or two when it arrives.