Green Apple Books - San Francisco, California

Farid Hamka

Ugh, I was transfixed by just being in this sacred space. The bookstore didn’t look big at first sight but traverse the stairs and series of backdoors and you will be treated into a treasure trove. Many helpful staff recommendations and thematic bookshelves. Amazing collection of used books and book related stuffs.

It is definitely up there in my favourite bookstores of San Francisco.

Ariana Thompson

What a fantastic bookstore! This place has it all. New books, used books, recommended books from staff, bestsellers and indie publishers. The store feels like a maze and every part of the store has something interesting to look at and discover. My daughter spent 30 minutes looking at the kids book section and brought back a Nancy Drew book from the 60's for $4. I found a few books as well.
It can be a little crowded and there are stairs.
You aren't allowed to bring bags inside and will have to check them at the front desk.

Karin D.

This bookstore felt never-ending! I loved getting lost in while looking at all the books. Most of the staff was very friendly and they had a great selection of books. I will say I was a little confused with how things were priced as some books were not marked clearly and the staff that was shelving books right next to me and my mom didn't answer our questions on how the books were priced. We did finally figure it out (we think) but that was a little bit of a bummer. HOWEVER, the staff at the check out counter and stocking on the main floor were incredibly kind.

Carla Cruz

What an amazing place to find awesome books and souvenirs.

It’s a two floor bookstore, they have books on sale and in regular price.

I really love this bookstore.

The staff is super kind

Subhashish Dasgupta

Interesting new experience at Green Apple Books - we were asked to leave our bags - my wife’s tote and my messenger bag at the payment counter when we entered. Never had that experience at Green Apple during any of our previous visits or at any book shop ever in the US ( we have been to some of the worlds famous bookstores - Strand NY, Shakespeare & Co, Kinokuniya )

When I refused to give my bag because I had my laptop and iPad inside, they would not accept that. They were more than happy for a prospective customer to walk out and did not even offer to explain the reason for their ‘policy’. Would the store guarantee against loss or theft or damage of the customer valuables ?

Even more curious was the fact that I saw a number of other people in the store who had not been asked of the same and were carrying even bigger bags with them. Hence it seemed their ‘policy’ was not consistently administered and somewhat discriminatory. I reject the explanation below that people who had bags were selling books. People were browsing to buy had bags.

Were we being profiled ? Certainly not going back again. Plenty of other books stores in the city and online. I will take my business elsewhere.

JP G

What a treasure of a bookstore. This is one of those one-of-a-kind places that cities have that are hard to replicate, so I would suggest checking it out, exploring the many different aisles and floors, and buying something from them. Not only books, they have lots of novelty gift items and also some records. Support this store that is one of the anchors of Clement Street, before the street becomes gentrified and these kinds of things go away.

Neal

This is a wonderful book store with two floors, chairs for sitting and reading, and plenty of used books in great condition. This is a local business that's existed for decades and hopefully for decades to come.

Robert George

A great place to get lost among books. There are more new than used but there are plenty of both. It's a serious labyrinth so give yourself plenty of time to explore. I wasn't looking for anything in particular but you'll find something if you need a new read.