Book Stores in Alameda, CA

“I was invited to a book signing by one of my friends. I had lab work done at the Kaiser Lab around the corner. I was in the neighborhood. The author was a guy name Phil Canalin who attended Encinal High School. I enjoyed myself listening to him reading parts of his book titled Time Out. I love this bookstore and the surrounding area with the restaurants and small retail businesses. AAMOF, I was at Books, Inc., several years ago when Tony LaRussa appeared for a book signing.

The employees are helpful and pleasant with patrons coming in to either browse or shop.”

“Well run store, now in a new location. They have very cool vintage pieces, albeit a little bit pricey (but hey, it's vintage!) and they keep a vast selection of books & media. They buy gently used items at fair prices and sell their media at very fair prices too. Friendly staff, and Alameda is glad to see them expand into their newer, shinier location on Park.”

“Re: CNA program. Pros: - FREE and only 6 weeks - Great way to jumpstart nursing or medical careers - Clinicals in acute and long-term care facilities - Immediate job offers with clinical sites - Decent amount of in-person simulation practice - Genevieve Dace (program director) is a saint with the biggest heart, best stories, and amazing insight/skill. She is communicative, flexible, and understanding. It is clear she deeply cares about each of her students and wants to see them succeed. Cons: - Not the best preparation for certification exam. I know other CNA schools who drill the skills according to the Red Cross standards; that didn't really happen here. It felt more like an overview and once you passed the program, you were on your own to practice the skills for the test. - Clinical instructors could be problematic. Sometimes my experience with the instructors would be straight out of nursing school horror stories. I felt demeaned and was denied opportunities at times. I was confused by complying with expectations after being spoken to yet still being demeaned. It sucked too because all the instructors were personal nurse friends of the program director. Overall, I have to leave 4 stars because they revived my career future. Now I make double as a CNA compared to what I made before and am in nursing school. It's a pretty new program, so bumps are expected and clinical instructors in nursing programs typically have reputations for being "mean" so meh. It has really helped me financially and throughout nursing school. If you're considering nursing in the future, take the program! (Just keep your head down in clinicals haha)”

“My family and I love this place. Lauren’s Closet is a great way to pass along lightly used kids’ clothes, especially during those years when kids outgrow things way faster than they wear them out. The staff is always friendly and helpful, and the prices feel fair both when buying and selling. It’s also nice knowing the whole model keeps good clothes out of landfills and makes reusing an easy choice.”

“All time favorite shop for cards. At 41, have been going since I was maybe 12 and she was on park street. Receptive, knowledgeable and kind. 🤙🏻”