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May 2025 by Meghan Collins
A welcome atmosphere and very well curated collection of social justice books! I highly recommend checking out this cute bookstore
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March 2025 by Lauren Harper
The best bookstore in Long Beach!! The owner does such an amazing job selecting books and hosts great book clubs. Plus the book related goodies she has are always on point and great for presents.
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March 2025 by Esmeralda Pelayo
The bookstore moved a few shops down, right across The Social List :)
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February 2025 by Liza Banuelos
Beautiful book shop with very cute Bookish merchandise. Shop owner was very welcoming with great customer service! This will be one of my go-to bookstores!!!
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February 2025 by Kate G
Stopped by while visiting Long Beach and picked up a book to read on my vacation. Cute store, with a good selection. Love the way they shelve the books by identity and genre! Always love supporting independent bookstores!
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February 2025 by Melissa Colver
I have a question. Are there movie novel books for children here. Moana, lion King, sonic, toy story ,etc.. Movies that put have a book to go along with it is my child's main books.
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November 2023 by Agatha Isabel
A community staple and one of my favorite places on 4th street. I especially love the bookstores organization by AAPI authors and the likes. Check out their Kubo lb location also!
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September 2023 by Anne Hollander
A micro-bookstore with macro impact. Loved the curation for Latin & Hispanic literature month and walked out with several new & indie titles. Great experience and can’t wait to visit again.
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May 2023 by James A.
Located in the 4th Street Retro Row of Long Beach, Bel Canto is a locally owned bookstore housed in the front room of The Hangout ("... collective of small businesses, operating inside a small business..."), closed on Mondays. It has English language books, focusing on literature giving voice or visibility to the non-majorities in our culture. My wife and I have seen their booths around various community functions in the LBC area, and they will sponsor book signings, bringing minority authors in for well-deserved publicity and recognition. It serves a great purpose in our community.All the businesses in the Hangout share the space, so they can function with staff supporting all the businesses. We specifically wanted to buy a signed copy of the book "Chasing Pacquaio, author Rod Pulido"), since we missed the book signing event. We were in luck and able to find a copy..the price was the same as what it is on Amazon. I had a chance to browse and there were quite a few books on the Korean-American experience written by first time authors. done in a fun-fiction form. This place (and its books) are the opposite of stodgey.Note the space is small (not a place to sit down and read), but there are a lot of other things to check out and there is even a nice outdoor patio space in the back. Really glad this exists in our neighborhood and will continue to frequent.
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December 2022 by Kevin Banks
Great customer service
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September 2022 by Kimberly Podzimek
Lovely. Wonderful. Amazing. Just go.
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September 2022 by Lori Baralt
The bookstore, inside The Hangout on 4th street, is a Long Beach gem! It is small, but with an amazing collection for adults, babies, and everyone in between! The collection is very current with a focus on BIPOC authors and social justice issues. I have mainly bought children's books here for my own kids and as gifts and I absolutely love the selection and find something new and wonderful each time I visit! The owner, Jhoanna, is lovely and happy to talk all things book and bookstore-related. I hope to participate in one of their book clubs at some point. I also recommend signing up for the newsletter!
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September 2022 by Cathy Lin
Whether in person or virtually, Jhoanna is a marvel with her insight on books and her ability to foster community. Her books and book related gear are gorgeously displayed within the spacious and ever changing Hangout: in the times I’ve been there, I’ve seen campers and gardens and cemeteries, oh my!Shop local and know you’re supporting someone who works to highlight and showcase local talent, who isn’t afraid to dream big, and remains ever so humble.
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September 2022 by Kyle Taborski
Walk into the Hangout and right at the front at the left is my favorite opinionated bookstore. She has curated the books to reflect her and all her customers. It’s fantastic. The shop runs several book clubs which are good too.
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September 2022 by Nicole Seymour
Amazing local shop with all the best new books on social issues as well as "leisure reading," kids' books, etc. They regularly hold community events online and in person. So glad they're part of Long Beach!
