Book Stores in Santa Barbara, CA

“This place was everything I was looking for! I was in need of a smudge stick and this store had many options. The book selection is remarkable! ✨ Beautiful candles, wind chimes, tarot cards, incense, gifts, stones, clothing items, and jewelry. Many more items as well, I personally thought the prices were really good. I only paid 5 ish dollars for the smudge stick and Palo Santo Bundle- I thought that was a great price. ? I highly recommend stopping in there. Theres a beautiful information board in the entrance as well. You can even leave your very own inspirational letter on your way out. ?”

“Service: Above and beyond service from a true book enthusiast! I only wish I had more time to get lost. Great selection. Atmosphere: I so love the small bookstore feel. Picked up yet another copy of "Jane Austen" for my collection! Value: It's difficult to compete with Amazon online prices, However, Amazon CANNOT compete with the personalized service and conversation with a fellow book nerd! TOTALLY worth the price of any book. Personally, I need all my senses stimulated when buying a book. Touching the cover, feeling the pages flip through my fingertips, tucking my nose in for a smell of the paper. I know...it's a lot...but all true! Thanks for a lovely afternoon, Chaucer's.”

“I really like the book on Star Trek, but I found possible typos on pgs. 13, 22 and 37. Will give details later. I'm not returning any book or asking for more money. Please don't misunderstand, but I was treated very badly by the staff at Rescue Mission and some of the clients at PATH, actually robbed and subjected to death threats. I'm all right now, and tomorrow will be even better, thanks to one of my bridge partners with whom I could not play for a long time even after I got out of jail. I still have to go to hearings and have fired all but one of my Public Defenders (to which office I shall now return”

“Dreamworld in Santa Barbara is awesome! If you love comics and other nerdy pop culture collectibles, which you probably do if you're reading this, which you are (reading this), you will love Dreamworld in Santa Barbara just like i do. I promise! And if you can't trust the promise of a stranger, who you gonna trust? This place felt like one of those antique malls where everything is on consignment,but it's all nerd stuff. They got everything!Whatever you do, don't confuse this place with the similarly named comics store in Culver city - that is the worst comics shop I've ever been to.”

“I live in Arizona. I purchased a first edition biography online from Biblio, that came from this bookstore. I love to collect first edition books by Aldous Huxley (most notable work Brave New World) and in collecting things from him I've also come to love some of the works from his family. And this shop had a very special book that was a biography on Aldous Huxley's grandfather, Thomas Henry Huxley. And this copy was presumed to have belonged to Aldous Huxley's brother Julian Huxley. Julian Huxley co-authored the forward of the biography with Aldous. The owners have no idea how special this book is to me. I have a fairly extensive collection. This is my new favorite. Being so rare I was totally in disbelief of what I had found online. I asked a question to the store via biblio. The owners reached out to me less than 24 hours later and answered my questions. Took more photos of the item. They were so incredibly kind and helpful. I also had a hiccup with shipping. When I paid via PayPal it dropped my apartment number out of the address, so USPS began to return the item. They quickly got it corrected for me, which was very helpful because I was out of town at the moment. I really couldn't say enough good things about this store. I will absolutely be buying from them again and can't wait to visit in person as well. Great service from great people. Well deserving of a 5 star review .”

“Hayley is the best! Absolute best in town, hands down. Also does gift cards so I recommend anyone who's looking for a gift for their loved one, she will make them look stunning”

“Great to see a bookstore that's been around since 1902 and still surviving. With so many independent bookstores going out of business these days, I can't give anything less than five stars to a place like this. You are not going to get the vast selection like you do at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, but this place has lots of character and charm. You may even find some really rare used books here. This is definitely a bookstore for true book lovers. There's a public parking structure right next to this place, and it's free for first 75 minutes.”

“Great space, friendly people, online sign up (super easy), good rates, FABULOUS book selection and after my morning yoga class I came out to find FRESH FRUIT and snacks waiting-amazing. Will definitely return!”

“One of the last of its kind, a book store with customer service that rivals .... Well, just about anywhere. They will order whatever book you are looking for if it's out of stock. They always have great recommendations if you're looking for something new to dive into. The ladies that run the shop are very sweet and excited to meet new readers, and they greet their longtime customers by name. You always get a bookmark with each purchase. They go out of their way to make you feel right at home. This place is truly a gem, and I hope they will continue to serve the montecito area for d'arcades to come.”

“Honestly I've been here through the hood and bad. Now, what I mean by this: At first it was a horrible, terrible and frustrating experience. Yet I was 18. Impatient, self centered. Years later I found it very efficient for the volume of materiel and their deadlines met here. You do have to wait. That's just how it is. Everyone gets the same service and therefor a little extra time is needed. Since 2001 it has become a very streamlined and user friendly experience. Even now, this fall semester of 2020, completely online; they continue to meet our needs as students here at the bookstore. Top Marks.”

“This was my family's first trip to UC Santa Barbara. We just had to get that merch to support our baby girl!!! She is an incoming Freshman this Fall. The campus is beautiful! Just be prepared to walk. The store had tons of UCSB merch in all different sizes and colors!!! They had mugs, keychains, little pencils, socks and even boxers. They don't have air conditioners anywhere in that store so it was muggy in parts of it. But, for the most part, they carry a lot of what you'll need to live on/off campus! It was a very clean and well organized store for all of the visitors coming in and out. I even saw plenty of employees on the floor folding and reorganizing clothing and merch some of the customers left disheveled. I had a nice young lady (employee) who was nice enough to show me where they had the mugs. And boy, oh boy!!! Was there a mighty huge selection to choose from. I enjoyed my time here.”

“The museum is conveniently in downtown Santa Barbara. I parked in one of the parking structures nearby. I was able to purchase tickets on site. I had ample time to visit the store prior to the opening of the museum.We explored two floors of art. We took our time going from one gallery to the next. I was really looking forward to viewing some Georgia O'Keeffe's but was informed that they were not on display.”