On March 12th, one of the area’s most visited bookstores, Barnes and Noble, announced its closure. Since then, various frequent visitors have been deprived of the calm environment, study place, and large selection of books, toys and more that the store provided. Fortunately, several other bookstores in the area can replace the beloved Barnes and Noble. Despite the similarity of bookstores, they differ due to location, selection and the overall environment of the stores.

Copperfield’s Books, Larkspur, CA

Copperfield’s, located in Larkspur Landing, has a cozy aspect that outshined many other bookstores. It is quaint, with wood walls lining the store. The lighting is soft and has a very vintage feel throughout the store. To add to the coziness, it has a fireplace with two comfortable seats that can be used for studying or reading books in the store. The store is one of the smallest I’ve been to, which made it snug. There wasn’t a lot of space to study or hang out, with the only seating area being the two chairs near the fireplace. The selection might be a bit smaller than other stores, but they have a policy where you can ask the bookseller to order it for you if you don’t see a book.

Book Passage Book Stores & Cafe

Book Passage was the largest store I visited in Marin, located in Larkspur right across from the marsh behind Redwood. Book Passage definitely has the largest selection. The main bookstore has a lot of new books and an area for events. When I visited the store, a book signing took place and all the seats were filled with book enthusiasts. Across the passageway was a second area with graphic novels, travel books and a used book section, providing more variety than other places I visited. They also have a small cafe and art gallery, which could be utilized as a study area. Another good quality about the bookstore is that it has a convenient location. It is a very short walk from Redwood and I was honestly surprised that I barely saw any high school students there. Book passage has a similar feel to Barnes & Noble if you are looking for something similar after losing the beloved bookstore.  

Sugarfoot Books Inc.

Sugarfoot is in downtown San Anselmo; the only problem with this location is that it is a bit far from Redwood. However, I believe it was worth the drive. One thing I liked about this store is that it is charming. It was unlike Book Passage or Copperfields since it wasn’t a chain, and the people there were eager to point out how special the store was. The store has been around for over 40 years, and they said they got a lot of help from the community because the town cares for the store. They help through donations and dropping off used books. If you drop off used books, you get store credit for new ones. It didn’t have any place to study or sit, but I recommend the store to people interested in old and used books.