Bay Books

Bay Books is one of those book stores you can spend hours in even though it’s a tiny little place. There’s a wide variety of books although you’re not going to find as many books as you would at a place like Barnes and Noble here. However, when it comes down to it, Bay Books offers the best books from mystery, true crime, fiction, classic literature, etc. However, if you’re looking for something specific I wouldn’t recommend coming here only because they aren’t going to have every book in the world. If you’re coming here with just random books in mind then you’ll likely be satisfied, but if you have a specific purchase you’d like to make, you should probably go to Barnes and Noble or look online because this isn’t a huge book store. If you do have a specific book, however, the staff will order them for you. I was lucky enough to find Lolita after months of searching! You might just get lucky and find a book you’ve been looking for, but if you’re on a mission for specifics, don’t blame Bay Books for not having your book, they certainly don’t cater to absolute specifics, but again they would be more than happy to order whatever book it is you’re looking for.
I love coming to Bay Books on a sunny afternoon and browse through the books. The dimly lit indoors is as cozy as it gets. The prices of the books range anywhere from $ 8 to $ 20 depending on what it is you’re looking for. I’m a fan of true crime and to my pleasure they’re some of the cheapest books at Bay Books. I’ve also purchased a few hard cover books from Bay Books that cost anything between $ 13-​$ 15. Not bad prices, pretty much the standard price of books at any full priced bookstore. Plus you’re helping a local book store! The staff, for the most part, is very friendly. There were a few young girls at one point who were working and just chatted to each other as they rang up my purchase. They didn’t make any effort to connect with me as a customer, but I didn’t really mind. I just hope they were there temporarily because the other staff members are extremely sweet and helpful.
If you’re looking for a comfortable and quiet place to go I would highly recommend Bay Books! Bring a friend and a couple of bucks, buy yourself a book and settle down for some ice cream right next door :) You won’t regret it!

Wonderful locally owned book store. Great service and selection. Right in downtown Coronado.

I visited Bay Books for the first time yesterday, and it was just like stepping back into my favorite bookstore as a child! Thackary’s books in Toledo, Ohio is long gone, but everything from the layout to the shelved book recommendations made me happy to be there. I loved wandering through the stacks with my companion, seeking new interests. The organization of the store made sense, so when I went looking for two separate books I was able to find them in a matter of moments. There’s a clearance section near the back that tempted me a bit, and stands of journals and other such book-​related things that were fun to pursue. I enjoyed my time there and will certainly return!

Every time I’m in Coronado I stop into this bookstore. It always has an amazing selection and I can spend hours browsing through it all. The staff are very helpful and knowledgable. I like the staff recommendation notes throughout the store also. Excellent book store.

As much as I want to love this book store I just can’t. It disappoints every time. I have gone in several times with specific books I need only to have them out of stock. Some are new and some are classics. The very nice sales clerks offer to order the books for me, but if I really wanted to wait, I would’ve ordered it through Amazon. Another issue I have is that it is very difficult to locate certain books. I almost always have to ask for help. Frustrating.

Great place. We stayed on Coronado Island this summer and the book store is one of the reasons I hope I’ll be able to return to Coronado in the futur !
I especially liked the hand written critics by employees attached to the shelves. Never saw that anywher else.
I went in to buy one book and came out with a lot more.
They also have a great magazine section.

Like Warwick’s in La Jolla, I am happy to see a locally owned bookstore surviving. The store is nicely laid out and organized and has a cared for appearance. The selection is quite good and there is quite a big variety. I don’t require help at bookstores, but I have seen and heard the staff assisting shoppers and this has made a good impression on me that they are helpful and knowledgable.
The downside here is that almost all books are sold at the publishers price. I can totally understand why they can not give 40% discounts on newly published books like
can, but I am not going to pay $ 50.00 for a book that I can get on line for $ 30.00. A conundrum that the publishing industry brought on by extending crazy discounts. Also the selection is not that extensive. How can it be in a store of maybe 3,000 sq. ft. I do buy Country Life Magazine there from time to time when I am in Coronado as it is one of the few stores to carry it in the San Diego area.
Bottom line is that it’s a good place to browse, and sometimes deals can be found outside when they put used books for sale.

We were staying at the Hotel Del Coronado, and was looking for some good coffee and inexpensive grub for breakfast (they charge you an arm and a leg there for mediocre food and drink we quickly learned), and Unilocal directed us to Café Madrid. We were happy to discover that Café Madrid is a coffee kiosk just outside one of my favorite places in the universe – a bookstore. Unless you live in a big city like SF or a university town like Berkeley or Palo Alto, it’s really hard to find a brick and mortar bookstore these days!
Bay Books is great. You walk in and you have cards and gift items on the left, magazines on the right, and shelves and shelves of books right in front of you. After browsing a bit and picking up the latest New Yorker magazine for purchase, I asked the bookseller if they had The Hot Zone, which is my book club’s pick for the month, so she checked the store computer to see if they had it in stock. They did and she showed me where it was. It’s nice when stores have a way of knowing how many books they have in stock and where a certain book is located.
They have a fairly large Children’s Books section in the back. The nicely curated tables of books are also worth checking out. Enjoy a cup of coffee and pastry outside and then go inside. Adventure awaits inside in the form of books!

Friendly staff helped me and my charge find new books for him to read. Down side is they don’t have a bathroom for the public to use.

Nice bookstore with a large selection of books and magazines. Employees were nice, but not too overly friendly. They let me drink my starbucks in the store, would come back again.

This is an amazing book store if you don’t have kids with you. If you do, beware.
There is a sign on the front door that says no jogging strollers. I was told to leave mine at the front of the store.
In the children’s section, which is nice, there are signs everywhere warning that kids shouldn’t touch, kids need to be monitored, damaged books must be purchased… Etc. While I understand and mostly agree, the excessive signs make you feel like an interloper, not wanted.
Here’s my favorite part though. My contained child is now free because of your stroller rule, but you don’t want him to touch anything? Ridiculous.
It’s too bad. We buy a lot of books and we live on Coronado, but they won’t be getting any more of my business, since it’s pretty clear they don’t want it. You’d think in the era of Amazon and Kindles, a bookstore would welcome repeat business!
However, if you want a stuffy, well stocked book store that shuns children, you’ll love it!

Nice bookstore and decent selection. There are seats and some tables inside to sit down and enjoy your readings. There’s wifi available. Plus, Café Madrid is right outside :)

Great little book store. Good selection and nice environment too. I would support this business.

I was enthralled by this bookstore. Sadly, independent bookstores are becoming endangered species. This one is not only in a very comfortable location, but it also has that unique combination and eclectic variety that have allowed it to survive the «electronic book invasion». I spent 4 – 5 hours of very limited vacation time here-​/​-​and honestly felt that these hours rejuvenated me more than those spent with sand, surf and sun. What will humanity do for rejuvenation once we have run all of the local booksellers out of business??? Until then, I will be slumped comfortably in the back of Bay Books et al. in «self help», near the children’s section, desperately inspecting the latest tomes to come up with the answer to this — and all of life’s deepest questions.

I popped in on a Friday night and spent 45 minutes browsing the shelves and reading the numerous staff reviews. I found the book I was looking for plus about four others. The nice thing was that unlike many small bookstores in San Diego this store isn’t too full of nicknacks and non-​book things. They really focus on books and magazines. The staff was busy, but friendly. Prices were average, which was a relief since Coronado can be expensive.

Long live the small town book stores! This place is great. very charming. always stocked with all the new releases. They have a HGE magazine section. can’t beat that! and now expanded their product line into jewelry, lost of gift items and a TON of Greeting cards, papyrus. etc. I was browsing around there the other day with my fresh coffee in hand from the coffee cart up front (isn’t that just the best combo on a cozy Winter night?) and I came across a new section they put in. a bunch of tech accessories. I had been in need of some new headphones and a cover for my iPad. I was pleasantly surprised to see them there. done and done. 2 more items off of my todo list! Can’t get better than that!

Easily one of the best book stores I’ve visited. The best part were all the recommendations. If you’re just perusing without knowing what exactly you’re looking for, there are plenty of ideas given by the employees. Without them I probably wouldn’t have purchased anything. Since there were so many recommendations to read, I walked out with 3 new books covering cooking, fiction, and non-​fiction.

NOT Impressed. Old battle axe manning the register was scowling & unfriendly. Very bad vibe in this joint. What a shame. Shoulda known since it’s Coronado. L A M E & disappointing. I won’t be back. Snotty & self absorbed staff. GONG. GONG. GONG.

Love it! A few too many Conservative books slamming Obama upfront, but hey, it’s Coronado, they don’t wanna pay taxes, they wanna give when they want too, (like that happens), enjoy the world you refuse to pay for dummies.
But i digress.
The ladies running the place are soooo nice, helpful and knowledgeable. Keep up the good work! It’s little places like these that make our world so terrific. Unfortunately they may only survive in such tourist (monied) environs. Go there and buy a book, it’s the right thing to do.
Unilocal user and defender of cities JC sent me this kind message, (below), recently, nice huh?
Rant elsewhere please
«I wish people like you would stay off Coronado and keep your political agenda off of Unilocal.Your ratings and words show ignorance and negativity. You belong in LA. I expect you will bite back with more hater stuff… typical!»

Once upon a time, every bookstore in America was like this one. With the inception of large, mega-​chain book sellers, places like this are a dying breed. Remember the cute little book store The Shop Around the Corner that big, bad Fox Books put out of business? Oh wait, that was a movie…
I wish every bookstore in my area was like this one. The décor is homey and inviting, with its dark wood walls and ceilings, and comforting green floor. The ladies that run it remind me of my favorite aunt — happy, helpful and always glad to see me.
There’s a coffee cart and tables out front, so once you purchase your reads, you can plop down, sip some joe and blaze into your book.
My favorite part of this bookstore — bar none — are the many recommendation tags that dot the store. They’re in every section, and provide handwritten reasons why so-​and-​so thought X was the best book she read all summer. Who needs
with all these little helpful hints around!
I purchased two books here, though I wish I could’ve done more (hubby has me on a budget). Next time…