Shore Books and Art Gallery

The location has changed several times… Belmont Shore to Bibby Knolls, now on Broadway. The other reviewers were all right. Great selection but weird staff. If you’re looking for an interesting children’s book for a gift, it’s worth stopping in.

Any chance I can to support a local bookstore over one of the big chains, I take it, but only if I’m getting something more from the little store other than the feeling that I’m helping the locals. I expect a little more friendly, personal service from a local store than I would get from Borders or B&N.
Shore Books on Broadway is a small shop that is part books, part gallery. Their book selection is limited, but what they lack in volume, they make up for in variety, offering up a bunch of titles you probably would never see in the big chains. I would love to peruse the shelves for books I normally wouldn’t come across, but the creepy dude that comes out of the back of the store when you walk in was enough to scare us off.
He was a young guy, doubtful he was the owner, and when he saw us, he didn’t greet us, but rather, scowled as if we interrupted his lunch and bringing in dirt on the otherwise untouched floor.
As my wife and I walked around, he just stood behind us, watching our every move, until finally approaching my wife asking, «are you looking for something», in an almost accusatory manner, like he was suspicious we might try to run off with a book without paying. My wife told him we were just browsing, and he sculked off to the back room again to do whatever it was he was doing; finish his lunch, cutting up the dead body of the last customer, who knows?
We walked around some more, but really, the damage had been done. I didn’t feel comfortable in the place. I noticed there were two other people in the back room, but I guess «Hi, thanks for coming» is not in their vocabulary. I won’t be going back.

I’ve ordered a book from them online, at
and they COMPLETELY ignored my order. I wasted a week trying to get in touch with people who supposed to take care of my order — no response to my emails or phone calls. Why to take online orders, if they don’t care to process or respond to them? If you don’t have a book in stock — just let me know — is this so difficult? Very sloppy, very unprofessional — don’t count on them if you need the book urgent.

This cute, little bookstore in Bixby Knolls offers a generous selection of African American and Latino literature, as well as other «hot topic» books and popular selections. I strolled in here with a college co-​worker. In unison, we said things like «Oh, I read this one,» «this one’s really good,» «oooh, this one changed my life,» «I read this one for _​_​_​_​class» as we picked up different books and reminisced about high school through college requirements — all life lessons/​inspirations now (who would have thought?).
It’s funny. Such statements about books, poetry and art in general never truly convey how those pieces captured parts of our heart. I thought about this as I kept finding books I had read, wanted to read, are on my forever long reading list, are on my physical pile of books to read and the ones that I’ve only 50% finished (50% started for all those pessimists out there).
This cozy book store touched a chord in my heart as I saw it offered cheap, used, new, bestsellers, first timers, beloveds and even coloring books. What can I say? Books excite me.
I was in and out. Mostly because we needed coffee and they didn’t offer any chairs or couches to steal a read (hence the –1 star). But I appreciate their efforts at making it possible for the poor, rich, young, old, ethnic or not to get their reading on!
Their website:
has tons of information about upcoming books, reading clubs, pre-​orders and reading events in the Long Beach area.