Folio Books

This is a 5-​star bookstore for kids, and maybe a 3– or 4-​star bookstore for adults.
It’s a bright, welcoming space with keen booksellers, and if you’re shopping with kids, it’s close to heaven. Our son must have spent two hours browsing through books, and an enthusiastic (and very young) clerk helped identify a range of books that would interest him or his sister. She was very knowledgeable and had lots of great ideas, and the setup of the kids’ area makes it easy for a kid to settle in and read for a while. That’s great news for parents who want to have a chance to look at books, too!
The adult book selection is somewhat modest — there is a good cross-​section of non-​fiction and fiction titles, so you can definitely find something to read here. But my favourite thing about visiting new bookstores is finding recommendations that introduce me to new authors or books, and they don’t have *that* many recommended titles — mainly just a couple of displays out front, which are dominated by books I’ve seen recommended in many other stores, too. There are a handful of additional recommendation tags scattered elsewhere throughout the store, but ultimately, I found my next (enjoyable) book by browsing myself.
This is a great bookstore to find a book or spend an hour if you’re in the neighbourhood, but it’s not a bookstore you need to go out of your way to visit.

Pretty small selection. When I got to book stores I really like current affairs, Ethnic studies and politics. This place had very limited selection of any. Didn’t even have a section for Latin America or African American studies. This place resembles what San Francisco is now like, lack of diversity. I hope this place gets hip cause it won’t last long just selling Harry Potter books.

I like this bookstore a lot better than the one that was here prior — Phoenix Books. I would always be ignored any time there was a typical Noe Valley stroller mom in the store — which was most of the time. I’m not sure if they have the same staff but these guys seem a lot nicer and attentive.
I’ve actually had to special order a couple of books and they’ve been great about contacting me and letting me know that my books were ready.
They also book wrap at no additional charge and I’ve picked up some great books off the staff picks rack — thanks Andrew!
Yes, it’s a small bookstore but they carry some great books and they have a lot of books for kids and young readers too.
I’m glad there’s still room to have an independent bookstore in Noe Valley.
PS — The review about the lack of a used section?! That’s like going to any clothing store and complaining that they don’t have any vintage clothes — absolutely ridiculous!

Very cute store, especially to be placed on 24^th street. I came here to browse around and I found a book out of the blue. The staff is friendly, and professional. It’s a big bookstore, but I like the non-​corporate bookstores such as this.

I hate to give this place 2 stars. It’s a nice little book store but no real selection. The staff is super friendly and helpful though.

Exploring Noe Valley and we decided to stop by Folio books.
Good selection of books and very friendly staff.
Great area to browse and there is a place for kids to read in a tiny tent.
Book stores are assets and are slowly being replaced.

Good selection on books. Plenty to browse through, and definitely hard to resist a purchase. I ended up buying books for presents. lol
Prices = moderate. Priced as marked.
Service = friendly.

Folio Books is such an asset to Noe Valley!
The employees here truly know books, and every time I go, I come out with a number of solid book recommendations. Its fiction section is pretty expansive, but the non-​fiction leaves a bit to be desired (but that comes with the territory of a small neighborhood bookshop!). They also just rearranged the layout and it has made the place all the more open and welcoming. This is a lovely local book store that is worth a visit and support.

This is a gem of a bookstore for sure. It’s true, there aren’t used books, but that’s not the vibe or intention of this store. The books thst are there are clearly an intentional choice by the staff as its clear they have a theme for the style of books they sell. Books are such a wide category of things and this store seems to really care about the books they sell. It seems to be like a good restaurant who has sampled all the wines before offering them to customers. A lot of the books have been read and reviewed by the staff. The children’s section is great with bilingual books in Spanish and a few french (As a french speakee, I always wish places carried more french books, but I k ow there’s not a huge demand for it. The store is very nicely laid out, not crowded and overwhelming like a lot of bookstores can feel. If you’re not sure what exzftky you are searching for and you have some time to reallt think about and reflect what you’d like to read next, this is the place for you.

The reviews on here are hilarious. So what if they don’t have a used section? It’s not a used bookstore. Also, the ribbon review below is actually absurd. This is a small and cute local bookstore with a great selection and lots of personal reviews lining the shelves. I found a few books that I’m really excited to start, and all at a pretty good price.

Excellent book collection. I go there fairly often to buy books since it’s in my hood. And it’s in an effort to support local businesses and not just give away all our $$$ to the incredibly convenient and amazing
. But that also means I expect good customer service for making that effort to support a local store. Today, Girl in the yellow blouse showed me what I was looking for. Found what I wanted and asked her to gift wrap the books. Once she wrapped the books, she started cutting up ribbon which I then said I didn’t want. I have never seen anyone at a store make a face at me like that one. Mostly looked at me like I was stupid/​weird/​ridiculous. All cuz I didn’t want ribbon? Shrugged her shoulders and gave me my books. That’s terrible customer service. I paid for the books so I get to choose how I want them. Even if you have an opinion please keep it to yourself and never make faces at a customer. I for one will never be going back to this place.

Biggest red flag was when I went in to purchase my $ 2 book from the sale rack outside to be told by the cashier that checked me out that they don’t carry used books. It’s sad, I think, when bookstores choose not to have a used book section. Many people will come in to see used books and probably by another book at regular price if the used section is good! Books are meant to be shared too, aren’t they?
Just a thought.

Every time we’re in the neighborhood waiting for brunch we come here.
My husband loves book stores. Generally, he leaves with a book, no matter the bookstore. Folio has a great selection of books for children, and they always have books related to current upcoming holidays or events. I ALWAYS leave with a book for my classroom :)

They have a great selection of novelty books, but no used. I scored a stash of future birthday and Christmas gifts for a bunch of people. Yay!

Great bookstore, so glad they took over this space and kept it from turning into another overpriced clothing store. Excellent selection and very friendly/​helpful staff. They’ve had almost everything I’ve ever looked for, and when they don’t have it they can get it ordered quickly. Hope they stick around for a long while.

A great addition to Noe Valley. Folio Books has a well chosen selection of titles. On a recent visit each member of our family found something to add to our collection and satisfy our own interests. The friendly and knowledgeable staff are great. Highly recommended. A real neighborhood gem.