The Book Shop, LLC - ABAA, ILAB — Attraction in Covina

I went in recently while I was waiting for my phone to be repaired nearby. I passed it while driving in the area, an area that I’ve driven in hundreds of times, and was surprised I’ve never seen it before. I was very excited because I LOVE visiting books stores. I’ve been to bookstores all over the world and they always have something different. This was no exception. I was greeted but never asked if I needed help. I began looking through the books, not really looking for anything in particular. The casual conversation happening between the employees and what appeared to be a visiting friend kind of made me feel like this was a bookstore that had an “agenda” but honestly I couldn’t put my finger on it. I wanted to check the reviews to see what others thought but obviously didn’t have my phone. I kept looking and noticed a few things that confirmed my feelings. I may be a bit wrong as there is a lot of books here but in my 30ish minutes here I was able to view quite a bit. Their US History section had almost nothing about native communities or First Nation people. I noticed that they had whole sections on European countries but could not find a single book on Mexico or South America. I went over to the Religion section and there were plenty of books on Christian/Catholic topics and a fair amount on Hinduism, Buddhism and a bit of Judaism. There was literally one book on Islam, which is the second most popular religion in the world. I also didn’t notice many books in other languages. Considering this area is VERY diverse it was a bit disappointing. I did leave with 3 books but honestly, this is not a bookstore I will return to. I REALLY wanted to love it. I am also very disappointed in the lack of professionalism the individual responding to reviews has displayed. That really has sealed my decision and honestly if I read the reviews prior to going I probably would have skipped it. I’m sure there will be a snarky comment following this, and that’s ok. It says more about them than me. Happy...

I concur with many of the other reviews. It is well-organized with a quality selection of books, however, I will never shop there again. The complaints about workers being "too busy" and "refusing service" is something I have seen before, but never encountered, until today. I have been to the Book Shop many times before and purchased hundreds of dollars of books over the years. I usually stop on my way home from work in my teaching attire, but today I had the day off and was wearing jeans and hiking boots. The "elitist attitude" mentioned in other comments reared its ugly head. I had twisted my ankle earlier that day and could not lug around the books I had selected and intended to purchase, so I just set them down on their sides and kept browsing. The clerk shouted at me from across the store, incensed that I had laid them down and not brought them up to the counter. He lectured me about how long it took him to put the books in alphabetical order, even after I told him that I had intended to make a purchase that day. He continued with his tirade, ruder than any clerk I have personally encountered in any store. I can but assume that if I had been wearing slacks and a button-down long sleeve dress shirt, things would have been fine as they always have been in the past, but the limping jean wearing, hiking boot shod, old man, who set "the books on their sides" (a cryptic phrase he emphasized again and again) was too...

As a bookseller your actions today disgusted me and literally sickened me to my stomach. I could never imagine treating a customer that came into my store like that. The Book Shop has been a child hood favorite of mine and every chance i get to return to the LA County I come. No more. No one was engaging in "horse play." Put the "antique" chair behind glass if it means that much to you. You sell books not chairs. its clear from your response and in store behavior that you do not care for community or for the comfort of those that enter into your store. More than that you yourself are a fraud. Bookstores and the books in them are about connection --- something you and your store are in need of. And God, "animated conversation on their cell phone" really?? God forbid someone answers their phone in an empty store. You wouldn't survive a day in any major city. You're lucky to be stuck in that dingy place in Covina of all places. Somewhere along the road you lost it man. You've got a lot to think about. Maybe just limit yourself to online sales. Ebay is a great a place I hear. There's no need for you to engage with the Covina community. You're a disgrace to the book...