San Marco Bookstore — Local services in Jacksonville

New to the neighborhood (but not the city), and have only had the opportunity to check out the actual store once. The shop itself is lovely, and has a concise and diverse selection.

I attended a book signing event hosted by the bookstore and checked in with the owner at reception. She noticed I had a copy of the book in hand and asked, “Where did you get that?” I told her I had ordered it from an online retailer. She replied, “Thanks for supporting my store.” I thought she was referencing the book signing event fee I had just paid, and told her I was happy to do so. She then shot back rather nastily, “No, I was being sarcastic because you clearly aren’t supporting a local business.” I then explained to her that the author was a friend who had asked me months ago to pre-order the book online. She shrunk back and said, “Well, I guess that’s fine.”

Whatever intention I had of future visits to this bookstore evaporated with this woman’s sour attitude. I have compassion and dollars to spend at independent booksellers, but this won’t be...

Adorable bookstore tucked away along the iconic San Marco Blvd. Displays of books and other merchandise are very well done. Children's items are located in the front of the store. In addition to many books I was already familiar with, this store also introduced me to the BabyLit series of classic books that have been illustrated and adapted for a pre-school / early elementary audience. The staff was friendly and helpful without crossing the line to seem pushy. My five year old was with me for the visit and they were very patient with his antics as he wanted to explore books and touch things. You will pay a slight mark-up over Amazon prices, but at least to me, it's worth it to actually be able to browse and discover new titles. I look forward to...

I'd like to give this store a perfect five because the place is very nice and unique, but I didn't get a single greeting or asked if I needed help finding anything unlike the other customers who entered. I felt a little singled out. Other than that, the place looks really nice. The aisles are bit tiny, but I managed. It's a cute bookstore with many old book collections and gifts you can buy for other...