Main Street Books

This is a delightful and TINY bookstore on St. Helena’s Main Street. With a small space, the collection has to be carefully curated, and it is. How do they pack so much of such great quality into such a small space? I don’t know, but I’m so glad they do. If you’re strolling St. Helena’s Main Street, head for this shop and spread a little love (and money) here — then take your purchase to the coffee shop nearby, and enjoy! On our «jour​ney​wise​.word​press​.com» cross-​country trip, now 78 days long — I’ve stopped at many an independent bookstore, and I always leave with something! How many years will St. Helena enjoy its lovely little bookstore? Longer and longer if you stop in!

Small shop LOTS of great books and GREAT prices.

We are so lucky to have this gem of a bookstore in the Napa Valley. Perfect for new/​used books and a great selection in the kid’s corner as well.

I have lived in St. Helena for 30 years — there are two indisputable gems on Main Street that should never be missed or lost from all of us. The Cameo Theater — one of only a few ‘one screen movie houses’ left in our country and Main Street Books… this is how it works at Main Street Books, in the modern age, we read about new or old titles, we search the Internet for the ISBN, we write it done on a little yellow stickum tab. we walk in and hand that tab to Liza — we either walk out with a value used edition or have to wait a day, not often two, apply your returned book credit and pay for your book — you might be dazzled into buying another of something, just because the selection is so tantalizing. If we as a nation allow a business like Main Street Books to perish — we deserve the desserts of perpetual ignorance & mediocrity!

Love the personal service. Awesome selection of books for adults and children alike! Great resale value as well!
We are so lucky to have Liza here in our town.

Main Street Books is a fun little cubby of a bookstore with an emphasis on used books and a well selected offering of new books on the top portion of the center shelves. The proprietress is well informed on authors and her offerings, and seems always to be the one staffing the counter.
One of the amazing things about this place is the great selection for the size in the kids corner. Our kid friends can easily be enticed to window shop in downtown SH if a stop at Main Street Books is on the route and the shop comes in handy on that rare occasion, like 2 days before Xmas, when the SH Library is closed. Unlike the adult books in the store, most of the kid books are new.
As a popular spot, and with it’s small size, it feels quickly crowded by just a few book shoppers.

While walking around Downtown St. Helena this past weekend, I accidentally stumbled in here, and discovered the most unassuming, charming used bookstore. Knowing me, I went straight for the cooking section and found some fun cookbooks I haven’t seen at major retail bookstores, including some older titles. All used books are half off, and yes, they accept credit cards.
This place can easily keep me entertained for hours. Next time I’m in the area, I will definitely make a point to stop by.

What a great little asset for St. Helena. I am a new local author and when I went in to see if Liza would carry my book she was very supportive and friendly. Of course I have been a customer for years, but still. Independent bookstores are wonderful and keep a whole part of our society alive.

My favorite bookstore. I spend $ 30 and walk out with four or five books in good condition; have even found a few rarities!
Its a very tiny store, but is perfect to pop into on a rainy day. I could spend several hours!
A must for any bibliophile!

this is a fantastic mom and pop shop that is somehow able to stay in business. it’s great to see it able to compete with the big guy chains as well as the surrounding shops. unfortunately you don’t see many of these great places anymore because of the upscale shops on a street like this. you never really know what you will find in a used book store but most of the time you can find a precious gem.
when i walked in right away i was shocked to see a collection of books that i had growing up. they were raggedy ann and andy books and yes i admit i liked having them read to me. they were actually passed on from my mom since she had them as a little girl. since they are pretty darn old i was surprise to see them in really good condition and under $ 5 for each book. i still have my collection somewhere at my parents house so i didn’t buy any but it sure took me back many years.
the only thing i don’t like in a place like this is it’s so small and i always feel like i’m always being watched. it’s really no big deal and the owner is very friendly and luckily there are no books that might get me arrested for looking at for too long.

Echoing the other reviews, Liza is awesome. I surf for books and then go and place an order with her. This little book store is a treasure.

Lovely little bookstore in downtown Saint Helena. Full of long thin bookcases with loads of books. Great place to get your fiction fix. Lots of new and used books in this cute bookshop. Worth a visit to pick up the latest and greatest read. Nice owner too!

This is hands down my favorite book store. I’ve spent so many hours pouring over their used cookbook, fiction, etc collections over the past 12 years. Liza, the owner, always remembers my Steinbeck passion and almost every time I visit has set something aside for me.
All used books are half off and the collection is well thought out and current (considering its TINY size). There’s a small display of new books – but they can also order any new book and have it to you in a day or two.
Main St. Books has been a great part of the community in St. Helena for a long time – always full of locals coming in to say hello and share stories with Liza.