Aardvark Books

Yay, bookstores still exist! Along with Green Apple Books, Aardvark is another gem I discovered in SF. We had just eaten lunch around the corner and decided to pop in. They have a great selection of used books, for very reasonable prices. The front of the store has boxes of records, back issues of comics, and used graphic novels. The rest of the store was neatly organized into the usual genres, plus a few more specific topics. I bought an old Buffy graphic novel and was quite happy, while my bf picked up a couple of sci-​fi books. Best of all, they have an orange tabby mascot/​resident kitty. He was lounging in the front display window when we left. I would definitely come back.

Staff in really unfriendly if not hostile and worse yet they are not terribly well read. In fact they are bit creepy. Inventory is strong in some areas but weak in art books… frankly Green Apple is a vastly superior bookstore. i will say Aardvark’s location is good near lots of public transport. Oh and if you have books to sell looks elsewhere — they love to low ball here.

I was cruising by on a bus when the sight of a huge orange tabby sprawled on some books in their window made me do a double take. I’m a total cat and book lover and I knew I’d have to go back and check it out. It’s a truly quaint used/​new bookstore, with a bunch of older, «absentminded professor» types behind the counter kind of ignoring you until you ask them a question or need to buy something. I’m actually totally cool with being left alone when in a bookstore; I just want to browse. I found the kitty asleep on a chair down one of the aisles, just chill as can be. I learned that his name was Owen, and sort of a local celebrity, lol. I’d gone in not really planning to buy anything, but as is usually the case when I go into a bookstore, I found some books I’d been meaning to read and ended up getting them, along with a cute tote bag. I’m a fan and I’ll be back to pay Owen another visit!
STEPH JUDGEMENT: Great neighborhood used/​new bookstore with Owen the tabby who pushes it up to 5 stars.

Green Apple Books has been my go-​to for many years, but yesterday I stumbled upon this gem. The selection is not only vast, but diverse. I ended up spending over $ 100 in 5 minutes… OOPS. The staff was talkative and in-​the-​know about current literature as well as older classics. I will be back at least once a month, I am sure!

Okay… I have to agree with the other reviewers who suggest that the staff is aloof and a bit unfriendly. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them rude. But they are certainly bookish, introverted, librarian types (whatever that means). I have asked for help finding things and they are willing to help. But, the staff seem happier reading behind the counter than engaging with their customers.
BUT…nevertheless I love Aardvark Books. As a former Bookseller at Waldenbooks, I could never work here because the disorganization would make me crazy. But, as a bibliophile, I feel like I’m in heaven. I always find something I want. And the prices are good, so I don’t feel bad spending the money. The location is really convenient and they are open late, so it’s cool to be able to browse before or after dinner at a nearby restaurant.
The cat is a fun addition and really increases the eccentricity of the shop. When I see him, I always have visions of a crazy cat lady in her Victorian home filled with dusty antiques and stacks of books.

Perfect little neighborhood bookstore. Great selection of books across a variety of topics and good prices. Oh, and that cat!

I LOVE reading. Any book that you may want. Most likely you will find here. The staff is very helpful. If there’s a specific book you are looking for you may call in advance to see if it is avaliable ! & you may get to pet the stores cat he’s usually sleeping somewhere in the store. :) This place is awesome for anyone who likes to just roam around and discover new things to read. :D

What a variety of books! When you’re a bibliophile and a wanderer this store can leave you wanting for more arms and eyes… yup, wishing you were a spider. But that wouldn’t be convenient, we don’t want to anger the owner, Mr (or Mrs?) Kitty.

This place has a TON of books. If you’ve had your eye on a book, it’s worth giving this place a shot first since, as others have stated, most of their books are marked at 50% of cover price and are in very good shape. The fiction books are organized pretty well by author in the whole first row. Non-​fiction is a little trickier, as sometimes books are organized in odd sections, and sometimes not as up-​kept. You can usually have a pretty good idea if they have what you’re looking for or not. The owner also has a surprisingly good mental inventory, despite how many books they have.
My favorite sections are the sociology and philosophy sections. The only thing I wish they had was a better business section. I’ve been on a business book kick lately and most of their business section is photoshop/​computer tutorials that are just completely unorganized (or at least I haven’t been able to figure out the organization). But don’t let that stop you from coming in if you’re in the neighborhood!

First time here– happened to come across it as we were leaving a restaurant next door. I walked in and the table at the front had a lot of Marilyn Monroe books that I’d never seen before (I’m a collector). Since these were a rare find I asked the man at the counter how much they were and to my surprise they were dirt cheap so I purchased them. He pointed out some other Marilyn books in the film section and my boyfriend and I strolled around the store for about 30 minutes. We found some more great books and ended up buying them as well.
The store is small but it’s very organized and everything is labeled. There’s a beautiful cat that hangs out there and the employees were playing some beautiful classical music which made my shopping experience very serene. It was a great experience and the man at the counter was very helpful and friendly. I will definitely be back.

love this place
especially for the cat, Owen
is he still around
I have bought many great books on languages and writing here
It my top fave used book place ever
You can really lose track of time, and that’s good
I would stop here on a first date if I was nearby

I loved used bookstores. This one has it’s treasures, but probably best for casual browsing – not if you’re looking for something specific. Every book I got was under $ 10.
My boyfriend was stoked on all the graphic novels, which were in stacks right up front.
And there’s a bookstore cat! That will just continue napping while you pet it!

Not your friendly neighborhood bookstore…
I’ve been here a few times and each time encountered a rather high degree of aloofness from the staff. I mean, I get it, this is a bookstore run by introverts; it is quiet like a library, not bustling like a coffee shop, and that is the ambiance. It’s nice. But seriously, it almost seems like cracking a smile would be breaking character for the people who work here.
The shelves appear to be loosely organized according to genre but heaven help you if you have a question. I had a pretty simple one, which was met with a response from the man behind the counter so unnecessarily acerbic that I was taken aback and seriously considered leaving the book I was about to buy on the counter. I instead took a deep breath, pulled a half smile and forked over my cash one last time, all the while thinking about finally writing this review…
They’re open late, have good deals on books, and are in a convenient location (close to Market, Church Station). Yet, my prime motivating factor for choosing Aardvark over Amazon was because I was trying to be a part of my community.
The people at Aardvark go out of their way to be unwelcoming, and I am quite happy to go out of my way to shop elsewhere in the city.

It’s funny how most of these photos just feature the cat, and not really the store itself. Anyways, the cat aside, this is used book store has a convenient location, and it is illuminated with an awesome neon sign on front. The moment you walk into the store there is aroma of old book smell, which is the greatest the smell there is. They have many old selections, as well as new. And if you’re a graphic novel fan, there is something for you. They have stacks of old graphic novels that are reasonably priced, and won’t you cost an arm or a leg.
It is a used book store, so you won’t find everything, especially if you’re a student and you need that certain book, now. But if you’re in the area, and you’re not looking for anything for particular to read, this is the perfect hole to flower your curiosity.

Love it; got 3 books I wanted to read for half off each.

Can’t recomment this store of you are in a hurry and just wanna grab a book really quick. I kind of had a 5 minute time limit and were just running throught the aisles.
They don’t really have a system or at least none that I could figure out that quick.
I’ll be back with more time and update this. review, maybe it’s way better if you are not in a hurry.
But i really like that they are open late, i paid 50%, $ 8 for my book. However the out of the closet around the corner has books, too. For $ 2. Absolutely not as many and probably not such a good selection, but still.
Oh and about the cat, sure why not. But i had to leave my puppy outside because of her. So no, i don’t love her and would prefer a store where i can bring him, since i were just walking by and my husband, too (allergies!!)
The lady at the register, probably the owner, i don’t know, was linda rude. Maybe just not that talkative but a «hi, thank you, bye» instead of «$ 8» would’ve been appreciated.

Found Aardvark earlier today while wandering around the Castro with some friends. Major respect for their periodical section: New York Review of Books, Book Forum, Art Forum, and a nice selection of literary journals (sadly no Kenyon Review but that’s always a very long shot). Fiction selection is solid, but one of my friends couldn’t find a copy of American Psycho, and in fact they didn’t have anything by Bret Easton Ellis — not even Less Than Zero. Liked the poetry, travel, philosophy, and «counterculture» sections, as well as the «$ 5-​$ 10 table» up front. My friend left with a history of Pi. I left with a Selected Travels of Paul Theroux; a combined volume of Robert Lowell’s «Life Studies» and «For the Union Dead»; and the current no. of «Poetry.» Spent about $ 13. Will definitely make this a stop in my SF bookstore circuit.

Im Zeitalter von Amazon und anderen Online-​Shopping-​Giganten, bin ich sowohl froh als auch stolz, dass es so ein Antiquariat wi Aardvark Books noch gibt. Ich komme hier immer wieder gerne hin und stöbere die Regale nach kleinen Buch-​Juwelen durch.
Persönlich komme ich hier immer wieder wegen der Schwulen-​Literatur hin: Klassiker von Edmund White, David Leavitt oder Armistead Maupin gehören hier zum Standardrepertoire. Aber auch für jegliche andere Literatur ist dieser Laden eine Fundgrube: Romane, Sachbücher, Kinderbücher etc. Hier gibt’s einfach alles… und alles ist gebraucht und kostet daher nicht die Welt!
Und wer nicht so auf Bücher steht, der sollte einfach mal wegen der Hauskatze vorbeischauen — die ist schon so etwas wie ein kleine lokale Berühmtheit. (Siehe die etlichen Fotos, die von ihr gemacht wurden!)

I was surprised by their book selection and prices — this is the place to go. As much as I love Green Apple Books, the prices at Aardvark cannot be beat. I picked up a copy of Rules For Radicals for $ 2.50, and a gimmicky to-​be-​gifted book for $ 2.70. The world is good when there’s Aardvark on Church.

Awesome used bookstore!
These days you need to support your independent neighborhood bookstore! Aardvarks has it all — inexpensive prices, rare and out-​of-​print books, quirky and introverted employees plus the requisite adorable cat!
I’ve loved this store since I lived across the street 25 years ago and I still make a point to come and buy something every time I come back to SF for a visit.

I feel like I haven’t been to such a traditional-​feeling used bookstore in a while. They have an awesome selection, and their books are in good condition. The price range isn’t as large as at other used bookstores I’ve been to, but they are definitely cheaper than new books.
I also noticed they have a large used comic book selection.
I wish there had been more spots to sit, but overall I was blown away by the awesome selection of books, including new titles.