Thidwick Books

This unique and cheerful bookstore is a delight to walk into. It’s a great place not only for books, but for unique cards, and little gifts. It’s intimate and quirky compared to Green Apple, but reflecting the intelligence whimsy of owner Leagrey. Located near Park Presdio on quiet part of Clement Street, it’s within walking distance of the restaurants and hustle bustle, but parking is ea breeze.

Very Dog Friendly Book store (with water bowl at front door)
If Lee do not have the book you are looking for she will either order it for you or give your direction to Green Apple Book store.
+ Lots of San Francisco gift items for your house or maybe buy it for soon to bail out of San Franciscans so they will remember you and The City!

What an amazing book and gift store! This is a perfect spot to spend time alone wondering which book to read next, to buy a postcard or look for a unique present. Also they have nice gifts (books, postcards, notebooks, pens, pencils, mugs, magnets, pictures and etc) with San Francisco theme. The owner is very sweet and friendly, and wears cool accessories :)

I remember the first time I walked into this shop filled with books, shelves that not only filled the store’s perimeter, but also tall library-​esque bookcases in the middle of the store that seemed to nearly reach the ceiling! I felt as though I had walked into a book heaven. When I came upon Lee Gray and listened to her interact with customers looking for all sorts of books, I knew that Thidwick’s Books was indeed a special place. Lee is VERY knowledgeable about so many genres. She can help you find any book that suits your needs or desires. She will order selections for you as well. She has a lovely poetry selection (and I’m not actually a poetry guru) and so much goodness packed into her childrens’ section.
Lee has a delightful gift selection as well, with a number of fun California-​themed and San Francisco-​themed gifts. Last year around the holidays, she had a lovely display of items featuring the California Golden Bear.
Come in for a birthday/​shower gift, a card or for new reading material – you won’t be disappointed!
If ever there was a bookstore described as small, but mighty, Thidwick Books would fit the bill.

This place is amazing!
I am pretty sure that I can be in there all day. It’s small and quaint but has a ton of books, gifts and things you normally would not see in a regular bookstore. The owner is always there and she is VERY helpful and loves talking literature.
If you haven’t been here before I highly recommend it.

What a terrific bookshop! Well, not only filled with lots of great books for all ages, but with stationery and cards that are gorgeous (and fun and make you want to send your kids there to buy one for you!). And a virtual treasure trove of puzzles for children (and adults). I stocked up for birthdays and Christmas for my grandkids ages 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Love the proprietress’ collection of moose (mooses?) …not for sale of course. Bought Thidwick the Big-​Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss of course. Find your way to The Richmond neighborhood and Thidwick Books. You’ll love it.

Thidwick’s is my favorite bookstore in San Francisco and I am happy to patronize an independent, non-​chain store. Lee Gray knows books– fiction/​non-​fiction. children/​YA/​A, etc. She is always so helpful when I’m looking for something specific for my students and will order books for me to look at with no obligation to buy. In addition, it is great place to pick up a little gift whether it a beautiful dish, SF paraphernalia or a baby present.

Summary: cute, many San Francisco related books, gift items & cards, owner/​manager may be unpleasant or suspicious, books priced as new but in varying condition.
I stumbled across the newly located (as of 2012) Thidwick Book’s, and had some time before dinner plans so went in for a look. Right away when I walked in, a voice greeted me (owner Lea Grey Dimond, I later deduced) in a somewhat puzzling way, in that it sounded part greeting and part question, so not clear how to respond. A bit odd, but no big deal.
I then looked quickly at a few aisles/​shelves of books to see if it was new, used, or mixed stock. As a long-​time regular book-​shopper and collector, I usually can figure this out quickly from looking at the editions and conditions of books out and how labeled. At Thidwick, though, I noticed books weren’t marked inside the cover with a price, which usually indicates it’s a new book at list price, yet it seemed the books were of varying ages and conditions (not marked or damaged, but the paper in different conditions). I think either there’s a lot of quite old stock or slow turnover books out, or the owner is getting books from some secondary sources that are good condition, and selling at list price. I guess there’s no law against doing so, and a buyer can inspect the condition and price before buying, but to me it would seem a questionable practice, and in my experience it’s fairly universal convention at bookstores that only books that are new and in print are presented with and sold at list price. Anyway, again, no big deal.
Still looking around, when I was in view from the counter, the owner asked me if was looking for anything in particular. I said no I was just browsing, but I had one question, was the stock all new? She said, it’s new books, Green Apple [used & new] Books is down the street. I thought her comment and manner was sort of abrasive, as if suggesting I’d said something inappropriate or irritating to her. (perhaps she gets asked about Green Apple a lot, not surprising since it’s a large, well-​known, long-​established book store a few blocks away on the same street. Maybe put a sign on the door?). This raised my discomfort level another notch.
The other thing I noticed was that much of the merchandise on display did not have a marked price, unless it had a MSRP, which many didn’t. I find this practice nonstandard for an ordinary new-​products retail store, and inconvenient because one would have to ask about the price for every item. More points lost on store comfort level there.
Finally, after I’d been there perhaps 15 minutes, I was in front with a handful of items to purchase, looking at some book, and the owner came right up to me and asked quite emphatically, are you SURE there is nothing I can help you with? I was kind of thrown off but her confrontational approach, but I said: no, as I said I was just browsing. She said, well, I just notice you’ve picked up and put down several things and. something something. At this point I just really uncomfortable and antagonized by her, as if she was accusing me of some offense, and I said, ok, I will just put these items back. As I started to do so, she said, no, I’LL take those, and took them from me.
Huh. Well I’ve been in hundreds of bookstores, a steady collector of books for 30 years, and never encountered such antagonism. That was probably $ 40 of business the owner lost from me on the spot, not to mention my future business or recommendation. Bookstores for me are, like museums, places for calm and refuge; unpleasant encounters like this are exactly what I don’t want or expect there.
I gather there is a complicated back-​story about the owner’s previous store location being shut down in 2010 due to a customer ADA lawsuit, which possibly helps explain some degree of suspicion she may have towards people looking around the store. Perhaps there’s a big shoplifting problem, I don’t know. However, reading other customers’ Unilocal reviews, I see a good portion of other reviewers have reported similar experiences going back many years, and the staff at Green Apple just up the street, where I’ve been many times, don’t seem in any way besieged or unpleasant.
Oh well, I probably won’t be back, and warn other visitors you might feel under suspicion or uneasy here. My recommendation is, walk six blocks East on Clement to Green Apple’s two adjoining stores: significantly bigger, cheaper, more extensive, open late, and nice staff.

Love Thidwick’s. A great neighborhood find.
The owner of the store (Leagrey) is very knowledgeable and helpful. Great selection of eclectic gifts and cards. I recommend to all my friends.

One star for having some cool stuff, but –4 for the lady who works here being kind of a paranoid bitch. I suppose if I looked more Marina than Oakland it might’ve been different, but who knows?

I have never been to any place that’s like this. Everything is carefully and lovingly selected by the owner and displayed in in an endless treasure finding adventure for the customer. So much care has been taken in how things are displayed and arranged throughout the store that even though it’s full it never feels cluttered and even though it’s small it never disappoints in hours of treasure finding. It has a unique character that clearly reflects the impeccable aesthetics of the owner.

Thidwick’s has been my favorite bookstore since it first opened many years ago on Clement near 2^nd Avenue. I was so happy when it reopened on Clement near Park Presidio and is better than ever! The beautiful, spacious new store has the same wonderful selection of books, small gifts and greeting cards but is much larger. I’ve always been an avid reader of biographies, and a special section is devoted to them unlike many other bookstores. Along with an unparalleled selection of children’s books and a book-​knowledgeable owner, this is a neighborhood gem. Almost hidden on the north side of Clement, you have to look twice or you might walk right past it.

I just found this place and it is right in my neighborhood. I love it! Super nice layout with a lot of great stuff. The owner is very helpful, she even ordered a couple of books for me. I will definitely be back soon.

Um. .. as many other reviewers have noted, «How the heck have we now known about this place before?»
Somewhere between a larger bookstore and chic boutique sites Thidwick. Newly relocated, we found this when eating at a nearby restaurant.
While this is no Green Apple, I appreciate that they are not really trying to be. Filled with a good variety of new books and nice little gifts, this is what a local store should be about. I am sure that that is difficult to blend merchandise that will both attract locals as well as one-​timers, but they seem to do a good job.
When we went it, we picked up a cook-​book and a set of novelty playing cards for one of my kids. Prices where what you would expect from a local place and the service was friendly.

This place is GREAT! I’m so glad that this store re-​opened, bigger and better than before!!! I’m usually shopping for gifts and children’s books. The owner keeps her shelves well stocked with the well-​known classics and newer titles. She has an impressive knowledge of literature for little kids and independent readers. I highly suggest stopping by this store for a browse. (Don’t forget to feed your meter on Clement St., though, as the parking police can be super-​aggressive.)

What a delightful store! It is airy and bright and beautiful inside with a fantastic selection of greeting cards. I was looking for a birthday card and some Mother’s Day cards, the Mother’s Day cards weren’t out yet so when I inquired about them, the owner, Lee, was so helpful she just went ahead and got them all out and displayed them; what great customer service!

Add me to the list of people kicked out of this store for receiving a phone call while in the store. The store is closing, anyway, as they are being sued for failure to provide wheelchair access. If this lady that runs the place had any idea how much money I have spent on books in my life (I own thousands of volumes) she might have reconsidered. But she seems like a naturally very unpleasant person. Good riddance!

Awesome little local store. The owner is super helpful and very knowledgeable, especially about children’s books.
She also had a great selection of soft back (read: cheaper) kids’ books, which is a big relief from the $ 15 and up hardback books we usually have to buy.

This is my favorite independent bookshop in SF. It’s small but stuffed with some great fiends. The owner Grey is very personable and friend and VERY knowledgeable about books and remembers her customers! I’d only been there twice and on the third trip she remembered that I like archeology and forensic based mysteries and had some titles and authors to recommend!
I love this little place and though I might wander into some of the bigger chains from time to time for some instant gratification I plan to do as much of my book shopping here as I can.

I love this bookstore.
Everything about it. Great atmosphere… slightly overstuffed, which makes you want to look a little harder to see what’s hidden behind.
The owner pretty much keeps to herself, but is super knowledgable about books if you have anything to ask. I’m slightly partial because we’ve chatted about amatuer sleuth mysteries (which I love even though i’m not the target demographic).
This is a great place for cards, little gifts, and lots of stuff you didn’t think a small bookshop would have.