Pennywise Books

This bookstore is on the small side but it’s chock full of good finds. It’s well organized, clean and bright and the shop owner was very pleasant to me when I went in. There are a few racks of $ 1 books outside and the rest inside are ½ the cover price; I came away with 4 books for 12 bucks which I think is an excellent deal. The books were also all in very good condition. He prefers if you pay cash but does take credit cards too. I’ll definitely be a repeat customer here!

I’ve been going to this bookstore for several years now and it’s always my first stop when I am looking for a specific book. Normally I don’t find the specific book, but it’s always fun to look around anyways! And sometimes I get lucky and then I get to support a local book store and get a great price. I’ve taken some of my books in and he’s pretty picky, but he can obviously only take in what he can sell, so I totally get it. A number of reviews comment on the personality of the owner – it’s true, he isn’t warm and fuzzy, but he knows what books he has. I kind of make a game out of walking in there and being over the top friendly just to see how long it takes me to break him! Overall, you should go here.

I love bookstores and I am an avid reader, so when I saw this place driving down the street I decided to stop in. The person at the desk when you walk in (I really hope it’s not the owner) had pretty bad customer service skills. Barely looked up to acknowledge I was there and just acted like he really hated every moment of even being there. I oddly got uncomfortable being there just because the person at the front was so unfriendly. So I left and will not be going back anytime soon.

Allow me to express my sentiments on Pennywise Books through parable:
I miss Blockbuster video.
As a kid I would go with my mom and we would find a movie, we would physically pick one out. It was an adventure. There were other people looking for movies; it was an event; it was something I looked forward to with the kind of anticipation few carry into their adult lives.
So too, trips to Pennywise are such an enjoyable occasion.
It’s a good day when I get to pop by to discover what I might find; I look forward to it every time it’s a part of the day’s agenda and rare, if ever, do I fail to find something really neat there.
That’s the thing: the selection is curated, by hand, quality over quantity rather than the click-​and-​mortar model independent booksellers are increasingly adopting (to stay afloat), which, in effect, allows them to sell their books at the highest rate the market will bear. As a result of the way the owner chooses to run his business, I know that not only will I find something good at Pennywise but I also won’t have to walk out and reassure myself that «I’m supporting a local, independent business,» because I just overpaid for a book. Pennywise is salt of the earth, not a hipster spot for the overprivileged.
Call me old-​fashioned but I love a place steeped in the soulfulness and principles so often lost in time. My someday kids may not ever get to go to a Blockbuster video but heaven willing they will get to go to a bookstore like Pennywise. Enjoy it folks. Places like this are a rarity.
Tip: Don’t go there looking for a book, go to find one.
Post script: I saw a few people lamenting in their reviews about the owner not being overtly friendly. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that we live in the Starbucks-​age of exquisite customer service instilled into the corporate culture that encompasses so many of our shopping experiences. Pennywise Books is not a corporate place and nor do I choose my coffee spots based on the faux, drilled-​in friendliness of its baristas. That said, I’ve been going to Pennywise a decently long time, and while the owner did not embrace me as an old friend the first time I went in, over time I’ve built a slow but genuine rapport with him, which means way more to me than any «Thank you, come again.»
The moral is, people are different and if we don’t accept the character and complexities of the soul we will end up in a world devoid of it. Maybe this is easier said because I am thirty and no longer need to base my life upon whether I get my daily fill of self-​esteem in exchange for the money I spend, but I choose fulfillment over sanitized and marketed pleasure. Very much, perhaps, in the same way a person might choose to run a small quality bookstore for years.

I was so excited to see a bookstore I swear I almost wrecked my car. I couldn’t park quick enough. I was running in only to be greeted by one of the rudest people ever. Not a hello. Nothing. Then when I asked him some questions about who I was looking for I thought he wanted to vomit. I read indie authors. But I love all books.
When I walked out of there I was bummed. And I will never walk in there again. And that makes me sad. I read really great reviews on the store. And I was excited… Very disappointing!

Good books selection, the gentleman in the store is extremely rude! I went in to sell and trade some books and for some reasons the guy got upset and almost threw the books back at me. I thanked for his time and left, I’ll never return to that place.

What a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t sure what to expect after reading some of these reviews about I love this neighborhood and wanted to come right down and see for myself. The owner was very pleasant and knew exactly what he had on the shelves and where everything was located. Only took me a few mins to find exactly what I was looking for. I’m and out in under 10 mins with 4 books! Very reasonably priced too! I’ll be back.

4 stars for the book selection but 2 stars for the «gentleman» who runs the joint. maybe it’s me, but if you run a bookstore, you should expect people to ask you for recommendations, and maybe to help your business, you would give recommendations. this guy is so grumpy! he tells you not to ask for any recommendations — it is almost worth visiting to simply see how rude a store owner can be. in a way it is fascinating — he really doesn’t care about the customer. at times i went in to simply observe this creature in its natural habitat, and you got to give it to him for consistency — man, woman, even children, anyone that asks for assistance (or a recommendation), is met with the same disinterested, unfriendly, condescending response.
so my tip is this: go in and you will find a good book. but make sure you ask the guy for a recommendation though. if enough people do, maybe he will change. that is my recommendation ;)

A nice used bookstore. The store itself is small but densely packed so it actually has a huge selection which leans heavily on fiction. They also have the $ 1 bin on the sidewalk, I check it out every time I walk by.
The owner is definitely on the grumpy side but don’t let that scare you. He seems to know every book in the store and whether or not he has a title which is pretty amazing considering the selection and that there are no computer in sight on which he checks his inventory. On several occasion I asked him for a book and he always found it for me.
All in all a sweet little bookstore which adds charm to Pacific Beach.

I really enjoy going to Pennywise. I am a big fan of the fantasy genre, and there are lots of books to read, but I dont really want to own 100s of books. I go in, buy a series, read it, and take it back, and get a new bunch, sort of like the library with a bigger selection of fantasy. I also buy to keep some books that I really like and/​or want to keep on hand for my son when he is old enough to read them. I also get books there for friends to start them on a series that I like. The dollar section has great finds sometimes, and the owner seems stand-​offish at first, but if I ever ask him for something specific I dont see on the shelf he always checks the back and often produces the book in question.
I think 5 stars for a used book store would be tough, I want to, but there are times when a book I want is popular that they just wont have it. Which is fine, its a used book store not Barnes and Noble. There is a kids section and it is on the back wall. It isn’t huge, but my son found a whole series of books that he likes.

Nice little used book store. I go here every time I get a hair cut at Lefty’s. Owner is a little unfriendly but can’t really knock a used book store these days. Kind of a rare thing, especially in San Diego…

They have a decent selection for a small used book shop. They only give you a pittance for your books, even if they are new and in demand, so don’t expect to actually make much money. But you can find some quirky books here.

Pennywise is where I end up when I (okay, my husband) am scratching that book-​buying itch. This is mostly because I live in PB, and there are few other bookstores in my area.
Not that I mind Pennywise. They’re clean, bright, well-​labeled, and the stock moves relatively quickly. They have a decent selection of memoirs, military history, and cookbooks (the genres I tend to read), as well as a sizeable collection of chick lit (which I tend to avoid like the plague).
Although I rarely walk out with a book, I always walk out with ideas to fill my Kindle or purchase for a friend. And my husband, well, he always walks out with at least five books.
Great way to kill a part of the afternoon. My two suggestions that would bump it up a star: a better selection of craft/​DIY books and *a* selection (meaning, carry some, please!) of children’s books (for the child-​in-​tow that keeps chirping «where are the kid’s books, Mami?»).
But then, for those, there’s always 5^th Avenue…

I came here hoping they had a decent selection of children’s books but that wasn’t the case at all. The children’s books (with illustrations only, not the chapter books) took up only 2 shelves. Then again, I don’t blame them since it is Pacific Beach after all so of course children’s books aren’t exactly ideal beach reading.
They have a wide selection of chick lit (Lauren Weisberger, Meg Cabot, Ann Brashares, Jodi Picoult, etc.) in the middle of the store. There’s also some selected recent releases in the front by the front counter and some are displayed in the window. The ones displayed in the window are very recent and are sold for a little more than half of the cover price.
I do like their price and trading policy, which applies to almost the whole store, except for the recent releases and popular stuff. It’s usually 50% off the cover price or if you bring in a book to trade in, then it’s a book for a book and you only have to pay 25% of the original cover price. That’s not too bad, especially when you’ve been to BookOff and you only get $ 1 or $ 2 for each book you bring in.
I’m planning on making a return visit when I have a good amount of books to bring in for trade that no one seems to want on the book swapping sites that I frequent daily.
And watch out, they’re CLOSED ON SUNDAYS.

Perfectly fine place to get used books. I tried selling my books there, all perfect condition & desirable books. The owner wouldn’t buy hardly any of them, & didn’t pay very much for them. Oh well, I’d rather them be recycled. The owner’s a bit cold. But if you want used books. this place fits the bill.

Good bookstore that somehow always has something new I am looking for. It is not a big shop, but within biking distance from my girlfriend’s place so I stop by every time I visit.

Books, books, books… I love them! Have a pretty impressive eclectic collection split between my parents’ home in Pennsylvania and my apartment in San Diego, and Pennywise Books lets me add to my collection for cheap.
I make it a point to stop by the sidewalk outside Pennywise to rummage through the few hundred $ 1 books that are always there on carts. I adore this part of the store and usually walk away with some nice books every time. I’m definitely a non-​fiction kinda girl, and Pennywise consistently has enough non-​fiction inventory to please me.
The inside of the store? I admittedly don’t pay much attention to it. Inside-​the-​store book prices are significantly cheaper than retail, but, still, the vast majority of the time I’m able to find the same books on
and
for considerably less.
Last weekend I snatched up the following 3 titles:
(1) Pope John Paul II: A Tribute
a Life tribute to the former pope
(2) Making Faces
the timeless make-​up manual by the one and only Kevyn Aucoin
(3) The Story of Italian Immigration: Passage to Liberty and the Rebirth of America
an engaging picturebook that chronicles Italian immigration into America
Random, I know. And for the mere price of $ 3.25 total!
If I were to make a «Little Things in Life That Make Me Happy» list, then no doubt Pennywise Books’ ongoing $ 1 sidewalk sale would be on it.

I’ve been going to Pennywise Books for over ten years and love it. Pennywise has a great selection of books from popular authors especially in the suspense, legal thriller, mystery type categories I like. The trade-​in policy is not as generous as some other used bookstores but I’m ok with the slightly more expensive prices because 1) it’s still a lot cheaper than a new book is and often the same quality, and 2) the location is convenient. I think the current trade in policy is: trade in 2 books for 1 with the same retail price and pay 20−30% of the cover price (works out to be about $ 1 each). Otherwise, you can buy any book for half price. The nice thing is that if you bring in a bunch of books you can have a «credit» on the books for the next time you come in.
If you read as much as I do this is a great way of reading new books as well as finding older books written by an author you’ve recently discovered. The staff of 2 is now 1 (the older lady passed away) but the owner is very knowledgeable and always remembers my name even though it could be months between visits. I always like coming here because I feel like I’m supporting a guy who owns a book store because of his passion for reading and for people like me, even if he probably doesn’t make much money doing it.
The only reason I’m not giving this store 5 stars is that I selfishly wish it was open more (closed on Sundays).

The owner is nice enough but was a bit distracted. The exchange rate for used books is not that great and the children’s section is very limited. If you are looking for current books or books from popular authors, you will probably find something at Pennywise.

I like their 1 dollar deals, they have a decent selection of fiction but I wish they had a larger selection of non fiction as that is what I prefer but I understand that everyone likes to read a good novel at the beach. I wish I owned this store, I could sit there and read all day.