Bell’s Book Store

Such a cute book store! The first time I came was to browse with friends. It was cute to see all of the books and décor (which includes old printing presses) that they’ve collected over time. The upstairs area even has some seating, giving it a library feel.
The next time I came, the woman working there was very friendly and helped me find my book immediately. I went to check it out, and she offered me another book because the cover was smudged. I didn’t even notice. How thoughtful!
I wouldn’t go back for best sellers, etc., but they have a ton of unique books, cards, and gift items that are definitely worth the visit.

One of the last of the great Independent bookstores around, Bell’s Books has a very nice gardening section, as well as quite a good collection of children’s books.
I have collected many picture books here over the years, particularly the award winning ones. Also, this bookstore is a good place to find first editions and rare editions, with some antique ones I bought, too, from notable authors and illustrators.
I am really grateful Faith Bell has hung in over the years, but it helps that the family owns the building. I highly recommend Bell’s Books!

It takes courage to own an independent book store. For that this gets a 5 stars. For the rest, my original review of inaccessibility and limited hours still stands.
The saddest thing about a book store you WANT to go to? you absolutely YEARN to go to? you absolutely want to make YOUR book store? They don’t care. ever since I moved to this neighborhood, I have been wanting to shop here. I really want this book store to survive and thrive. I want to buy all my books here. I am a grad student who buys a lot of books for school. I try and avoid amazon because amazon certainly does not need my business. This book store I am presuming does. But their hours are atrocious. If you have a job, you cannot make it to their store in their business hours. Who closes a book store at 5pm or 5:30pm? After several attempts today I almost made it. The owner or I presume the owner was still there inside. I knocked for a while and he finally opened the door. I showed him my long list of required reading and almost begged him saying how much I wanted to buy my books here and how hard their limited hours made shopping with them. He said sorry and he shut the door. It is not just small book stores of yester year that are struggling to survive, it seems to me also the courtesies and kindnesses of those days are fast fading. Such a pity.

As a serious bibliophile I’ve been to book stores all over the world, no question this store is about as good as it gets. It’s a store to browse in, not a store to look for last year’s bestseller. The space, the furnishing and the shelving are gorgeous, bravo. I’ve also owned bookstores myself and I can tell you the idiot who accuses (below) the owner of being a racist doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and obviously hasn’t been to very many bookstores. To quickly walk into a bookstore and then walk out with a book in your hand – that’s exactly how people steal from bookstores, and people steal books all the time, shame on you «Jessica.»

Cool little book store that is unfortunately ruined by the cranky store owner. I guess I’ll take my business to amazon.

The owner/​worker of this store is racist.
I had a book in my hand with my name written on the inside that I’d been reading all day, and I walked in the store for literally 3 seconds to peek at a title I saw through the window, then leave.
As I was walking out, the owner/​worker of the store chases me down and tells me I need to pay for my book incredibly rudely.
I told him that I was in his store for exactly 3 seconds and that the book in my hand was my own, and that if I had been there any longer than 3 seconds I would have left my book at the counter.
He then told me I needed to learn bookstore etiquette or sown thing of that nature.
As a black person, sometimes you just know by that icky feeling you get that this isn’t random acts of crankiness.
If you are black, watch out. This guy is a racist jerk.

We are so lucky that Faith Bell owns the building that houses her store and shows no inclination to move! Although surrounded by the glitz of Silicon Valley’s new wealth, this treasure is going to stay (I hope) far into the future. I once asked if they had a copy of a book I remember reading in the eight grade (I wanted my son to have it) that was written by the men who later wrote Mutiny on the Bounty and was a fictionalized account of their service in the Lafayette Escadrille. They did. I was stunned. On the top of a 14′ high shelf, accessible only by a ladder (see pictures) my clerk retrieved the book for me. I read it and then gave it to my son as a Xmas present. The staff is always helpful and if you are lucky, you may meet the charming Faith Bell. This is the bookstore that would be a bibliophiles dream.

I could live in here. The smell, the books, everything about this book store is perfect. One of the very few mom and pop bookstores left. They also have collectable first edition books. Love this place.

An old fashion bookstore with walls all covered with books floor to ceiling & nice, helpful & knowledgable store owners/​clerks! First time in there, after many years of only Barnes & Nobles & Borders visits, felt like heaven! I have to admit that I’ve only checked their children corner & they have a great selection.
I have been there many times with my 3 year old. He loves to go there, just sit & read, or go through lots & lots of book to find the one to buy … Today we took our 2 months old with us & when the nice lady heard it was his first bookstore visit, she gave him a board book as a gift & said her grandchildren loved the book! I was speechless! He will definitely hear the story behind the book many many times!

I second everything Amanda K. Said. This is a uniquely wonderful bookstore and I feel so lucky to have happened upon it one evening. I was so thrilled to find nearly all the children’s books that I grew up reading but have never found at any of the major booksellers, which instead seem to prefer to carry whatever happens to be the latest (though not greatest) in children’s fare. Not so at Bell’s. I felt upon perusing the shelves that actual care has been taken to provide the best in every genre, and the quote by Milton that hung over the checkout desk sealed the deal. I will be back as often as I can possibly manage it.

A group of friends and I were in the area after spending the day at ikea and decided to check this bookstore out after driving through the shops. At first glance it looks like a charming little old bookstore from the outside and the inside is just as adorable with its two stories and ceiling high book shelves.
The first floor was tightly packed with tons of books and random little things like note cards and such. The only books I were able to see were the ones at eye level and the ladders they had against the high book shelves were not really accessible (or safe for that matter) because there were so many other things surrounding it! There goes being able to see most of the books in the store.
We wanted to check out the second floor and after seeing multiple signs suggesting that we check in our bags, we did so without being asked and the lady helping us was friendly about it. She didn’t make it too much of a big deal. I’ve never had to check in a bag for a bookstore and found this a little unwelcoming being a customer, like as if they expect people to steal from them. There was not much variety to choose from upstairs just a whole lot of old books and what looked like old encyclopedias stacked messily throughout the shelves. It was not shoppable nor was it easy to find anything worth purchasing mostly due to the lack of organization in the store.
The worst part was when we went back downstairs. We scanned the books one more time before we left because we didn’t want to miss anything (first floor was just as unshoppable as second) and didn’t find anything. After not finding any good reads, one of my friends found a little pouch she was thinking of purchasing and asked for our opinion before she decided not to buy it and put it back. Walking towards the door, an older gentleman working there (that wouldn’t stop staring us down the whole time there) yelled «Where did you put the silk pouch!» Almost walking out without our bags that we checked in, we thought he was reminding us of our bags. Surely enough he wasn’t, and wanted to know where we put the pouch my friend was looking at. He was accusing us of stealing??! We told him we put it back and all he said was «okay». No apology or anything. We got our stuff and left after being rudely accused of being thieves.
Any good bookstore has a great selection, friendly staff, warm environment, and books that are easily accessible. This bookstore seems to seriously be lacking all these traits. Sad to say that I will definitely not be coming back after such an unwelcoming experience. Hope this place really improves!

I was filled with such joy to find that such a bookstore still existed today! haha
Bell’s Book Store is without a question, a local gem. It’s not the type of place you would go to looking for 50 Shades of Gray or teen fiction books.
It is the definition of a bookstore with the classical richness and historical atmosphere you’d expect, as if you’re exploring someone’s personal accumulation of books– I loved the personal and intimate feel to it :)
They have a great selection on classic literature and also theological and intellectual books upstairs on philosophy, law, history, etc.
My inner nerd was geeking out so hard and I was surprised to see that they possessed original copies and limited edition books too!
The shelves are literally from the floor to the ceiling and I absolutely love the creaky wood floors and the reading ladders.

Such an amazing little pocket in downtown Palo Alto. A great selection and really classic bookstore setup, with ladders for shelves reaching to the high ceiling and cozy chairs for reading. Aside from the books, they have these cute little trinkets, often slightly unusual and unique, for sale scattered around the store, ex: painted wooden boxes in various shapes, neat card decks with classic paintings. The books, of course, are the main draw, but all the interesting little details of this place makes it the most interesting bookstore I’ve seen in a while.

Given all the positive reviews, and the look of the place as I entered, I really wanted to like this place more than I did. Yes, there are lots of old books — which I love — but they’re not arranged in a way that makes it easy to browse.
The main problems are that the books aren’t shelved in a way that lets you peruse them normally. In some areas, the books are shelved up to the ceiling — of the second floor! You can’t really browse that way, only ask for specific books to be fetched for you. And some of the low shelves further back are positioned so closely together that you can barely get in between them. You’d have to lie on the floor to browse the lowest shelves, *if* you could find the room.
Very disappointing.

This is what a local bookstore should be. I was in Palo Alto for the afternoon to meet some friends and stumbled upon this place after lunch.
It’s a bookstore whose selection has a real texture to it. Hard to put a finger on it – it’s a perfect mix between new and interesting and old and mysterious. An exquisitely curated mess. If that makes sense.
An hour later, I walked out with eight books.

It’s nice to see book stores still exist. Bells bookstore is a great local place to go if your looking for old and or new books. Something about this store makes me happy. It has an old and comfortable feel, maybe it’s the ladder they have for the too high to reach books. A great place for you to kill some time as well. The sweet ladies behind the counter are very helpful.

This is a great bookstore with a ton of books to thumb through. I was looking for children’s books and they had a good selection to choose from. The clerk was very friendly, knowledgable, and had a great sense of humor. The prices were very competitive with choices of used or new books.
This is a bookstore that a person could get lost in! It’s a wonderful place to visit and buy books!

This is everything that you could possibly want in a bookstore: rambling shelves stocked full of classics and new fiction, that great musty smell of old books because of the wide selection of antique books for sale at fairly reasonable prices, rooms that are stocked with books on every flat surface, a courteous proprietor who is knowledgeable about her stock, a great selection of heritage collections that will look great on your shelves and last a lifetime, and enough titles that any bibliophile could wile away the hours reading a page here, a paragraph there, and still have hundreds to go.
In other words, this is a bibliophile’s dream, go there and you won’t be disappointed.

I have this odd obsession with the musty decaying scent of old books, and when you enter Bell’s Books, your noseholes will be parading in the presence of it. The scent isn’t too powerful, but it is noticeable. As an individual who loves to read for fun, you can bet I’m here when I happen to be in downtown PA.
Bell’s sells books ranging from psychology, self-​help from the 90’s, history books, autobiographies, vintage children’s books, and other reads from both classic authors and contemporary. The best part is you can peruse the shelves, pick up a book, and find a teeny chair to sit on in one of the corners upstairs.
This bookstore not only sells used and old books of various topics, but other kitsch and gewgaws that are obviously old. I found a wonderful old Victorian style jewelry box here that garnered over 500 notes on my Tumblr account, and wall art that you could place in a 1950’s-style home.
It brings you back to a very personable time when people actually cared to give you excellent service with the pleasant manners; the lovely ladies that work here definitely do that.

This place makes me happy. It’s exactly one of the old school bookshops that aren’t around anymore. It’s a place that makes you love reading as you look around and see all the books out there. They’ve got a nice selection of modern books and old books, and the staff is so so so friendly. Such a fan of this place. In an age where most people just buy books online or read electronic books, Bell’s Books is one of the few remaining bookstores that reminds us of the magic of feeling the quality of the paper.
I can see myself getting lost here very easily. Sure the place is maybe musky and dusty, but I think that’s the charm of the place. Bell’s Book Store is a treasure to be discovered. This place is just a beautiful reminder that despite the world’s rapid transition to the digital world, print is still a beautiful world.