Since 2015 · North Park
The largest independent bookstore in San Diego.
It started as a 1,500 square foot shop. Today it is 5,000 square feet and more than 50,000 books.
Told in Justine's words, from the day she opened the doors.
"I started Verbatim Books in 2015 after working at Fifth Avenue Books in Hillcrest for over ten years. I'm a native San Diegan and Hillcrest is where I grew up, but at the time I lived in North Park, and since there weren't any bookstores in North Park I thought Verbatim Books would fit in well. Verbatim Books started as a 1,500 square foot space and in 2019 expanded to include the building next door, bringing us to 5,000 square feet and making us the largest bookstore in San Diego currently."
"My goal with Verbatim Books was to be a place where you could find something unusual and interesting that you might not have known about before. This isn't limited to books, either. I feel that this energy is the core of our events, the art you see on the walls, our social media, the curious antiques and toys we find for customers to enjoy, and really every aspect of the store. Above all, I just hope people have fun."
Justine, owner & founder
A curated kind of secondhand
Verbatim Books is a primarily secondhand bookstore with an eclectic range of gently loved and antiquarian books. Our stock is extremely curated to help you find quality editions of classics, favorites, and new discoveries. We also carry local zines, tarot decks, journals, stickers, art prints, and the curious antiques and toys we find along the way.
Art on the walls, a cat on the counter, treasures in every aisle.
A 90-foot bookshelf mural by Armando Elizarrares. A sculpture made from 1,000 books. Phantom, the shop cat.
More than books
The book sculpture in the event room was made by Justine in 2019, from over 1,000 damaged books that are still beautiful. In December 2021, Tijuana-based artist Armando Elizarrares completed his 90-foot bookshelf mural on the north wall. Over the years, Verbatim has helped produce popular community events like the North Park Book Fair and the San Diego Book Crawl, and hosted hundreds of local authors, musicians, and poets.
Kevin draws great pictures. Greg can run 1,000 miles. Johnna reads interesting books. Lily crochets the cutest dinos. Sean is so nice to customers. Ferni makes amazing short films and comics. Jesse can do every job in the store really well. Jon is wise beyond his years. Amy saved the Book Fair. Cora dedicates her life to books. Aaron is a great artist. Paul fixes everything. And Phantom is a cat.