Builders Booksource

I was in the store for at least 15 minutes with not one of the three employees present asking me if I needed any help. As soon as I walked in, I looked to the counter to nod or say hello to the employees (which I do everywhere). There were 2 men there, and both of them were certainly not occupied. They both made eye contact with me and quickly looked the other way.
I easily made 3 loops around the store, contemplating 2 – 3 purchases as xmas gifts. Not one person asked me if I needed anything. One woman walked out of the back room and barely said hello.
I hate to pull the race card, because I believe that growing up in such a wonderful and diverse place as the Bay Area, this hasn’t really been in issue. But the employees were WAY attentive to every other guest who walked in that door, EXCEPT for myself and another Asian woman who walked in. Everyone else got a way nice «HAVE A NICE NIGHT /​Happy Holidays /​Stay Dry out there!» farewell, or at least was asked if they needed assistance. Every time I looked in their direction they looked the other way.
The store itself is great, I love and support small businesses. Perhaps with 10+ years of customer service/​relations experience under my belt, I expect more or have unrealistic expectations? Again, I would have made some purchases here, but felt unwelcome.
Good thing the store next door had some great xmas purchases!

As a graduate architecture student I have to disagree with the other reviewers about the «huge» selection of architecture books. They have design and architecture books but they are mostly aimed at the casual architecture fan. They have some textbooks too. I should have known what this place was from the photos and I felt it as soon as I walked in. This is understandable given the bougie suburban street it’s located on. Other than that, the bookstore is clean and decently organized. If you are looking for a specific book about architecture I would call ahead before visiting. For serious architecture enthusiasts and those in the field, William Stout is still the place to go.

Cute little book store with lots of fun and quirky finds. Great stuff for gifts for kids or even adults (found a cool geek art book here). I liked their huge selection of unique greeting cards too. Their magazines tended toward design/​art and had a good collection of those. Not bad for a tiny local bookstore!

a lot of useful books there, and service is friendly… only problem is no parking so go there early…

This place is a gem. If you have any interest, professional or amateur, in construction, architecture, interior design, gardening, city planning and the like, then you should drop by. And buy something. We have to appreciate and support these kinds of places to keep them around. In addition to being a cool place in and of itself, it is set in an interesting and walkable shopping district. Good for kids too. I had to drag my 9 year old son out of here.

Extremely strong/​deep selection of architecture and design books, as others have noted. I’m giving a shout out for the great selection of kids books – lots of unique, interesting titles. There is much goodness in this bookstore. Friendly staff, too! Stop and by for a browse.

I always wanted to pretend I was an architect (or city urban planner for that matter) and Builder’s scratches that itch. So what if the only cities I’m building are in SimCity? This is one of those bookstores that I love to browse because I find something new every time I walk in.
About a third of the store is dedicated to technical books specific to code, contractors, building regulations, etc., but the rest of the store has the fun stuff. You can find nice hardbound with glossy paper books on architecture, urban planning, design, structural engineering, and even local interest with some independently-​published local author books. They even have good kids books and a few non-​book gift-​type things.
This is my go-​to refuge whenever I’m brought along on shopping trips to 4^th Street. And I almost always walk out with gift to myself.

Beautiful little store with a well-​informed staff. Go in, browse & buy. Good spot to pick up fine notebooks for yourself or for gifts.

Staff is always a pleasure to deal with. Rhodia and Moleskines sold here! An open door to the creatives.

One of the best things about being an adult is that you can pretty much buy yourself whatever you want, even if you don’t need it. For example, if you stumble into a cute little bookstore and see ‘The New World Champion Paper Airplane Book,” it’s yours. Flipping through this book brought back fond memories of folding paper airplanes and building Whitewings and flying them in the hallway of my dad’s office and in the huge field across the street. This afternoon I made my first paper airplane in a very long time.
Anyhow, this is a bookstore with a lot of really interesting books about making things and being creative; we stop by whenever we’re wandering through the neighborhood.

Fantastic niche kind of store in Berkeley’s Fourth Street shopping district. I never quite fulfilled my dreams of being an architect, but this place definitely helps to rekindle my interest in all things architecture, buildings, cities, etc. It’s the kind of place that I could get lost in for hours and be thoroughly entertained!

I’ve been fascinated by buildings & architecture since I was a kid. I really appreciate architecture… but I don’t plan on building anything (at least not any time soon). My interest was renewed when I got to tour the architect’s (Mr. Swatt) home in Lafayette by Swatt Meirs a few months ago. I also currently live in a storybook style home.
So, I had been in this bookstore a while back & had been meaning to come back & browse. I finally made it in today. I could’ve sworn that their store was larger before? Anyway, they carry 2 Swatt Meirs books that I saw, which I may have to return to buy. I wish I hadn’t run out of time on my meter, or I would’ve returned after dessert to browse some more. I saw some Frank Lloyd Wright books, Gaudi book, & the Storybook Style book that I ordered from amazon recently. And that was just at the front of the store… if I remember correctly, they have books for building/​contruction, interior design, design, landscaping, etc. too.
I’ll be back to drool over more books… hopefully sooner than later. Did I mention that I like books?
Located on the east side of 4^th St. between Virginia & Hearst (closer to Hearst) by the Apple store.

For those with a passion for design, architecture, and creating beautiful spaces, Builders Booksource is a real inspiration.
Located on the fun, walkable 4^th Street in Berkeley (which is a fantastic shopping mecca, and worth a visit anytime) Builders Booksource is a wonderful resource for graphic designers, home decorators, architects, landscape architects, designers and those that love aesthetics. They even have great kids books. Helpful, knowledgable staff. Love this place!

This is such a cute bookstore! It’s definitely not like a huge chain store [although even those are becoming more and more rare… It’s been a long time since I’ve seen even a Barnes & Nobles or a Borders around, so I’m really glad that Builders Booksource seems to be alive&well]. It gives off a really unique vibe, but at the same time, it’s not totally «out there» either. I love how it’s well lit and the way the books are organized makes sense to me. It’s also cute how they have little signs saying which books are staff favorites as well. The only reason I’m not giving them the full five stars is… well, the books are kind of expensive and I’ve definitely had better customer service elsewhere, but Builders Booksource is a cute place to check out if you’re in the area!

I love bookstores, and the name of this one caught my eye. It seemed like it might be something special. Of course, the name ended up being far more helpful than I anticipated: it is a source of books for people who build/​create things.
This include graphic design, construction, gardening, crafts, etc. There are both super practical books of code (and a neat one on wood identification with samples of wood!) and gorgeous photo books that belong on display. I’m fairly far from their target audience, but I wanted to buy half of the store. It seems very well curated — they don’t have every book on a given topic, but their selection is complete. Your needs will be met if you need a book on building a brick oven, for instance.
I managed to walk out without buying anything, but I will stop in and browse every time I am back in the area.

I have been addicted to HGTV. I watch the design shows, the remodeling shows, renovations, buy and selling. so many shows! Every time I watch something I really think I can do it on my own! Hey it doesn’t look so hard. So when my boyfriend suggested he wanted to visit the Builders Booksource I thought it was going to be all manly and all about construction. It was a nice surprise to see such a nice bookstore! And amazingly it had a decorating and remodeling section! Such beautiful pictures and amazing books on how to do it yourself!
Ahs, one day– when I have a home to decorate or better yet a house to renovate ahahaha. They do sell books at retail price and it is cheaper to buy on Amazon. But it’s nice to be able to smell and look through the pages.

I’m not in construction and I don’t even own my own home — so why is it that I am so attracted to browsing the books here at this shop? There are so many amazing books — gorgeous glossy photos of processes and projects for so many things, descriptions on how to do things and make things. It’s really a unique treasure full of excellent inspiration.

I’ve always been fascinated by design and this store reminded me of my childhood desire to be an architect.
A nice selection of books about design and architecture with titles geared to both professionals and enthusiasts like me. Also a small selection of children’s books with some titles I have not seen elsewhere. Overall, a good and unique selection of choices.

I’m kind of an oddball when it comes to reading books. I don’t read fiction. In fact I’m kind of bothered by the whole storytelling aspect; it’s something I’ve never enjoyed. I have a huge collection of hardcover books in my home library though, and if I were to take an educated guess I’d say over sixty percent of the books I own are on the subjects of architecture or graphic design.
I first visited Builders Booksource during my college years. As an environmental design major I was always on the lookout for new sources of information in the architectural field and this book store had one of the most expansive collections. Whether I was looking for a book on a current architect, on architectural history, on commercial floor plans or just on current building codes chances are I found what I was looking for here. The fact that I worked throughout my college years gave me the flexibility to purchase many of the books I found helpful towards my studies.
I’ve never forgotten about this bookstore, and many years after leaving college I still go in whenever I can, browse and make a book purchase. Books are a lot more expensive these days, but I often go in and find a title that I just can’t put down. Even though I don’t use the information at my job or in daily life I still enjoy reading about the technical side of architecture. Leave it to the Builders Booksource to excite my book reading pleasures.

Come on, everybody… clap your hands… www.youtube.com/watch?v=LssoTizDld­8
«I’m gonna build a mountain, from a little hill.
I’m gonna build a mountain, least I hope I will.
I’m gonna build a mountain, I’m gonna build it high.
I don’t know how I’m gonna do it, only know I’m gonna try.»
Did you know Bob the Builder comes here?
So does the construction worker in the Village People.
And Mike Brady visits when Carol is out of town.
…yes, anyone into design, architecture, landscaping or construction comes here if they know what’s good for them. It’s a browsing paradise if you want to study Gaudi’s buildings, the history of the Airstream trailer or how to set up an irrigation system in your backyard. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.
I must have spent a good hour in here after licking my little Sketch ice cream cup bone dry. I even bought a really cool book that presents all the subway maps around the world just because I thought it was really cool and I am a nerd about geography (
). It’s a great indie bookstore and now the only one on the 4^th Street strip since Cody’s high-​tailed it to Downtown Berkeley.