Williams’ Book Store

It’s a shame this family-​owned, 104-​year-​old bookshop — the oldest in Los Angeles — is closing down since they haven’t been able to pay their bills. Amazon and the big box stores claim another fatality, and Old Town tragically continues to get a bit younger.
When we were in a few days ago the owner, Jerry, was tearing down shelves in the muggy weather. He’d been telling reporters he’s paid up through the end of the month, but I’m not sure how much longer he’ll remain open.
Many of the prices were reduced due to the impending closure, but newer stock as well as bagged and boarded comics were still going at face value. Most of the books near the front were specifically by local authors.
They can only take cash or check. Some women who had also stopped by had to run down the street to find an ATM.
It’s a nice, little store, serving a small town-​type community within L.A. city limits. Regulars who shop here request books on and in Croatian. Several of the greeting cards on the rack are in that same language.

I wandered into this place the other day and ended up staying for almost 2 hours. You can barely even tell it’s there but it is a gem! The owner was extremely friendly and talkative, answering questions I didn’t even know I had about San Pedro. There was a decent selection of comic books and a small but respectable collection of books of all genres. The funny/​interesting assortment of greeting cards for people who are incarcerated kept me occupied for at least 20 minutes. If you are a history buff like me, you will especially appreciate the local history section. There were several books about the history of the Port of LA, San Pedro, and the surrounding area which were great fun to browse. By far my favorite thing about this place was a collection of photographs chronicling San Pedro since the earliest days. There were probably close to 500+ pictures to browse through and you can buy prints if you find one you like. I ended up buying a book about the history of Cabrillo Beach (my FAVORITE place in SP). The prices were a little on the expensive side (I could have probably found the book cheaper on Amazon for instance) but I didn’t mind supporting a small business owner and paying a little extra as it was pretty obvious that business has been slow. Plus this place has been in San Pedro for 101 years! Check it out if you are downtown.

At this jolly joyful time of year,
when we’re filled with Christmas cheer,
Pause to consider the strange & queer:
Those lonely, unloved books residing here –
It’s like the Island of Misfit Books in here, or the county animal shelter — so many faded covers staring at you from the shelves, a little dusty and shopworn, but nevertheless yearning to be read. You might find delightful paperback anachronisms like Fodor’s Yugoslavia (1986) lounging on the shelves beside hi-​tech tomes like Windows 3.1 for Dummies. These are new books. In the front of the store you’ll meet some recent best-​sellers, shiny and eager; they’ll surely find a home for the holidays.
Great selection of local interest books and self-​published or vanity press literature. Williams’ is that kind of bookstore — where you and a loved one can peruse and read aloud a play by a local author that reads like A Midsummer Night’s Dream meets Star Trek.
Williams’ is also that kind of bookstore where the author of the such a work might round a corner and, overhearing your jest, proceed to lay the verbal whammy on you — in iambic pentameter.

The historic marker sign in front of the store got my attention (see photo). It noted that this is the oldest operating book store in Los Angeles, established 1909. Wow.
When I walked in, it smelled like new books. You know what I mean? Like a new car has that new car smell. It’s more like an aroma than a «smell», though… it made me smile. The big chain bookstores don’t have that smell, they are too large and probably the climate control takes over.
Anyways, this place rocks.
The space is narrow and long, easy to navigate. I saw paperbacks, hard cover books, comics, a wall of greeting cards, newspapers, and magazines. So it’s like a news stand too.
I could spend time in here, it takes me back to simpler days.

This San Pedro bookstore has been in business since 1909, and while it’s a little down on its heels, it’s hella worth visiting and supporting.
C. and I stopped by Friday afternoon while walking around downtown San Pedro, and we walked away with several choice items. There’s a good local books section, and an even better local author, small press and poetry section. In addition, there’s at least two stands of comic books — nice to see in a general interest store of any stripe!
We picked up a book of Charles Bukowski poems (he ended his days in San Pedro) and a collection of editorials by the founding editor of Random Lengths, San Pedro’s alt. biweekly, as well as several local postcards. While there, we were treated to overheard conversations about politics, and at checkout, we had a great conversation of our own!
Our Bukowski buy inspired a discussion about how they needed to order more of his books — «All the good stuff is gone.» — and other matters. We spoke of Dan Fante, «Chump Change,» and his upcoming October reading in the shop.
And it struck me that even if Williams’ isn’t the best book store — about half the shop is underutilized, and they don’t have a ton of stock — it is the kind of bookstore that you should support if you’re a local. Buy all your books there, special order, and help keep a vibrant, independent, local business alive.
If I lived there, I’d stop by weekly just to say hi and catch up on the news.