PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

For book lovers and their little ones, there’s San Francisco’s eclectic independent bookstore Dog Eared Books. A sibling to Phoenix Books and Red Hill Books, Dog Eared is the largest and most eclectic bookstore around. Situated in the city’s Mission district, the store is near several neighborhood amenities such as cleaners, coffee houses, and independent shops. But none of that matters. Once you get inside Dog Eared, you’ll have a hard time wanting to ever leave.

A new and used bookstore, Dog Eared Books carries 85 percent used selections while also offering the hottest and most popular reads. This establishment is a far cry from a dusty used bookstore. Services include renting audiobooks for 50 cents a day (or $2.50 per week), carrying both cassette and CD format. They buy and sell audiobooks. They sell “remainder” books, new books that are discounted because they are overstock or are slightly damaged. Sell them your books any time during business hours, and receive cash or store credit, or a combo of each. Valuing literary giants as well as local talent, Dog Eared Books will even carry a book you yourself have written (if deemed worthy, of course).

Dog Eared Books carries a very casual, funky atmosphere that only independent bookstores can pull off, and is a great hangout for readers and their mini-readers. As a parent, you know: bookstores, with their quieter atmosphere, can either be heaven or hell with children, depending on their unpredictable-and-volatile-as-weather-like moods. This bookstore is a hit. The store is large and open, with tall windows shedding plenty of light over nicely stacked books to meander through (even with a skinny stroller). The creaking wooden floors, natural-material shelves, and stacks and stacks of books render this bookstore timeless. Tucked away in various corners of Dog Eared are comfortable chairs—important for resting tired little feet, convenient for snuggling up to a picture book.

The staff is notoriously knowledgeable and eager. Readers can sit for as long as you desire—hours, some customers have claimed to sit for—without feeling rushed, a vital consideration when you’re out browsing with children. Customers have even been seen shuffling in for a new good read in their pajamas. Not to say that the place lacks a certain literary panache and class (true to its old-school style, the store even posts a sign out front asking customers to please finish their phone conversations before entering and browsing).

If you’re looking for a more structured experience for your little literati (ages five and under), visit the store at 10:30 am for free storytime. Parents can meanwhile relax and sneak in a few pages on their own—not to mention that, in the age of book superstores and designer coffee, it feels great to support local businesses.