 | |
| Industry | Specialty retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 1976 (1976-10) |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | San Francisco |
| Products | New books |
| Owners | Christin Evans and Praveen Madan[1] |
| Website | www.booksmith.com |
The Booksmith is anindependent bookstore located in theHaight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. When first opened in October 1976, the store was located at 1746 Haight Street, below the formerI-Beam nightclub. In 1985, the store moved to 1644 Haight Street at Belvedere, about a block and a half from the intersection of Haight and Ashbury. In 2021 the store moved down the street to 1727 Haight, the former site of its sister bookstore, the Bindery, now defunct.
The Booksmith caters to neighborhood residents as well as tourists seeking the counter-cultural ambiance ofHaight Street. The Booksmith is general interest shop, and is a member of both the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) and theAmerican Booksellers Association (ABA).
In June 2007, The Booksmith was sold by its founder Gary Frank to married couple Christin Evans and Praveen Madan.[2] The original business was closed, and a new business, Haight Booksmith LLC, opened in its place. According to media reports at the time, the new owners plan to take the store in a different direction.[3][4]
In May 2011,SF Weekly in its "Best of San Francisco" issue named Booksmith the city's "Best Reimagined Bookstore". Describing the changes to the bookstore, "The new owners gutted the clogged entranceway, feng shui-ed the interior, and gave it a cool Victorian steampunk black-and-teal paint job... with more than 200 in-store author readings a year, Booksmith is more of a literary mecca than ever."[5]
The store is known for its "ongoing celebrated events program."[6] In the past, the series has featured many authors including novelists, poets, science fiction writers, biographers, historians, cartoonists,Pulitzer Prize, andBooker Prize winners.
Among the celebrated authors who have appeared at past Booksmith events are the Nobel Prize–winning Polish poet Czesław Miłosz, science fiction greatRay Bradbury, gonzo journalistHunter S. Thompson, children's authorLemony Snicket, rock legendsNeil Young andPatti Smith, and photographersRichard Avedon andAnnie Leibovitz. Notably,Beat generation poetAllen Ginsberg gave his last ever reading at The Booksmith, a few months before his death.[7]
Located in the heart of the Haight Ashbury, the store has hosted many individuals associated with the 1960s counter-culture. These include sixties iconTimothy Leary and one-time DiggerPeter Coyote. Among the musicians who have appeared at the store areGrateful Dead band members Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart, as well asGrace Slick (Jefferson Airplane), and Ray Manzarek (The Doors). Some of the Beat-related authors who have appeared at the store includeLawrence Ferlinghetti,Michael McClure, andDiane DiPrima.
Over the years, a number of authors have been employed by The Booksmith, including writerLewis Buzbee (author ofThe Yellow-Lighted Bookshop), novelistKiara Brinkman (author ofUp High in the Trees), syndicated cartoonistTom Tomorrow (author of theThis Modern World comic strip),San Francisco Bay Guardian contributing writer Todd Lavoie, short story writer Lisa K. Buchanan, and humorist Paco Romane.
37°46′11″N122°26′58″W / 37.76972°N 122.44944°W /37.76972; -122.44944