Stacey's Bookstore   

581 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-421-4687
www.staceys.com

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Established in 1923, Stacey's is San Francisco's oldest and largest independent bookstore. It has little but size, though, to differentiate it from a Doubleday or Barnes and Noble. Though it can be rather cold, with employees apparently trained to keep their eyes on the front door, Stacey's does have some charm. It has three floors plus a mezzanine and each floor contains a different specialty. The main floor stacks all the bestsellers and fiction right up in the front near the cash registers, plus staff recommendations on the side, many of which sell at a 25-percent discount. The mezzanine is to the rear, with a large selection of magazines, and above that the second floor stocks the computer books. The basement holds a substantial collection of books on medicine. Because BART is only a block away, there is an entertaining "BART-Muni read" section, as well as an "Around the Bay" area with two shelves full of San Franciscana. Stacey's has no surprises; it's just a down-to-earth, solid Market Street bookstore.