Set in an intimate, 900-square-foot space, this Outer Sunset newcomer opened in 2017. Now you can nab a book alongside a cup of Trouble Coffee while waiting for a table at Outerlands. (The Trouble parklet out front has become a popular spot for reading on sunny days.) Black Bird owner Kathryn Grantham comes with a literary pedigree: She was formerly the founder of New York’s famed feminist collective bookshop, Bluestockings. This airy, uncrowded space is thoughtfully curated, showcasing fewer than 300 titles. Rather than dusty, packed shelves, you’ll find a thoughtful selection of contemporary fiction and nonfiction, most displayed alongside handwritten notes from the staff. In back, a treehouse mural stretches over the sizeable children’s section. Stop by for free kids’ storytime every Saturday at 9:30am.
San Francisco has long been known as a literary city, from the famously counterculture City Lights to the arrival of Browser Books in the ‘70s. In the ensuing years, dozens of bookstores have cropped up to serve communities across the city, spanning Potrero Hill to the Outer Sunset. Some specialize in sci-fi and horror; others in hidden-gem cookbooks; still others in rare design tomes. Whatever you’re hunting for, you’ll find inspiration among these shelves.
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