Jump to content

The Last Bookstore

Coordinates: 34°02′52″N 118°14′59″W / 34.04773°N 118.24982°W / 34.04773; -118.24982
From Alfawiki


The Last Bookstore
IndustrySpecialty retail
Founded2005 (2005)
FounderJosh Spencer
Headquarters
Los Angeles
,
United States
Number of locations
1 store
Area served
Los Angeles metropolitan area
ProductsNew, used and rare books
OwnerJosh Spencer
Number of employees
50+
Websitelastbookstorela.com

The Last Bookstore is a independent bookstore based at 453 S Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It has been recognized by Conde Nast Traveler as the largest retailer of new and secondhand books in California.

History

File:Graffiti last bookstore.jpg
Storefront exterior, 2019

Established in 2005 by Josh Spencer, the bookstore initially operated from a loft space in Downtown Los Angeles. During this period, it primarily conducted sales online before launching a physical retail location at the intersection of 4th and Main Street in December 2009. Subsequently, on June 3, 2011, the store relocated to its present premises within the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring Street, occupying approximately 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2).[1][2][3][4] The current venue, which formerly served as a bank, spans two levels and incorporates the original bank vault into its layout.

File:The Last Bookstore Book Window.png
One of several book sculptures featured in the book window display, 2022

According to Vox, the bookstore attracts visitors through imaginative visual merchandising that includes artistic book arrangements and sculptures. This strategy aims to engage Instagram users with the hope of converting their social media interest into actual book sales.[4]

In 2021, a living plant wall was added to enhance the well-known book tunnel feature within the store. Additionally, the premises include a dining option called Yuko Kitchen.[5]

Other locations

In December 2024, The Last Bookstore launched a second outlet spanning 10,000 square feet in Studio City. Furthermore, the proprietors of The Last Bookstore also operate a related venue located in Montrose, California.

Media

In 2016, filmmaker Chad Howitt produced a short documentary titled Welcome to the Last Bookstore, which profiles The Last Bookstore and its proprietor, Spencer. The film explores Spencer's life-changing injury that resulted in paralysis and compelled him to reassess his path. The Los Angeles Film Review praised the documentary as a "tribute to perseverance."

In popular culture

The Last Bookstore was featured in David Fincher’s 2014 film Gone Girl as well as in the 2018 film Under the Silver Lake, directed by David Robert Mitchell. Additionally, the bookstore appeared in the 2021 Netflix documentary series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

External links

Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Template:Downtown Los Angeles

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=The_Last_Bookstore&oldid=31048"