Paperback Alley Used Books

Goleta, United States

4.4

Closed now

17 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 805-967-1051
Address:
5840 Hollister Ave, Goleta, CA, 93117
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
250 ftHollister & Nectarine
460 ftHollister & Pine
490 ftHollister & Orange
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes

Today

Today 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Goleta) 19:02 Friday, 30 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday –

Nearby

Near this location:
30
ft
The Jewelry Mart
5850 Hollister Ave
80
ft
Swim With Phyn
5826 Hollister Ave
80
ft
Altamirano’s Mexican Grill
5838 Hollister Ave
100
ft
Epic Motorsports
5836 Hollister Ave
110
ft
El Caporal Market 1
5858 Hollister Ave
130
ft
Ocean Cab & Limo

17 reviews of Paperback Alley Used Books

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
The hubby and I stopped through Santa Barbara on our trip through Hwy 1, and I landed here by absolute chance while he was at a motorcycle dealership next door. Let me tell you, I am so glad that I did! I’m an avid booklover, and am always elated to find locally owned bookstores.
This bookstore has a very large selection, and all of the prices are VERY reasonable. I spent 16 dollars and left with 4 books, if that tells you anything. My husband had to practically drag me out of here before I lost myself in the vortex of booklovers’ land ;-)
If you are a booklover and happen to stop by in Santa Barbara, make sure you visit here! The smell of books in here was to die for.
Place rating: 2
North Hollywood, CA
This bookstore is in downtown Goleta which isn’t a nice area. Finding parking around here is a major challenge.
The customer service is good. Too bad this place is right near a Mexican restaurant and the smell carried into the bookstore to the point that it made it unpleasant to browse around. The selection isn’t great, mostly paperbacks, romance novels, etc. You might find a small gem, but the price is high — at least $ 7 for a used book.
It’s a good place for the area and I’m glad it’s around. Check it out only if you live in the area.
Place rating: 5
Laguna Niguel, CA
I adore this book store. It has a great selection of classics, and a wide variety of various reads. Every time before a long road trip, I make sure to stop in and by an audiobook.
The owner is extremely kind and helpful, with excellent taste in literature and will give you great recommendations if you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for.
Thank you Paperback Alley!
Place rating: 5
Goleta, CA
This is a great used bookstore.
She (the owner?) has a large selection of sci-​fi and romance with smaller but nicely sized selections of popular literature, classic literature, children’s books, history, etc. She was very knowledgeable about the selection and knew exactly what she had or didn’t have. Most of the books I looked at were in the $ 7 – 9 range and the sci-​fi books were more like $ 2 – 3. I walked out with seven nice paperbacks. The great selection, organization of the store and friendliness of the owner make this a five-​star place. I will definitely be back.
Notes: Street parking. She takes credit cards, score!
Place rating: 4
Goleta, CA
I want to go all the time.
Place rating: 5
Naples, CA
I had so much fun exploring this store! I went in looking to complete a set of children’s serial novels and wound up finding so much more: The staff was so helpful and knowledgable, the layout was logical and well ordered, and the selection was amazing. Fair prices too. Was feeling the lack of air conditioning, but worth the trouble for my treasures! Worth a check.
Place rating: 5
Santa Barbara, CA
What a find !!! A used book store very well organized and super helpful owner. I could spend hours here !!!
Place rating: 5
Long Beach, CA
I’ve been searching for a Kim Harrison book for about 2 years now and found it here! The lady working was so helpful and friendly. She even offered holding a book because I couldn’t remember which other ones in the series I already had.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Five stars for a currently open used book store, which means books you want to read for a cheaper price. I Unilocaled bookstores while I was in Santa Barbara and this store popped up. I wanted to start reading the game of thrones series because I enjoyed the tv show so much. When I walked in a lady greeted me and this small store was filled to the ceiling with books. I asked for the book and she came back and found it within 2 minutes!
It was only $ 8.50?! Maybe this was a normal price for a used book, but I’m not used to paying so little for entertainment. Did I really just spend under $ 10 of the first season of this show in 1 book (perhaps even more of this show in one book?). Yes and yes. I will definitely be back. Please support this place. It is an asset to this city. Thank you Paperback Alley Used Books!
–Tej
Place rating: 4
Lompoc, CA
I stopped in here today on my way to the Santa Barbara Zoo with my two little boys. The selection is great! They’ve managed to use every square inch of the place, squeezing tons of titles everywhere. The store is clean, neat and very well organized. The owners were great with my two boys too. It’s always difficult taking my boys into book stores as they are usually loud and curious and I’ve often gotten the stink eye from store managers but not here. They even helped me find some great stuff for my wife. Knowledgeable, good service, I’ll come back here every chance I get.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I have a lot of love for Paperback Alley; I used to live just down the block, so I spent a lot of time browsing in here. The owners obviously love books, and there’s an impressive selection tucked into the shelves.
They’re also easy to work with if you want to negotiate a trade, or sell them a book. Just great people!
Place rating: 4
Santa Barbara, CA
My son needed a book for a UCSB English class, at the last minute of course. Paperback Alley had a copy, at a greatly reduced price. Small bookstore, locally owned. They know their stock, and the proprietor is very helpful.
Place rating: 5
Goleta, CA
I was recently on the hunt for 2 books in a particular series. Paperback Alley was my first stop and of course they had both books I was looking for, plus tons more by that author. The woman working was extremely knowledgeable about all of the books my mom and I asked her about. The books seem to sell for about half of the new price. What a fantastic used bookstore!
Place rating: 4
Lemoore, CA
Not a bad little place. Varied selection of used books at a decent price. Seems relatively weightier on the fantasy/​sci-​fi selection than most other places, but has most genres in general. Takes in trades for store credit.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Been going here since I was a kid. It has that lovely cozy bookstore feel.
Good fantasy Sci Fi selection.
Local independent book store.
Place rating: 4
Pittsburgh, PA
Love this store! It is so cute and has a pretty good selection actually! I’ve bought a lot of classics and cook books here :)
Kind of a bummer though because I don’t know how they can compete when you can order books online so cheap!
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
This great used book store is tucked away in Old Town Goleta. The bookshelves are jam-​packed with used paperbacks with a few hardcovers and more rare books behind the counter. I mostly read contemporary fiction and was not disappointed by the selection. There was also a ton of Sci-​fi, Fantasy, Mystery, and Romance.
The pricing was a bit higher than I was expecting. Most books were about half their new retail price, so the trade paperbacks were $ 6 – 7, compared to the $ 3 or so you would pay at the library book sale or the thrift store. They will also buy books for store credit only, but they are picky about what they take. They bought two of the eight books I brought in for $ 2 each.
Overall, I recommend this store for those looking for a serendipitous browsing experience and who don’t mind paying a little more to support a local business.