Encore Books

Unearthed a bunch of obscure sci-​fi novels from the sands of time for about as many dollars. Enough said.

very good selection, books on every subject. the store goes for rooms and rooms, one thing to know is that it’s cash only.

I’ve only been here once so far but I spent hours in there browsing! I only came out with three books but that’s a good start for a slow reader like me. A very large collection of old and new books. Some collectibles, some super old rare stuff I enjoyed just looking through.
The volunteers are very nice and helpful if you need suggestions or just help finding something. The store is located in the basement under the museum. It’s huge! I thought the front room was big, but then I turned into one of the other rooms and was surprised all over again. Lots and lots of books located in many rooms.
Loved being able to just browse through all the books. The hours here are very limited though — I’m still not sure when they’re open or not or if there’s any set hours. Just look for their banner and a rack of books outside the basement entrance.
When I visited, it was super stuffy in the shop. Another reason I had to cut my visit short, as I was developing a headache and needed water! I’ll be back to add to my ever growing book collection.

Funder’s Bookstore is synonymous with Encore Books. The banner out front indicates that they’re open. The hours aren’t long as it’s run by volunteers.
As other reviewers have noted, the variety of older (sometimes century+ old) books is excellent, and the prices are more than reasonable if you find something you want. The signed books, on the other hand, are generally overpriced, with a few exceptions which I bought!
For the browser, the sections in which I note the best selection are fiction (hardback); oversized art & architecture books; sci-​fi; and romance (paperback).

I have a huge problem with this store … I can never leave without buying several books! I love it here. The selection is phenomenal. Lots of rooms to explore on every subject imaginable (including a great ’ weird’ section). Classics to SciFi to cookbooks … And a great collection of rare books. If you haven’t been here you have to come visit. The books are super cheap and you’ll be helping a great cause as proceeds support the work of the Historical Association. Win win!

There aren’t as many used bookstores around as there used to be but this one is terrific. Plenty of non-​fiction plus a whole ginormous room full of paperback fiction if that’s more your thing. I’ve made a number of very interesting finds here too, you never know what you might come across! Prices are very reasonable as well.

I’ve been looking for a place like this for a long time. Big selection, cheap books. Great!

This is a fabulous used bookstore. No matter what your taste this bookstore has it all; And the prices are the lowest of any local used bookstores. They have a large collection of cookbooks, a huge mystery section, and a large selection of recent bestsellers as well as old books, hard to find books, art books. It’s in the basement of the Redwood City Old Courthouse which is now a museum.

I love the Funder’s! It’s actually a pretty good bookstore. Cheap books, as I bought ten books for 27 $. Granted, this place does not have a great selection of kid’s books, but it has everything else, including antique selections.
Staffs are so good and the lady is amazingly good… Great place to buy different types of book.

The place has changed its name to Encore Books on the Square, but its quirky atmosphere remains the same. The place is a maze. You walk into a huge room… turn the corner… and find MORE rooms stuffed with used books. Prices are the lowest you’d find in any area and all profits go to support the history museum!

This is amazing bookstore. There is so much to see it’s endless. They are used books that are donated to the bookstore. The basement is very large and they have the books categorized and organized really well. Then they have a little special section where they sell first editions, signed copies by the author, and some very old books that are just beautiful. As a book lover, I can spend so much time in there shifting through out this diamond mine of a bookstore to find that really special gem. I have found so many. The prices are very reasonable too. Also, the staff are really sweet people. The most terrific thing of all, the money goes towards a really good cause. The money goes to the local historic society. I highly recommend going. If you love books and treasure hunting, you’ll love this store!

Best kept used-​bookstore secret. Very reasonably priced. It’s my first stop when looking for required reading books for high school or a novel that’s finally climbed down the best sellers list. Donate your used books (& as I recently learned, stamp collections are accepted) here, also to support the museum.

Yay! Unfortunately, this bookstore is quasi-​hidden, underneath the San Mateo County Historical Museum.
We were eating lunch one day on the courtyard, and H wanted to check out the bookstore. To be frank, I would not have noticed the bookstore if he had not mentioned it. Walking into the bookstore was a little awkward since it seems like we were walking into a tunnel. Nevertheless, the bookstore is AMMMMAZINGGGG!!!
They have newly used books (New York Times Best Sellers) to really old books. This place is pretty much like a library, but you donate your purchases to the museum. Most of the books range from 50 cents to 5 bucks!
I purchased a newly used book,“The Friday Night Knitting Club,” for $ 1.50! =D

Surprisingly large store — you expect it to be a room in the museum, but it’s not. It takes up most of the basement of the huge museum building, which is a former courthouse. Probably 20,000+ books in there.
Some of the sections are junky and need to be purged, and the «collectibles» section is strictly for nostalgia seekers, but overall the quality of books was reasonable, as were the prices.

Great little used bookstore in the basement of the San Mateo County Historical Museum. Quite a few cheap books in decent to new condition. They have a room just for paperbacks and almost all of them are a dollar each. They also have quite a collection of collectible and old books. The volunteers are eager to help you find the books you want or need.
The reason the hours are so few is because the people who volunteer there are retirees and senior citizens, many of them have a difficult time driving because of their eyesight.
Instead of complaining about the hours, why don’t you all actually *volunteer* there to help solve this problem?
(I would volunteer but I don’t live in California.)

Short hours, stellar prices. I just bought eleven or twelve books for $ 24. Some of the books were NEW hardbound bestsellers. Granted, this place does not have a great selection of kid’s books, but it has everything else, including antique selections. The little old lady volunteers are sweet as can be. Great place to go!

I love the Funder’s Book Store! Cheap books, the thrill of the hunt, friendly old lady volunteers! Less one star for short hours, and wish they had even more books. The book sale monthly at the San Carlos library has a better selection.

Finding this store is kind of a surprise. It’s actually a pretty good used bookstore. I just wished they had longer hours.

The Funders Bookstore can be found in a tiny pocket within the San Mateo County Historical Museum in Redwood City. What makes this an ideal loot-​finding adventure is that the majority of the books are in near-​fine condition, and no ex-​library. Proceeds go to fund the historical society.
If you are collector this is where you should be shopping.
Now, it looks as if the seasoned volunteers do high-​grade the books and set aside a collectible section-​but its obvious collectibles and to the untrained eye an old book is not necessarily a «collectible» book-​but its how much research do they do? Probably not alot because its too time-​consuming.
I consider this bookstore, one of untapped wonders-​so much that on my very first visit I uncovered a Near Fine, First Edition Susan Orlean-​not bad for paying $ 2.50 for a book that is worth $ 175 on the open market!