The Last Bookstore
Bookstore in Los Angeles, California, U.S.
 | |
| Industry | Specialty retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 (2005) |
| Founder | Josh Spencer |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Number of locations | 1 store |
Area served | Los Angeles metropolitan area |
| Products | New, used and rare books |
| Owner | Josh Spencer |
Number of employees | 50+ |
| Website | lastbookstorela |
The Last Bookstore is an independent bookstore located at 453 S Spring Street, Downtown Los Angeles. Conde Nast Traveler called it California’s largest new and used bookstore.[1]
History
The store was founded in 2005 by Josh Spencer, the first incarnation being inside a Downtown Los Angeles loft. While here, the store sold books and other items online, then, in December 2009, it opened a bookstore at 4th and Main Street. The bookstore moved to its current 22,000 sq. ft. location in the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring Street on June 3, 2011.[2][3][4][5] The current store, a former bank, contains two floors and also includes the bank's former vault.[further explanation needed]
Vox reported that the store creates visual merchandising through creative displays and book sculptures, which attracts Instagram users, "in the hope of trying to convert Instagram visitors into book purchasers."[5]
In 2021, the bookstore installed a plant wall to the famous book tunnel. The store also features a restaurant: Yuko Kitchen.[6]
Media
Filmmaker Chad Howitt chronicled The Last Bookstore and its owner, Spencer, in a short documentary titled Welcome to the Last Bookstore, released in 2016. It tells the story of how Spencer was injured as a young man and lost the use of his legs, forcing him to re-examine his life.[7] Los Angeles Film Review called the effort an "ode to resilience."[8]
In popular culture
The bookstore appeared in the 2014 David Fincher movie Gone Girl, and also in the 2018 movie Under the Silver Lake, directed by David Robert Mitchell.[9][10]
The bookstore featured in the 2021 Netflix series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.[11]
References
- ^ "The Last Bookstore: Our Review". Conde Nast. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ Bartlett, James (14 May 2014). "Josh Spencer: The Last Bookstore Owner". LA Weekly. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (15 June 2011). "Downtown L.A.'s the Last Bookstore defies trends". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Inside 'The Last Bookstore' in Downtown Los Angeles". Untapped Cities.
- ^ a b Chittal, Nisha (19 December 2018). "Independent bookstores are growing — and Instagram helped". Vox.
- ^ "The Last Bookstore Los Angeles Installs Living Plant Wall at New Location". Sunset Magazine. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ Ajaka, Nadine (August 18, 2016). "The Man Behind 'The Last Bookstore'". The Atlantic.
- ^ Grey, Linn (23 May 2016). "Review – Welcome to the Last Bookstore". Los Angeles Film Review.
- ^ "Gone Girl – Filming & Production". IMDb. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Under the Silver Lake – Filming & Production". IMDb. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Turchiano, Danielle (13 January 2021). "Netflix Announces Elisa Lam Docuseries 'Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
External links
- Official website
- "The Man Behind 'The Last Bookstore'" The Atlantic
34°02′52″N 118°14′59″W / 34.04773°N 118.24982°W / 34.04773; -118.24982
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