The Last Bookstore

What The Last Bookstore does

The Last Bookstore is a privately held, founder-owned independent bookstore network founded in 2005 by Josh Spencer in a downtown Los Angeles loft and grown over 18 years into California's largest new and used book and record store. The company operates four distinct physical retail locations: a 22,000+ square foot flagship in the historic Spring Arts Tower in downtown Los Angeles (housing over 500,000 books and records, a Rare Book Annex, art galleries, and event space), a Studio City/North Hollywood location, a sub-brand called Lost Books in Montrose, and Skull-Face Books & Vinyl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Each location carries a differentiated brand identity and physical aesthetic — from the marble-columned bank interior of the flagship to the plant-filled maze of Lost Books to the counterculture focus of Skull-Face — indicating a deliberate multi-brand portfolio strategy rather than store replication.

The business model is multi-stream retail: new books (sold via a Bookshop.org affiliate partnership), used and rare books (in-store plus an eBay storefront), vinyl records and CDs spanning multiple genres, branded merchandise (apparel, mugs, stickers, baby items priced $3.95–$50), custom curated book bundles shipped nationwide, gift cards, venue rental for events and film shoots, and ticketed event programming (notably the Spring Arts Tower Takeover multi-floor pop-up market). A buyback program purchases quality used books and vinyl from customers at 20–50% of resale value, providing a low-cost inventory pipeline. The technology stack is minimal — a Wix-built e-commerce site for merchandise and information, plus marketplace integrations — with no proprietary platform, no mobile app, and no AI features. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: organic social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X), an email newsletter, earned media coverage in major outlets, and large in-person activations drive foot traffic to the physical stores.

The company is fully self-funded with no institutional investors, no parent company, and no recorded funding rounds. Josh and Jenna Spencer remain the owners, and the operation is described as having survived pandemics, strikes, fires, and rising costs. The customer base is mass-market consumer retail — individual book buyers, vinyl collectors, gift purchasers, tourists, and rare-book enthusiasts — supplemented by a small B2B venue rental stream. The brand is self-described as "the most photographed bookstore in the world" and has been nominated for Top 10 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World by 1000libraries, supporting a strong destination-retail positioning anchored to the downtown LA flagship.

Name

The Last Bookstore

Legal name

The Last Bookstore

Website

https://lastbookstorela.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Last Bookstore is a privately held, founder-owned independent bookstore network operating four retail locations across California and Hawaii, selling new, used, and rare books, vinyl records, and branded merchandise, anchored by a 22,000+ square foot flagship in downtown Los Angeles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Bookstore Retail

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592), Used Merchandise Retailers (4595)

SIC

Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399)

akta.pro primary industry

Used, Rare & Antiquarian Bookstores (CRALAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Bookstores (New Books) (CRALAAAA)

Keywords

• Used book retail
• Independent bookstore
• Vinyl record store
• Rare book collectibles
• Curated book bundles

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Book Sales: Sales of new, used, and rare books from physical store locations and online. New books sold through Bookshop.org affiliate partnership; used books sold through eBay and in-store.
2. Vinyl Records Sales: Buy, sell, and trade vinyl records, CDs, and DVDs across all store locations.
3. Curated Book Bundles: Custom-curated book bundles shipped to customers based on their genre preferences and budget. Includes options for approval or surprise delivery, with gift wrapping and handwritten notes available for additional fee.
4. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts), accessories (trucker hats, stickers), drinkware (mugs, enamel mugs), and baby items.
5. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold for use across all store locations.
6. Venue Rental: Space rental for events including book launches, film shoots, performances, and parties among the book stacks.
7. Event Tickets: Ticketed events such as the Spring Arts Tower Takeover pop-up market, with advance tickets including store discounts.
8. Book Buyback: Purchase of quality used books and vinyl from customers. Cash offers at 20-50% of resale value or trade credit at 50% more value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Last Bookstore operates four physical retail locations in California and Hawaii that sell new books, used books, rare and collectible books, vinyl records, CDs, and DVDs, along with branded merchandise and gift cards. The flagship Downtown LA store spans 22,000+ square feet inside the historic Spring Arts Tower and holds 500,000+ books and records, complemented by venue rental, curated mail-order book bundles, a book and vinyl buyback program, and ticketed event programming such as the Spring Arts Tower Takeover pop-up market.

Product overview

The Last Bookstore is a multi-location independent bookstore network consisting of four distinct physical retail locations (Downtown LA flagship, Studio City, Montrose/Lost Books, and Honolulu/Skull-Face) offering new and used books, rare collectibles, vinyl records, curated book bundles, merchandise, gift cards, venue rental, and event programming. The flagship Downtown LA store is California's largest new and used book and record store at over 22,000 square feet with 500,000+ items. The company operates as a unified brand across these locations, each with its own distinct character while sharing common product categories including new/used/rare books, vinyl, and curated bundles. New books are sold via Bookshop.org partnership, while used books are available both in-store and through eBay. The company also offers venue rental services and hosts pop-up market events like the Spring Arts Tower Takeover.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Used Books Hand-picked, sorted, and meticulously shelved used books sold both in-store across all four locations and through an eBay storefront (username: thelastbookstore), covering fiction, nonfiction, art, philosophy, horror, true crime, sci-fi/fantasy, graphic novels, and young adult.
• New Books New books sold through a Bookshop.org affiliate partnership so that purchases route revenue back to The Last Bookstore while supporting independent bookstores overall.
• Rare & Collectible Books First editions, signed books, and fine art, photography, and architecture/design books housed in a privately gated Rare Book Annex at the Downtown LA flagship, targeting both new buyers and serious collectors.
• Vinyl Records Buy, sell, and trade vinyl LPs, 45s, 12-inch records, and 78s spanning the 1950s to present across genres including rock, soul, jazz, blues, hip hop, punk, experimental, and metal at all store locations.
• Curated Book Bundles Custom-curated book bundles shipped nationwide based on customer budget and genre preferences, with optional pre-approval, surprise delivery, gift wrapping, handwritten notes, and a 2-day rush option for $25 extra.
• Branded Merchandise Branded apparel and accessories including T-shirts ($28), hoodies ($50), zip hoodies ($50), sweatshirts ($48), trucker hats ($25), stickers ($3.95), mugs ($18-$20), enamel mugs ($20), and baby onesies ($24).
• Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards redeemable across all The Last Bookstore, Lost Books, and Skull-Face Books & Vinyl store locations.
• Venue Rental Space rental at the Downtown LA flagship for book launches, film shoots, band performances, private parties, and other events hosted among the bookstore stacks and art galleries.
• Spring Arts Tower Takeover Event Ticketed multi-floor pop-up market event featuring hundreds of vendors across all twelve floors of the historic Spring Arts Tower plus the bookstore itself, with $5 general admission tickets sold in 2-hour time slots and an included $3 store coupon.
• Book & Vinyl Buyback Service Service for customers to sell or donate used books and vinyl, including appointment-based buying at the Downtown LA store, free LA County pickups via Re-Book-It, and cash offers at 20-50% of resale value or trade credit at 50% more value.

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted 'the most photographed bookstore in the world'
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Powell's City of Books: Portland-based independent bookstore often cited as the largest used/new bookstore in the US, occupying an entire city block. Directly comparable as a flagship-scale, destination independent bookstore combining new, used, and rare books with strong brand identity.
• The Strand Bookstore: Iconic New York City independent bookstore famous for rare, used, and new books. Comparable as a tourism-driven, icon-status independent bookstore with a strong rare-book annex and event programming.
• City Lights Booksellers: Historic San Francisco independent bookstore and publisher, founded 1953. Comparable as a long-running, culturally significant independent bookstore with deep community/author-event programming and a destination identity.
• Book Soup: Sunset Strip, Los Angeles independent bookstore known for celebrity author events and curated stock. Directly comparable as a Los Angeles indie bookstore with strong event-driven GTM and tourist appeal.
• Vroman's Bookstore: Pasadena-based independent bookstore, the oldest and largest independent bookstore in the Los Angeles area. Comparable as a SoCal flagship-scale independent bookstore with event programming and broad new/used inventory.
• Green Apple Books: San Francisco independent bookstore with new and used inventory plus a dedicated rare/annex room. Comparable as a California independent bookstore combining new, used, and rare books with a multi-floor destination experience.
• Tattered Cover Book Store: Denver-based independent bookstore with multiple locations, strong author-event programming, and a dedicated rare/collectibles annex. Comparable as a multi-location independent bookstore chain with event-led GTM and curated inventory.
• BookPeople: Austin, Texas independent bookstore with deep event programming and a community-mission focus. Comparable as an event-driven, community-led independent bookstore of similar flagship scale.

Emerging players

• Shakespeare and Company: Paris-based legendary English-language independent bookstore with global tourist destination status. Comparable in cultural cachet and 'must-visit' destination identity, though operating in a different geography and language market.

Regional players

• Daunt Books: London-based independent bookstore chain known for galleried Edwardian flagship spaces and curated travel/literature stock. Comparable as a destination-identity, architecturally distinctive independent bookstore, though serving a UK market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lastbookstorela
• Facebookfacebook.com/lastbookstore
• Instagraminstagram.com/lastbookstorela
• TikToktiktok.com/@lastbookstorela
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-last-bookstore

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Last Bookstore