Owners: Dan and Linda Schmenk

Founded: 2001

This little bookstore is located off a strip of the Balboa Peninsula, in a snug corner of the Lido Marina Village, a shopping oasis with modern, beach cottage store fronts.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the store was the old-fashioned sign post located to the left of the cashier, directing customers to the different book genres. When I began talking to Dan, the owner of Lido Village Books, he told me the story of where the inspiration came from. His wife Linda, a co-owner of the shop, and a classics fanatic, took them on a literary tour of the Jane Austen country side in England. They came to a stop on the road in a quaint little village and he looked up, noticing the old road signs. He had been wanting to make something of the large black pillar in the middle of the shop, and looking at these signs he immediately found inspiration. He hand made the signs himself, modeled after an 1800’s English sign post, and it is now one of the most charming aspects of the store front.

THE STORY

Lido Marina Village has undergone years of construction, and this little bookstore was the only shop to survive and stay open all four years of construction. Even though it was a difficult time, Dan says it was one of their best decisions to stick it through and keep the shop open, which is now flourishing in its prime harbor location. With new designs and display renovations, this bookshop is a literary hub inside and out.

NOTABLE SECTIONS

All of the books are hand-picked, based on employee and customer preferences. They have over 8,000 titles, which are mostly new. The collections are neatly organized with unique literary gifts scattered all over the store- pillows, hand bags, pins.

There is also a nice children’s section with room to sit and read. Across from the children’s section, you can find a circular table in the front of the store devoted to recent best sellers.

Lido Village Books also has an impressive fiction and non-fiction Nautical section (fit for the location!) and a great magazine stand.

CAFES AND RESTAURANTS NEAR BY

On Wednesdays, Lido Marina Village has a farmer’s market, with beautiful selections of organic produce, hummus and dips, fresh fruit and flowers. If you visit Lido Village Books, pick up a bestseller, and make your way across the street to read your new find with your toes dipping in the water, overlooking the harbor of sailboats and enjoying nice, warm California weather.

If you are looking for a bite to eat afterwards, and a cozy spot to read your new find, there is a new cafe across the street called Honor Coffee Roasters where you can sit outside under an umbrella and enjoy a relaxing cappuccino and novel.

Used Books: ✕
Rare Books: ✕

Cafe: ✕

Wifi: ✕

Pets: ✓

Website: http://lidovillagebooks.com/

Social: @lidovillagebooks

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