The Last Bookstore

On the corner of Fifth and Spring in downtown Los Angeles sits an unassuming bookstore. You have to be looking to find it. The first time you visit, drop bookstore expectations as you walk through the antique entryway into the cavernous space inside. Outside there may be panhandlers, financial district workers, loft dwellers or the urbane hip enjoying the renaissance of a neighborhood once deemed too unsafe to walk in. That’s changing. Inside it’s quiet and serene.

The Last Bookstore is was created by a quiet visionary, Josh Spencer, who began by staring up at the 25 foot ceilings during nights spent in the 10,000 foot space. He was getting a feel for what the space might lend its self to and imagining a community that would be drawn in. He never thought his creation of an actual bookstore would survive, but it’s outlived his expectations and been embraced in an era when bookstores, especially independent ones, are being deleted by digital readers.

Downstairs there are rows and stacks, a central check out island, a stage and seating. Other similarities to traditional book and mortar bookstores end there. Tucked into corners and along the roof line, along the walls and especially on a mezzanine wrapping around the space, are numerous artworks. Most of them incorporate books, pages curled and even old printing plates lift from the floor in a hornlike sculpture.

Visiting the Labyrinth – over six thousand additional feet of upstairs galleries – takes some sleuthing for the stairway is tucked on the opposite corner from the entrance. It’s well worth the effort. The narrow stairs lead up to a landing that faces a rotating series of installations. In between the public art lies a private enterprise zone comprised of a row of small shops and galleries tucked along a slim corridor. At the end are more stacks of books and what’s best? The upstairs volumes are all priced at $1.

If you’re a dedicated page turner, do yourself a favor and spend a few hours on the floor(s) the next time you get to downtown Los Angeles. Find out more about the bookstore, performances, the Speakeasy and other events at their website: The Last Bookstore.

Their address is 453 S. Spring St. in Downtown LA.

Photo courtesy of the author, Elaine J. Masters