Bart's Books

“the most divinely dressed bookshop in all of the lands”

“I like bookstores a lot and this is one of the coolest I’ve ever been to. While Ojai is quaint and beautiful, getting to visit Bart’s books was literally the highlight of the whole trip. As an “outdoor bookstore,” Barts draws you in with an exterior wall covered in books—all of them $1!!! Inside is a sprawling labyrinth of both new and very old, very rare knowledge. There are so many rooms dedicated to so many topics. I barely got through half of them before I was dragged onto the next location with an armful of books and hardly a dent in my bank account. I truly cannot recommend this place enough. ever since I’ve gone, I have yearned to go back. it is well worth a day trip.”

“the world’s largest outdoor bookstore!!! i spent over 2 hours here and got so many amazing vintage, unique books. their website says they have 130,000 books, new and used. i was visiting from nyc, so they shipped everything to my apartment for like $10!”

“I love that Ojai's iconic outdoor book shop was inspired by les bouquinistes, the famous Paris booksellers along the Seine. The founder of Bart's got the idea on a trip to Paris and brought it back to California, hoping to transform this corner of Ojai into the Left Bank. And I also love that the outer shelves still run on the honor system, so you can buy a book even after hours. When I helped my Mom move out of her Ojai house, we sold boxes and boxes of books to Bart’s. It felt good to leave a piece of ourselves there, and I can always spot at least one of her books whenever I go back.”

“World’s largest outdoor independently owned bookstore. After hours you can leave payment for books on the honor system in a coffee can. Used and new books- super cute!”

“the most magical little bookstore in the most magical little town!”

“Any good bookstore has its own claim to literary fame, and Bart's Books in Ojai, California, boasts a stellar one: it's the largest outdoor bookstore in the world with 150,000+ new and used titles. This is not an oh-let's-just-pop-in-for-a-minute place; you'll need to settle in for proper, leisurely browsing. Just be sure to leave with enough time to catch the sunset because by some phenomenon of light and...dust?...the Topatopa mountains will be bathed in brilliant pinks and purples for a few stunning moments. I'm not making this up.”

“I bought a Bart’s Books tote bag from a vintage store in NYC because I liked the design/alliteration in the name and I looked it up and it’s been on my #wanttogo list ever since”

“I came here once more than 10 years ago and still remember everything about it so vividly: the hot Ojai sun; the rows and rows of outdoor shelves; the books I brought home, like Aimee Bender's Willful Creatures, which I still have. I thought I'd never be able to find this place again until I stumbled across it on this site! Amazing!”

“Visited back in 2024, haven't been anywhere quite like it <3”