(Photo illustration by Diana Ramirez / De Los; photos by James Carbone / For De Los, Sarahi Apaez / Los Angeles Times, Juli Perez / For De Los, Julie Leopo / For De Los)
10 Latino-owned bookstores and comic shops
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Escape is never guaranteed when delving into a book. Maybe the algorithm sets you up with some bad recommendations or the big-box bookstore just doesn’t jell with your vibe.
Take a deep breath. We’ve got you covered. Peruse a selection of bookstores, comic shops and a few outliers that embrace the cultura and that may be more of a match for your ritmo. Maybe you’re looking for the memoirs of Latinx authors or Chicana activists from a bygone era. There are luchador-inspired works that speak to queer representation or Spanish-language books for elementary students in the community.
Not all books can fit under one roof and that’s beautiful. The same can be said for the Latinx experience.
One common theme throughout this selection of 10 Latinx bookstores is that they seek to create a space where people can exchange ideas — or simply exist — in a world full of noise.
What an embarrassment of riches Southern California has when it comes to Latinx bookstores. We want to give honorable mention to Espacio 1839 in Boyle Heights, a popular community staple that spotlights poetry readings, handcrafted goods, book launch parties and art exhibitions.
Then there’s Libros Lincoln Heights, the narrow single-room bookstore found on North Broadway. The space bolsters a healthy selection of local authors and is an up-and-coming destination for poetry readings that should be on the radar for any readers in Lincoln Heights.
Showing Places
(James Carbone / For De Los)
Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore
Sylmar Book Store
Founded by “Always Running” author Luis J. Rodriguez, his activist partner, Trini Rodriguez, and their brother-in-law Enrique Sanchez, Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore has called the San Fernando Valley home for more than two decades. It started as a simple cafe and bookshop and over time outgrew its former locations to arrive at its current spot, which features a stage and all the makings of a place to exchange ideas.
Yet it’s more than an independent bookstore. It also plays host to visual arts, music, dance and so many more workshops and performances. Think of Tia Chucha’s as a salon, a place to pick up memoirs and novels from BIPOC and queer voices, like Myriam Gurba’s essay collection “Creep: Accusations and Confessions” or “The Four Agreements” from Don Miguel Ruiz.
In the space, participants can join a recurring book club, author events and so many other activities that speak to a love for literature.
Yet it’s more than an independent bookstore. It also plays host to visual arts, music, dance and so many more workshops and performances. Think of Tia Chucha’s as a salon, a place to pick up memoirs and novels from BIPOC and queer voices, like Myriam Gurba’s essay collection “Creep: Accusations and Confessions” or “The Four Agreements” from Don Miguel Ruiz.
In the space, participants can join a recurring book club, author events and so many other activities that speak to a love for literature.
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(Sarahi Apaez / For De Los)
LA Libreria Bookstore
West Adams Book Store
The premise is simple but the mission is never-ending: Provide Spanish-language books for children.
LA Libreria aims to support and promote “bilingualism, biliteracy and biculturalism,” according to co-owner Chiara Arroyo. The bookstore staff curates its own curriculum for schools, educational organizations and, of course, families. Over the last 12 years, the owners have recognized that there is a desire for books detailing the traditions and lives of people in various Spanish-speaking countries that share what it means to be Latino, Latina or Latinx.
Bookstore organizers create special events across L.A. County to promote literacy and access to books. They carry Lil’ Libros books for toddlers and elementary school children, along with chapter books, comics and curated book packages sorted by age groups.
LA Libreria aims to support and promote “bilingualism, biliteracy and biculturalism,” according to co-owner Chiara Arroyo. The bookstore staff curates its own curriculum for schools, educational organizations and, of course, families. Over the last 12 years, the owners have recognized that there is a desire for books detailing the traditions and lives of people in various Spanish-speaking countries that share what it means to be Latino, Latina or Latinx.
Bookstore organizers create special events across L.A. County to promote literacy and access to books. They carry Lil’ Libros books for toddlers and elementary school children, along with chapter books, comics and curated book packages sorted by age groups.
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(James Carbone / For De Los)
Legion Comics
Boyle Heights Book Store
Comic books don’t just tell a story, they give order to an otherwise disorganized world. Legion Comics owner Miguel Millan operates a space that can serve as a core memory for a child who wants to pick up their first comic book off Whittier Boulevard.
When Millan was a kid, all he wanted was to get an autograph from his favorite luchadors, but grown men pushed him away when he attended the lucha libre fights. Years later, the first iteration of Legion Comics featured regular autograph signings with luchadors.
The comic shop boasts multiple nooks and crannies for manga, luchador masks and pulpy-horror comics along with fantasy and mainstream books from DC and Marvel. He also stocks figurines and more obscure collector’s items from yesteryear, like audio comic books on vinyl.
When Millan was a kid, all he wanted was to get an autograph from his favorite luchadors, but grown men pushed him away when he attended the lucha libre fights. Years later, the first iteration of Legion Comics featured regular autograph signings with luchadors.
The comic shop boasts multiple nooks and crannies for manga, luchador masks and pulpy-horror comics along with fantasy and mainstream books from DC and Marvel. He also stocks figurines and more obscure collector’s items from yesteryear, like audio comic books on vinyl.
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(Julie Leopo / For De Los)
Other Books
Boyle Heights Book Store
What started out as a bookshelf at a simple clothing store has morphed over the years into Other Books, co-run by Denice Diaz and Adam Bernales. The shop has been on Cesar Chavez for 14 years and while the concept was not always clear to the community, the mission has always remained the same.
“It was a bit difficult to explain the business,” Bernales said when the shop was called Seite and sat in a corner at Diaz’s mom’s store. “We wanted to provide people access to books that they might not find in the neighborhood. It’s about providing a place where people can read but also ensuring that the bookstore is good for the community.”
That means hosting workshops and speaking events on healthcare issues, art and culture. Previous iterations of the bookstore hosted concerts and book events.
“We’re open to working with people who come along with a vision,” Bernales said.
The shop has championed zines and alternative publishers who speak about the Latino and Asian American diasporas and about everything in between.
“It was a bit difficult to explain the business,” Bernales said when the shop was called Seite and sat in a corner at Diaz’s mom’s store. “We wanted to provide people access to books that they might not find in the neighborhood. It’s about providing a place where people can read but also ensuring that the bookstore is good for the community.”
That means hosting workshops and speaking events on healthcare issues, art and culture. Previous iterations of the bookstore hosted concerts and book events.
“We’re open to working with people who come along with a vision,” Bernales said.
The shop has championed zines and alternative publishers who speak about the Latino and Asian American diasporas and about everything in between.
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(James Carbone / For De Los)
Casita Bookstore
Long Beach Book Store
Faced with the pandemic shutdown, Antonette Franceschi-Chavez wanted to spend time with her daughter and decided to open a bookstore.
The former dual language teacher often found that there were not enough Spanish-language books available for children to read, which is why her shop carries selections like “Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock” by comedian Jesús Trejo and “Tejedora del Arcoiris” by Linda Elovitz Marshall. The bookstore also prides itself on its selection of LGBTQ+ literature for children, including “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish” by drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess.
The store boasts the feeling of a smaller library in an elementary school but also carries books for adults. The curated selection aims to give shelf space to authors from different cultures in different phases of their lives.
Casita has a personal feel, reminiscent of a friend’s home that might become your favorite place to stop by while visiting Long Beach.
The former dual language teacher often found that there were not enough Spanish-language books available for children to read, which is why her shop carries selections like “Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock” by comedian Jesús Trejo and “Tejedora del Arcoiris” by Linda Elovitz Marshall. The bookstore also prides itself on its selection of LGBTQ+ literature for children, including “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish” by drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess.
The store boasts the feeling of a smaller library in an elementary school but also carries books for adults. The curated selection aims to give shelf space to authors from different cultures in different phases of their lives.
Casita has a personal feel, reminiscent of a friend’s home that might become your favorite place to stop by while visiting Long Beach.
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(James Carbone / For De Los)
Re/Arte Centro Literario + Independent Print Shop
Boyle Heights Book Store
Bookshop owner Viva Padilla wants Re/Arte Centro Literario to take nothing away from Boyle Heights.
“I feel like it’s already here and it just needs to be captured, nurtured,” Padilla said about the vibrancy that makes up the community. “My mission is to be an extension of what’s already here.”
The bookshop is a space for political organizers, college students, artists, señoras from the neighborhood and everyone in between. The shop serves Chicanx, Salvi, Central American and every other type of book nerd in the mix.
There are books on social criticism and art, books in Español and children’s books, which Padilla is always handing out to people in the community.
“People come in here to explore,” he said.
Padilla and poet Matt Sedio host talks in a Chicanx salon, giving guests an opportunity to hear an in-depth conversation with a prestigious writer.
“I feel like it’s already here and it just needs to be captured, nurtured,” Padilla said about the vibrancy that makes up the community. “My mission is to be an extension of what’s already here.”
The bookshop is a space for political organizers, college students, artists, señoras from the neighborhood and everyone in between. The shop serves Chicanx, Salvi, Central American and every other type of book nerd in the mix.
There are books on social criticism and art, books in Español and children’s books, which Padilla is always handing out to people in the community.
“People come in here to explore,” he said.
Padilla and poet Matt Sedio host talks in a Chicanx salon, giving guests an opportunity to hear an in-depth conversation with a prestigious writer.
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Route Details
(Juli Perez / For De Los)
LibroMobile Bookstore
Santa Ana Book Store
The LibroMobile once lived in an abandoned stairwell. It was a traveling cart that made its way around Santa Ana created in response to the closure of community staple Librería Martínez in 2016.
The cart started taking up spaces and pushing back against the gentrification that was developing around Santa Ana, according to owner Sarah Rafael García.
The mobile bookstore has since found a bricks-and-mortar location and the space still prioritizes Latinx, Black and Indigenous voices in the hopes of cultivating a conversation with the community. The hope is that the intersectionality allows the bookstore and the community to build a coalition of like-minded creatives who might otherwise be siloed off in separate camps.
The bookstore staff now partners with Santa Ana Youth Employment to give young people the chance to work in the short term and hopefully spark curiosity in the next generation of entrepreneurs who want to give back to the community.
Keep an eye on LibroMobile’s socials as it faces possible closure due to arts funding cuts.
The cart started taking up spaces and pushing back against the gentrification that was developing around Santa Ana, according to owner Sarah Rafael García.
The mobile bookstore has since found a bricks-and-mortar location and the space still prioritizes Latinx, Black and Indigenous voices in the hopes of cultivating a conversation with the community. The hope is that the intersectionality allows the bookstore and the community to build a coalition of like-minded creatives who might otherwise be siloed off in separate camps.
The bookstore staff now partners with Santa Ana Youth Employment to give young people the chance to work in the short term and hopefully spark curiosity in the next generation of entrepreneurs who want to give back to the community.
Keep an eye on LibroMobile’s socials as it faces possible closure due to arts funding cuts.
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(Alejandro R. Jimenez / For De Los)
Alegria Mobile Bookstore
Book Store
The location might change but the celebration of independent Latinx and BIPOC artists is constant. Davina Ferreira, the creative force behind Alegria Mobile Bookstore, also happens to be the driver behind the wheel of the beautifully vibrant 1998 Chevy van that is fitted to bring books to the masses.
“It has a lot of little tricks,” Ferreira said about the van and what it takes to get it around town.
“There is so much to be said about bringing books to people. I really wanted to share my love for literature and celebrate up-and-coming voices,” said Ferreira, herself a working poet.
The mobile bookstore is host to monthly poetry meetings and updates its motif with the seasons to give fans something to look forward to when they visit.
During the pandemic, Ferreira reconnected with her poetry and hosted a poetry contest. More than 170 poets submitted entries and the works became an anthology, one of the first produced under the Alegria Publishing name.
Ferreira, who is originally from Medellín, Colombia, hopes to continue connecting readers with new voices. All they have to do is look for the colorful bookstore on wheels.
“It has a lot of little tricks,” Ferreira said about the van and what it takes to get it around town.
“There is so much to be said about bringing books to people. I really wanted to share my love for literature and celebrate up-and-coming voices,” said Ferreira, herself a working poet.
The mobile bookstore is host to monthly poetry meetings and updates its motif with the seasons to give fans something to look forward to when they visit.
During the pandemic, Ferreira reconnected with her poetry and hosted a poetry contest. More than 170 poets submitted entries and the works became an anthology, one of the first produced under the Alegria Publishing name.
Ferreira, who is originally from Medellín, Colombia, hopes to continue connecting readers with new voices. All they have to do is look for the colorful bookstore on wheels.
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Details
(Cafe Con Libros)
Café con Libros
Pomona Book Store
The coffee is not important.
In fact, Café con Libros is a play on words, because the space is more a place to exchange ideas. The volunteer-run shop boasts a lending library and performance space for visual, musical and performing arts.
The space operates as a nonprofit organized by a board of volunteers who want to promote access to art and literacy with books “donated by the community for the community,” according to co-founder Patricia DeRobles.
DeRobles opened the space with Adelaida Bautista in 1997, closed it in 2002 and relocated to a new spot after being gone for 15 years. The co-owners met and connected at the University of LaVerne, both being first-generation college students and children of Mexican immigrants. The two went on to become educators.
The shop intends to reflect the experiences of second-generation immigrants, people of color, women and immigration advocates and show how all of their stories fit into the chatter of everyday life.
While the volunteers who operate the space are passionate about literature, most of them have day jobs outside of the shop, which makes the time they spend in the space all the more precious.
“We want to be there when we’re helping people find a book, because it’s more than just a job for us,” DeRobles said.
In fact, Café con Libros is a play on words, because the space is more a place to exchange ideas. The volunteer-run shop boasts a lending library and performance space for visual, musical and performing arts.
The space operates as a nonprofit organized by a board of volunteers who want to promote access to art and literacy with books “donated by the community for the community,” according to co-founder Patricia DeRobles.
DeRobles opened the space with Adelaida Bautista in 1997, closed it in 2002 and relocated to a new spot after being gone for 15 years. The co-owners met and connected at the University of LaVerne, both being first-generation college students and children of Mexican immigrants. The two went on to become educators.
The shop intends to reflect the experiences of second-generation immigrants, people of color, women and immigration advocates and show how all of their stories fit into the chatter of everyday life.
While the volunteers who operate the space are passionate about literature, most of them have day jobs outside of the shop, which makes the time they spend in the space all the more precious.
“We want to be there when we’re helping people find a book, because it’s more than just a job for us,” DeRobles said.
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Route Details
(Julie Leopo / For De Los)
The Mighty Luchador
Eagle Rock Book Store
The Mighty Luchador is not your abuelita’s luchador-themed gift shop. Several years before the shop’s grand opening, owner Carlos Flores began making his Mighty Luchador vinyl figurines. The shop also features children’s books, pulpy comics and similar art that reveres Latinx representation.
“These are the items that do not always find a place on the shelves in other stores,” Flores said.
The store is a celebration of the kitsch that surrounds lucha libre, but it also reveres the midcentury aesthetic that is often imbued in pop art.
Flores recommends the LGBTQ+ superhero series “Class 6” from Kraven Comics and “Masked Republic Luchaverse,” which includes superhero luchadors, naturally.
“These are the items that do not always find a place on the shelves in other stores,” Flores said.
The store is a celebration of the kitsch that surrounds lucha libre, but it also reveres the midcentury aesthetic that is often imbued in pop art.
Flores recommends the LGBTQ+ superhero series “Class 6” from Kraven Comics and “Masked Republic Luchaverse,” which includes superhero luchadors, naturally.
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Route Details
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