Modern Times Bookstore

Amazing bookstore! Has a lot of material on social movements, civil rights, women’s studies and gender studies, and many more! There’s a board in the back where people post things as well as a neat ‘zine table! Very cool, should definitely check it out!

This is a bookstore that focuses on social justice issues and they’re really stocked with goodness. If I wasn’t so adamant on snapping pictures of street art in Mission before the sunset I would have stayed longer.
Other gems include progressive/​SJ works geared towards kids, like «Rad Women A-​Z» and women-​empowering graphic novels. The bookstore is organized in an appealing and organized way and it’s located in a side of Mission sandwiched by other great bookstores and shops, deliciously thought-​provoking street art.
They had a special deal on «Mayor of Castro Street» and I’m STILL angsting at my cheap self for not buying it for $ 7.
Definitely worth walking in on a trek down Mission.

Visited here for the first time yesterday looking for an adult coloring book. Didn’t find exactly what I was looking for but had a great experience browsing what they have. Extremely well curated bookstore – some small independent bookstores have a strange mix of obscure titles and nothing mainstream but his place has a great balance of the commercial as well as the hard to find.
Great place for gift buying. Awesome children’s book section with many books in Spanish as well. Staff was very helpful and gracious. I’ll definitely be back here when I’m looking to bookbingebuy.

Fairly large, interesting selection for such a small space. Nice, helpful staff. It’s not a perfect bookstore, but there’s something I love about its chill atmosphere and political values, and I like stopping by when I’m in the area.

Love this place. Last time I was here I had two specific titles I was hoping to find and to my delight, they had both in stock! A friendly staffer helped me locate one of them after I couldn’t find it in the proper section. Turns out it was shelved with the new releases, which makes sense, seeing as how it is a new release.
Good selection, friendly staff, in my neighborhood, reasonable prices — these are the reasons I keep coming back to Modern Times.

Modern Times bookstore carries many contemporary titles one wouldn’t find at b & N and other mainstream bookstores, all new a few used titles are marked with an orange sticker.
not much into buying new books, so 3.5 stars
booknotes:
–books carried lean progressive, left of center, no ann c. rush limbaugh books here,
you can find ann at goodwill usually.

This is a great bookstore and one of the few remaining of a dying breed of progressive, community-​oriented bookstores. Although it is merely a shadow of its former glorious self, it is still a wonderful place full of books you will not find anywhere else. Great zine collection! Great events.
It IS hard to find in its new location so look hard for the small sign.
This important holdover from a more progressive, pre-​gentrification Mission past deserves our support!

I stopped in while I was visiting San Francisco (I’m from Detroit) and I was happy with the selection (something about the way the books were displayed and organized, two books just jumped right out at me and I had to purchase them) and the helpful, courteous staff.

Niche bookstore with a good but limited selection. There are dozens of interesting shops in this area, and Modern Times fits right into the landscape. It looks like there is a mini-​thrift store in the rear of the store. I can only assume the shop owner is subletting space to help offset overhead.
What was interesting about the inventory in the bookstore is the dedicated section to publications of Noam Chomsky. Never heard of Chomsky? Well allow me to give a brief introduction:
Chomsky is known as the «father of modern linguistics» and is a Professor Emeritus, of 50 years, at MIT. He is also a prominent cultural figure; a status achieved through his work as an author of over 100 published critiques.
Aside from Chomsky, they also sell used and new books, so if you’re looking to sell, then this is a place for you.
If you’re claustrophobic, then it’s not…

After the move to 24^th St? Still the best bookstore in the Bay Area.

Modern Times is the shit. Warm, friendly, and I love their new location on 24^th St. They’re a mainstay of the Mission, and they’re hitting their 40^th year– no small feat for any bookstore, let alone a little indie lefty one. Did I mention their new location, while smaller, is so much cuter and warmer than the old space on Valencia?

Years ago there used to be this colorful mural on 24^th Street, on a building housing an «Asian Books» book store. A while back the space turned into a 99 cent store, and was repainted into an even more colorful and beautiful mural, on top of an already beautiful mural, how was that possible?
As of a couple of years ago the space was left empty with a «FOR RENT» sign in the window. With tons of possibility, potential, and imagination flying: What would this space be good for? An Art Gallery? another store on 24^th street? What else can 24^th street handle?
Walking past the newly occupied and rented out space with my eyes closed, hoping it was something good and something the community needed… I open my eyes to see it’s a BOOK STORE Again! and NOT JUST ANY BOOK STORE it’s «MODERN BOOKS». Modern Books lived on Valencia Street for years, so it was a surprise to see them move. Taking a peek inside — it looks the same way it did years ago, like nothing ever changed — just like it belongs. I’m happy this beautiful mural is now once again the home of more BOOKS, nothing else more deserving!
As for the book store it’s self — I have no idea I haven’t gone in yet, reminds me of that Book Store from that PORTLANDIA comedy show, from the outside.

There are so many bookstores in the Mission and Modern Times is just another one of those shops that just blends into the background. The people who work here are friendly and quick to help you out, but the selection isn’t too fantastic and I am a little put off by the overall lay-​out of the place. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I just know that of the book shops on Valencia, Modern Times just isn’t one of my faves.

So I’ve been going around to all the used bookstores to see if they have a book I need for school. This place didn’t have it either, but I tell you what, they were the ONLY store that I have ever been to that actually has a listing of all their books in the computer. So, we didn’t have to dig through piles of books and waste time! The soft spoken American Asian gentleman behind the counter was very polite!
I really liked this store and wish I could have browsed for longer. Their books are organized in such a way that is very pleasing to me, and it makes it easier to find books by authors you haven’t heard of before. Not the hugest place ever, but they do well with the space they have. Lots of big comfy chairs!

I’m not sure what the worst part of Modern Times would be, so let’s consider a few reasons and you can take your pick:
1. They treat you like a criminal from the second you walk in. Well guess what, I don’t trust you with my backpack. My laptop is worth more than your used books.
2. There’s some type of leftist political bent here, but not in an interesting way (i.e. it’s not an anarchist bookstore.) Get with the times, or at least get a sense of humor!
3. They’re defiling the name of a classic movie, yet they don’t even sell movies. FAIL.
4. They’re asking for financial donations. Hey, here’s a thought: maybe the reason you’re doing poorly is because NOBODY SHOPS AT YOUR STORE. It’s time to wake up and realize it’s not «the economy’s fault» that you treat your customers poorly.

Modern Times has a bright and open layout with plenty of space for organized its bookshelves. Modern Times has a notably local and personal atmosphere. From the first glance at the its book selection, you feel called into action to change the world. While they have books from many different genres, they specialize in global, political, and social discourse. It’s the kind of place you can go for a lively discussion or debate on how the world should be. From what I noticed, their prices matched the original marked retail prices. So if you’re going to buy a book anyway, why not support a local bookstore?
Price: New books are retail price.
Selection: Special focus on social change.
Service: I only spent about ten minutes in there but I didn’t have anyone approach me to ask if I needed help, nor did I see anyone else approached by an employee. I suppose their style is to let people explore on their own and help people only when they ask for it.
Atmosphere: Clean, organized.

Modern Times definitely has a point of view and I absolutely applaud that. Not every book or every message resonates with me. But that’s perfectly fine. If I only went to bookstores that carried books that I knew about and point of views I agreed with then I’d just be living in an echo chamber, refusing to challenge myself.
I’ve picked up a lot of books here that have totally opened up my world view. I have also picked up books that I vehemently disagreed with. But I have never bought a book from Modern Times that didn’t make me think.
This is why bookstores like Modern Times matter.
Love the selection of zines, journals, and Sarah Utter merch. The staff could be a little more friendly but I’ve never minded. I usually have my headphones in anyway.

There are so many reasons why I was turned off by my first visit to Modern Times Bookstore. I’ll happily state them because they might be the same reasons someone else will love this place, and that’s completely cool:
— Unfriendly staff treated me like I was a pariah. Sigh. I might as well have been wearing fur. Maybe next time I go here (hah!) I will be.
— Über-​activisty, super-​preachy, overly-​leftist, no sense of humor
— Donates part of their proceeds to organizations I don’t support, such as AROC, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, an organization I feel is very anti-​Israel. I’m Jewish and don’t want my money going to this organization. So, if Modern Times chooses to take sides, I won’t be giving them my business.
— VERY anti-​cellphone. Um, grow up. It’s 2010. Cellphones are a fact of life. As long as people use them responsibly and aren’t über-​disruptive, it shouldn’t be a criminal offense to answer a call while shopping.
— Cluttered, would be hard to maneuver through here in a wheelchair. Certainly one could ask the salespeople to move things to assist, but why should that person have to?
— Couldn’t find a humor section. Sigh.
I got the feeling of being yelled at by all sides of the store. There were activist-​y signs everywhere, bombarding me, not letting me have any peace. When I go to a bookstore, I don’t want someone else telling me how to think or feel. I want to let my mind wander, find new and interesting books that aren’t necessarily «progressive» (oh, what a condescending term that is!).
At the end of the day, I like my bookstores without so much politics, judgement and negativity. I also prefer friendly staff and sizeable humor sections. This just isn’t my kind of store.

Overpriced used books.
Small Cookbook Section.
Small Education Section.
Tiniest «Asian» section.
With a large selection of Used Book Stores in the surronding area, Modern Times doesn’t make the cut.

So I have come to expect a certain level of tude with anyone I encounter in their working environment within the city, but, to a certain degree.
Come on, you work at a bookstore. Is this job such a drag on your daily life and your potential for great things you can’t bother to even engage a paying customer? I don’t even need a smile. Maybe just some acknowledgment of my presence beyond my form of payment, is this too much to ask? Oh what’s that? You are going to actually say something to me? Oh yes how could I be so silly, my signature. No problem. Have a nice day, oh wait, did I steal your line? No, I didn’t think so.
And they are overpriced.
Oooohhhhh! Dig.

This is dangerous place for my family of book-​aholics, My hubby and i used to go here all the time years ago but hadn’t been there in 5 years or more.
I limited myself to the kids’ books, cookbooks and featured books.
We love the fact that it is an independent bookstore filled with books you won’t see elsewhere. Besides being a book-​aholic I am also a gift whore. I love buying stuff for friends and family too.
I found folktale books for various kids in my life, a VEGAN cupcake cookbook with lots of luscious looking confections, a book about countries you can move to (Getting Out; Your Guide to Leaving America) and several other kid books for yours truly, the big headed big kid. My hubby found a pile of books on different topics, including a Rough Guide encyclopedia of World Music (something he has actually been looking for) and our teen found 4 books on social movements.
We also loved the ambiance. Sunny and inviting. The books are arranged in an appealing manner. No wonder we wanted to take 100 or more of them home. I think we only ended up with 20.
Nice staff. We’ll be back… in 5 weeks or months not years.