Iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank (opens in new tab)

I lived in LA for a few decades, and one of the few things that kept me sane as a software engineer living in a land of space cadets and celebrity worshiping airheads was the grand plethora of technical bookshops and electronics supply stores that were, once, liberally littered across the landscape from Burbank to Culver City to East LA.

I haven't been back to LA in decades, but I sure hope that OpAmp Bookstore is still alive and kicking, and has had its share of bookshop cats since I last scratched that scruffy itch. LA has so many wonderful secret locations hidden in obscure streets, behind strange storefronts .. it was one of those cities where the old maxim "don't judge the food by the entrance" was also true of bookshops ...

The LA bookstore I remember most was Opamp Technical Books on Sycamore in Hollywood. But they're gone now.

Was hoping to see a repurposed vault with the high-end books. Found a picture here...that's pretty cool: https://untappedcities.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/02-DSC...

There is a short documentary available on Amazon Prime Video (US) called “Welcome to the Last Bookstore” of you want to learn a bit more about this gem:

https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Last-Bookstore-Josh-Spencer/d...

One of my favorite hidden (not really hidden, but well, not the most known either) gems in DTLA. A must-visit!

Reminds me of the one in the UK housed in a disused railway station: https://www.barterbooks.co.uk/html/About%20Us/The%20Bookshop...

I think calling a former/defunct bank location "abandoned" is a stretch.

Love the place, à must visit, BUT, after taking my girlfriend for her birthday, beware leaving there at night. She was very uncomfortable even walking to the car. DTLA in general is quite iffy at night.

I picked up a used copy of The Last Puritan there a few years ago when visiting LA. I wish I could say that I remember the bookstore well.

What's up with Atlas Obscura? I see several posts a day here, is it a YC-backed blog? Also I don't think the building was abandoned, but it was a bank.