Bart's Books

Bart's Books is a bookstore in Ojai with more than 130,000 titles spread across indoor rooms and outdoor shelves on a spacious property. The layout turns browsing into an experience that shifts between covered interior spaces and open-air sections.

Richard Bartindale opened this bookstore in 1964, inspired by the open-air book vendors along the Seine River in Paris. This European influence shaped the concept from the start.

The bookstore holds rare volumes, out-of-print editions, and current publications that draw readers with varied interests and backgrounds. This mix shows how books bring together people looking for different kinds of stories and knowledge.

Visitors can buy books outside regular hours by depositing money into collection boxes near the street-facing outdoor shelves. This flexibility allows purchases at almost any time of day.

An oak tree roughly 300 years old once stood on the property before eventually falling from natural causes, marking a notable moment in the location's story. The tree reminded visitors for many years about the passage of time and how places change.