Mrs Dalloway's

I have often wondered what about bookstores makes them special for me. Visiting Mrs Dalloway's in Berkeley reminded me of all those reasons--the open layout of the store inviting you in, the neatly arranged books showing the meticulousness of the staff, and of course, the books themselves holding a door open into the various possibilities that exist. I had visited this bookstore long back, but this review has been long overdue. I remember my visit with fondness, and yes, while Mrs. Dalloway might have bought the flowers herself, you need to visit the bookstore to be blown away. I highly recommend it! Yes, they have Virginia Woolf's books too, of course!

Such a great independent bookstore! It's not the biggest store, but it is well stocked and if they don't have what you are looking for they will order it for you. The staff are all super friendly and very knowledgeable. One thing I love about them is that if you ask them about a topic and they feel someone else is more knowledgeable, they will pass you to that person. All of the recommendations I have received from the staff have been amazing reads. If you are shopping for a present, they will gladly gift wrap it for you. Parking is a chore in this neighborhood. There is a lot behind the store, but it is usually full.

Bookstores are just such a happy place for me, and this bookstore's layout is just so open, and well-organized! It's so easy to feel at-ease there. I love passing by the store, and forgetting how long I have been in there looking at books, and coming back home having purchased a book that I didn't I expect🥰 the staff is always very nice, and welcoming. I haven't been to there community events, but I always wished I had!

One of the best bookstores I have been to in my life, and I am from NYC! Such a wonderful, thoughtfully curated, sheerly delightful selection of books and objects including notebooks, postcards, and useful knickknacks. I cannot wait to return next time I’m in town.

The staff is *so* helpful. The selection in store is excellent, but they are happy to order anything not in stock and go out of their way to find difficult requests. Really clear communication and careful to check that they've got the order correct. Also, I've received banger recommendations from staff!

This is a lovely bookstore with friendly, helpful employees. They are very involved with the community and they host wonderful author events throughout the summer.

It's impossible for me not to stop and admire the independent bookshop. This one is no exception to the quality of the titles they carry and their knowledge of literature.

Very cute. Great selection of books. Only downside is return policy is store credit only

This is a lovely store and very close (within short walking distance) to where we are stay in Berkley. This shop is large, very bright and sparkling clean. My wife and I came here for a thank you card and I knew that if they had one, it would be special. They have a great collection (many collections) of various greeting cards. We had quite the selection to choose from. The staff he is very friendly. The young lady who helped us out was terrific. There was great value for what we paid and what we got back. This is a wonderful store to peruse trough all the books they have here. It seems that this place is a "home base" for many avid readers. This is clearly a place for people to come and discuss what their currently reading and where they go next. KUDOs to the team at Mrs Dalloway's Bookstore.

Book Stores on fortunately your a dying breed. This is a gem of a place on College Avenue in the Rockridge area. They have books you won't find anywhere else. You can also pre-order books. In addition, they have books in stock that are signed by the authors. Of course, there are other little goodies and items you can buy besides just books. The staff is very friendly. The environment is very open and light and inviting

What an awesome local bookstore! Great selection, bright and cheery. Lots of people working and busy with shoppers. Love it!

Came here for book signing, which I pre-registered for online since it was a big one with author Grace Lin and drew a large crowd. Even though I was running late, the staff was gracious with admitting me into the store once I checked in and showed my ticket. They also held books on hold for me when I called in advance to ask for copies. This is a very charming mom and pop local bookstore. I'm so happy to see an indie bookstore still surviving and thriving here on College Ave. Keep on being awesome and keeping charming bookstores in the East Bay, especially the Berkeley-Rockridge area, alive!

mrs dallaways is a wonderful book store‼ my nephew, chris haft appeared at a book signing event held at mrs dallaways on sept 3, 2025, along w/allison mccovey. chris is the author of the book, "a giant among giants" about the beloved hall of famer, willie mccovey‼ mrs dallaways owner, eric green was a wonderful host, along w/his wife, & employee mrs dallaways is quaint, cozy, clean, well organized w/a variety of books, & gifts 2 choose from‼‼another added feature that impressed me, & caught my eye is that w/every book that they sell comes a little "review" on what the book is about‼ i highly recommend mrs dallaways‼‼ w/five annabella

Beautiful, bright and airy bookstore with a wide selection; especially, to our surprise, in garden and landscaping. I came upon it during my walk down Elmwood and was happy to find another local bookstore just nearby!

This is a great bookstore. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. The selection of books excellent. I ended up purchasing a cook book for Mediterranean style dishes.

So many books, so little time! This bookstore has so much, from cook books to popular romance novels to everything in between. Such a large space for book lovers, gardener, foodies, and altogether curious folks who want to grow from what they read in a book. A great big gem I stumbled upon and stumbled out with some books. Totally recommend if you find yourself happening upon this spot!

Love Mrs. Dalloway's! I enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the shop. The managers and staff do a fantastic job of displaying book reviews and recommendations for you to choose. There's a great mix of newer releases and older classics. Pricing is fair on all their titles. Can't wait to come back and make another purchase!

A great place to browse. If you like books and people who read or write them, it's a great place to do you.

Mrs. Dalloway's is located in such a great location! So many other places to check out and a fun street to walk down. They host free events to meet/ hear from authors! I was so excited to join for an event this past Sunday for my friend Sally Engelfried's debut book- Learning to Fall. I can't believe I was able to get tickets for a (FREE!) author event coming up for Kwame Alexander! It's a spacious store with lots of staff recs and kind staff. The author event was cozy and warm. We've already purchased several books from here -- and will continue to! Not sure if they offer an educator discount (dang, should've asked!).

Great variety of books for all ages, helpful staff, and an adorable atmosphere to enjoy browsing. We spent about an hour of pure bliss here and purchased lots of adorable one-of-kind gift items, magazines & new book arrivals. Terrific newsletter, and ongoing author readings. Just remember, STORE CREDIT ONLY on returns within 10 days. NO REFUNDS back to credit cards or by cash. So choose wisely. Highly recommend this bookstore, it is just a lovely place to be.

I enjoy walking through and seeing independent bookstores that aren't part of a giant conglomerate chain all about taking your money. This bookstore has heart and the warmth of a bookstore that cares about readers and not the dollar. The titles are relevant and some are older, but still very interesting and steady sellers, in my opinion. I went with my mom and she really enjoyed looking through the adult and children section, for her nieces and nephews, and their kids. Family connections is quite strong here. And they wrapped in brown paper and a ribbon a book with such practiced ease. Yes, I really liked it here.

You can't know just how many stores I checked into for some damn temporary tattoos. It was A LOT. Everything from the Dollar Store and pharmacies to bougie gift shops, and everything in between. Mrs. Dalloway's wasn't even officially open, just had a staff member to bring curbside pickups to the door. But-- what a staff member! I passed by with my little (whiney by this point) query about "you don't have any temporary tattoos, do you?" She smiled broadly and brought two boxes with a great variety of artistic temporary tattoos. I chose the set of tattoos that most closely resembled what I had been searching for, with sweet roses. The package of 8 cost $16, so $2 a piece. So, quite a bit more reasonably priced than the etsy version that was my plan b. A happy customer, and I'll be back for more! I'll have to, until the pink burn scars on my inner arm from my last job heal up. I worked as a cook at a senior home.

A quaint bookstore along a vibrant street. Decent prices, titles, and the free wrapping in simple brown with a ribbon was very helpful. Everything is designed to catch the eye and its a great place to peruse titles old and new!

Such a GEM is right!! Great atmosphere (right next to awesome Elmwood Cafe too), wonderful layout for book browsing and fantastic staff who are pleasant and helpful. Let's not overlook the wonderful 'gift and garden section' - I've bought many home items (cool tiles for trivets, dish towels, placemats) as well as gorgeous orchids in lovely pots that are so reasonably priced. This is such a special store...

They accommodated me very good a little pricey but overall fine They have a lot of good condition books I'd recommend them

I love indy books stores. especially stores that have a curatorial approach. It's rare that i find something here, aside from their great selection of eyeglasses. But I'm always searching for something new, different, strange or fun. Unfortunately. the staff here is often rude or cold. And during COvid, it's worse.

I am so far out of the target customer base for this airy-fairy place that it felt like I should have worn a smart Chanel suit and a cloche hat to enter its portal. I guess I would have looked like Jack Lemmon in "Some Like It Hot". Just call me Daphne... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6naL0hZ0VCg It's an ultra-feminine bookstore that would not look out of place in a tampon commercial set in a floral garden with little wood nymphs dancing like Isadora Duncan. A closer inspection shows an interesting, eclectic collection of books, especially on the fiction side where "Mrs. Dalloway says she would buy the flowers herself." The other side has quite an impressive library of gardening books in what looks like the framing for an English country estate greenhouse. I did notice a sense of humor in the middle section where I found a Spam cookbook in the food section. Listen, I praise any independent bookstore, and I'm sure there are many who must love this place. I just didn't. First off, even though I was the only one in the store for about ten minutes, neither clerk bothered to say hello or ask if I needed help. Second, it's just a little too quaint, too organized, and honestly, too full of itself for my taste. I don't live in Elmwood, so a return visit is not likely soon. Somehow, I have a feeling they won't miss me.

Awesome neighborhood bookstore. A real gem. Warm and knowledgeable staff, good selection of titles. And they will order anything for you if they don't have it. Don't buy your books from Amazon. Support your local bookstore!

Great local, independent bookstore in the Elmwood. I frequent this place to support local businesses and to buy from brick and mortar stores. They have a good selection of great books and they also have plants and lovely orchids there. I have seen that they have a schedule of author readings and programming too and want to go to some of those. Need to make time for that. I am addicted to their reading glasses which are very good quality. Love this place and they can order anything for you. Give this place a try. Support local bookstores!

Large selection of gardening books, pretty much a whole wall!! I didn't see a staff picks section, which is usually the first thing I look for, but I may not have looked hard enough. I got distracted looking for the Wendell Berry books, speaking of.... Wendell Berry book count: 5

Did I mention that they get books in faster than you can get them from Amazon, without the shipping? Every single time I call to ask for a book they don't have, they're able to get in within two days. TWO DAYS! Today they said they'll put it in their overnight order and it'll be here by tomorrow. They also have a frequent buyers program that I use relentlessly. The only trick is if you want your purchase counted towards the program, it's super important to let them know as you are getting rung up. They won't track it automatically. It is genius to combine speed and points. Buhbye, Amazon.

It always pains me to say something negative about anyone or any place, but the situation I encountered here on Friday was unlike any retail experience I have ever had in my life. To make a long story short, I went into the shop (masked, of course) and used the mandatory hand sanitizer, but I told the clerk I felt uncomfortable because I didn't know what was in the sanitizer. (More than 80 brands of hand sanitizer were condemned by the CDC, which I explained to her.) I then looked at a book. A guy who worked in the store was at the counter in the back of the store and started yelling at me "It's non negotiable, it's non negotiable"!. Apparently he did not know I USED the sanitizer. Insulted by his rudeness I left the store without buying the book I came in to look at. I came back a little while later, after lunching next door, and after entering and using sanitizer, I told the entrance clerk who let me in that I wanted to speak to the man behind the desk and ask him about the previous incident. "No patron should ever be yelled at that way," I said in a polite voice. "Not allowed" she said. "Please leave right now." So I did. Though I have tried to support independent local stores and have easily spent $1000+ over the many years I have gone to this shop, I will not enter it again. I am amazed the owners could have such rude people working there. It was an extraordinarily negative experience. Later I told a friend about it and she said she also felt that the clerks there were exceptionally rude to her, too, before covid. So apparently I am not alone. I write this in the hope that the owners will read this and do something about the situation.

I think in general all the small bookstores in Berkeley are great. They each have their own charm. A lot of them even offer a book reading by the author. As a health nut and health science enthusiast, I was interested to see Gary Taubes, the New York Times bestselling author of "Why We Get Fat". But when I went to see him at the book reading this past Wednesday (1/25/17), he gave a talk/reading on his new book, "The Case Against Sugar". I think it's an interesting hypothesis he proposes in that sugar, much like tobacco, is a drug but is not treated as such in society what with heavy-hitter lobbyists in the sugar industry (i.e. Kellogg's, Post, etc.) lobbying for more funding and overall support from the government. His idea gives much support to the fact that many more kids have fatty livers at a young age and higher incidences of pre-diabetes found in children. He also gives a short history lesson into how sugar diluted our lives-- beginning with the 1920's emergence of Post cereals (the founder being a health nut surprisingly) and the goal of increasing fiber in people's diets. Sugar was rather limited in people's diets back in the day until now. After the short history lesson, he makes his case against sugar by reading from his new book. Because I'm in grad school, it's hard for me to make time to read this but on my free time, it's on my list! I love how Mrs.Dalloway's offers these mini lectures to the public so that they become more informed about issues that affect the larger community. And more than that, they understand that KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

This is such a quaint bookstore run by very friendly staff passionate about staying true to the original purpose of bookstores. They have a fair collection of books of good variety. It of course isn't as big as their chain competitors, nor is it as cheap as Amazon. However, I like the idea of small personal bookstores as it brings me back to my childhood when my parents would bring me to the local bookstore for story time. Those were the good old days. For that nostalgic reason I want to do my best to support local stores to keep the spirit of story time alive.

Support our local, independent book stores! Ms Dalloway's never fails to offer a bit of respite from the daily stresses of life. Their visiting authors and book signing series provide wonderful opportunities to capture the curiosity of children! This bright, airy, well organized store combine with friendly, knowledgeable staff to create the perfect sanctuary. Thank you!

Charming store, wonderful selection, and supportive of emerging and established authors. An East Bay treasure -- support your local independent bookstore today!

I loved how this bookstore displayed their books! Mrs. Dalloway's was incredibly cute and boasted both an elegant gentleman's section complete with silk bow ties and shaving books, and a St. Patrick's Day green covered book table. I really loved how much care and time went into this bookshop, it just shone with love. During our visit, or I should say the honey's visit and my dropping in to find him, I almost picked up a hardbound illustrated Book of Pooh, but because I already own far too many books I didn't pick it up and was kicking myself later. The service was friendly but not hovering, and I left with a smile on my face from their fabulous selection! We'll definitely be coming back to the area and will certainly be stopping into Mrs. Dalloway's when we do!

Came here for Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday. What a gorgeous store with a sensible layout so you can see right away the latest releases in paperbacks and hardbacks. They also feature a gardening section to the left of the store along with writing paraphernalia. I picked up a zip pouch made specifically for the indie bookstore celebration. Famous literary cats are printed on the pouch. The staff is very friendly and helpful with looking up books I don't see on the shelves. It's the wonderful bookstore with new books on College Avenue in the Elmwood neighborhood.

Mrs Dalloway's Bookstore has expanded since I last stopped by. There's now a nice new Children's Section that has been carved out of part of the old Elmwood Cafe. They left a few "windows" open there and the energy from the new Elmwood Cafe adds an extra happy edge to this place. Mrs. Dalloway's is still strong in the gardening area, but I was happy to find other genres including a book with a nice collection of David Lance Goines prints and gorgeous letterpress cards from Bruce and Yoshiko at Arts and Crafts Press. The bookstore space itself is roomy, friendly, and smartly stocked. Store staff was also friendly and unobtrusive. This is a nice place to hang out, and with coffee and treats available right next door, and friends all around, it's almost the perfect neighbourhood place to be.

Gorgeous store with a great selection, and especially great kids' book section.

Mrs. Dalloway is a well-curated bookstore with a knowledgeable staff and the perfect place to browse and find gifts for the readers in your life. As a life-long reader, I love walking through and just looking at what's on display. A perfect place to get inspiration for new reading material, especially if you want something more interesting or original than what's on the bestseller list.

Thank you Mrs. Dalloway's for a great visit and more books than I expected to get! I came in here to pick up a book for a class that my professor said I could find here. Within minutes of walking in, I found it on a lovely display of poetry and literary criticism. The display was so nice, I ended up spending a while and picking out several more books, before wandering over to their vast gardening section and finding a volume on small space gardening to get too. The two women working there were helpful and friendly (I forgot to ask their names) and talked a bit about how they have specialties (one is the poetry expert). It shows: The colorful displays everywhere are clearly created by book lovers, for book lovers. Take a minute to browse and you're sure to find something that strikes your fancy. I had such a great visit, and love all of the books I picked up. I can't wait to come back!

I love having this neighborhood bookstore. It's not as great a selection for literary types as the former Diesel Books (now East Bay Booksellers) down in Rockridge, but the kids section is great, and the layout is comfortable for browsing. I appreciate how they've made shopping safe during covid with options to make an appointment to shop in the store.

The worst hypocrite library service Ever: I purchased a book online, I wanted to cancel it then, this greedy, nasty, rapacious, penny pincher, stingy, grumpy, tightwad, selfish Bookstore said that in case of return, I would only receive library credit. I never touched the book!!!. Don't come to this hypocrite place to purchase the book of Bernie Sanders.

Good selection of books for young adults, kids, and adults. Staff is knowledgeable and can make recommendations if you're stuck. Pleasant place to browse and buy from (buy local!).

Great local bookstore! The staff is nice and very friendly. They have a wide variety of books and huge collection for gardening. Tons of other local shops around it and it's in a great neighborhood

The store is nicely organized, has a good selection and helpful staff. I want to be clear this is not a staff complaint but an issue about store policy and how that policy is not posted or made clear to customers until it is too late. They have a store credit only return policy that is not posted anywhere and that the staff I spoke to didn't even know about! I made a purchase on a Tuesday and returned on a Thursday to make the return since I found out the recipient of the gift had decided she didn't want it. The book had not left the bag, I had my receipt and while the first employee was actually planning to give me a cash refund, the employee who came over to help him informed me it was store credit only. Had I known this policy in advance it would have been fine. I would have found another book and made it work. However because I hadn't been informed of the policy and there hadn't been a sign I had already made a replacement gift purchase. So here I am left with a store credit that I have no use for. I like shopping at local places but this makes me want to only go to chains and/or stores that will give a full refund on purchases. If they had had the policy clearly marked, or had informed me of the issue upon purchase (which many other stores with the policy do) I would not have had an issue. However the only place that it was noted was (as was pointed out to me) on the receipt - which I received after making my purchase. That and the book I had purchased was over $15 less on amazon. I'm willing to spend a bit more (and put up with a bit more) for local - but $15? That's asking a lot.

I love this bookstore. After a month of living just down the street, I feel like I've found the perfect weekend activity... stop by an Elmwood bakery or breakfast spot and spend leisurely time browsing the little stores that characterize Elmwood. I've found a lot of great books by reading from the various staff recommendations, too. Just like most of Elmwood, it's a little pricey, and so I'd only recommend going here if you're looking to treat yourself a little. Moe's is a good alternative.

Yesterday, June 16- Bloomsday. How did I know that? Thanks to the NYTimes. UCBerkeley used to make quite a fuss about celebrating James Joyce, but I guess now literature no longer has a capital L, let alone a capital J. However, determined to celebrate, I googled Bloomsday/Berkeley and found that Mrs Dalloway's was hosting a reading of passages from Ulysses, so I betook meself, after donning my Berkeley muted-color garments, to the Elmwood to sit among the bright bookcovers and soft colored plant to join the literati of my town. And, sure and indeed, the readers were excellent, I suspect they were all born actors. What really made my Bloomsday.... A woman had brought her 8 and 10 yearolds to the reading-- To amuse themselves the literate children were browsing in the Children's Lit section- Quietly. In between readings, I chatted with the kids, who told me not only what books they enjoyed- but what they thought made the books worth reading. Long live the Independent Book Store!

This place is one of my favorites, especially for gift shopping for my mom, grandmother, exboyfriend's mom, etc. It has great light and enough room to move around, and is never exceedingly busy though there is usually at least one other shopper when you go in. They only carry four types of books: food/cooking, fiction/novels, children's, and garden. They specialize in Garden & Fiction but have (even within their very limited space) an excellent cooking section that shows thoughtful selection. I always find something I like here, and for some reason, don't mind sacrificing any discount I might get on Amazon.com because the experience is so pleasant.

Caveat emptor! I tried to buy a book here that was clearly marked $19.99 on the dust jacket. The clerk rang it up for $10.00 more than that. When I asked her how the book had come to cost so much, she informed me her "database" listed the price as $26.99. Even after I showed her the list price on the book, she continued to scrutinize her database to prove she was right. I'd given her my payment card by then and she made no move to adjust the price -- though eventually, almost grudgingly, she said she would. By that time I'd had enough. I told her to cancel the sale. She definitely didn't want to do that. I had to ask three times in all and then demand that she give my card back.and not charge me for a book I wasn't going to buy. She didn't once apologize for the error. Other shoppers have noted how rude the staff is at this otherwise promising establishment. I now regret going out of my way to buy anything there.

As a rule, I'm usually categorically against new book stores. I'm much more at home looking through dusky stacks and yellowed pages. However, once in a blue moon, I will make an exception, and Mrs. Dalloway's is my newest. This is perhaps the most charming bookstore I've ever been in. Displays are abundant and well-informed, with helpful explanatory placards on particularly well-loved books. Their poetry section is (not only extant but also) well-curated and not relegated to a back corner. They have the adorable letter-pressed cards and tea towels and such. And, as the cherry on the top of the darling pie, there are also garden accouterments and plants. Perfection! (Ah! And don't forget--Virginia Woolf, who provides the shop her namesake, has a "shelf of her own." Too cute.) Elmwood in general exudes an almost-twee charm, but on a Sunday afternoon, I can't think of anything better than grabbing an espresso, wandering about and stopping in to a friendly book shop and browsing through.

What a lovely book and gift store. i found any great gifts and many books to add to my "must read" list.

Mrs. Dalloway's is everything you could want out of a neighborhood bookstore. It's wonderfully edited and there are several tables of recommended books that have personalized reviews from the staff. It's these little things that set indie bookstores apart from the giants. I also love that they carry local books from small publishers. There's a focus on gardening books and while I'm not much of a gardener, I think it adds a nice little aspect of charm to the place. They also seem to have somewhat frequent book signings and readings/talks, which is great.

This is basically your dream independent bookstore. On one side of the place you've got a well-chosen fiction collection that runs the gamut from Miranda July hipster short stories to tomes by dead Russians, but also somehow manages to have at least one copy of that new novel that just got a good review on Fresh Air. Then you've got the quirky non-fiction and pulpier thrillers and an entire kids section that I've never visited, but which looks nice from a distance. Then, taking up a full half of the store, are a ton of books on gardening and plants and other green things. Again, as someone who doesn't spend much time outside of the fiction section, I can't comment much about their gardening offerings. But when my gardening fanatic mom came out to visit and we ended up in Mrs. Dalloway's, it took an hour (and threats of abandoning her in Berkeley to make her own way home) to get her out of there. All in all: A great place run by friendly people who know their stuff.

Had a delightful time watching authors Katharine Dion and Alexander Tilney in conversation about his new novel, "The Expectations"; had almost as good a time browsing their eclectic collection before and after. Great stop in a fun area.

Good assortment of books. I usually order online and then do curbside pickup, and everything has been pretty easy for me.