Wild Plum Books

Late Dec2024 The great thing about independently run bookstores is that fewer minds and hands take up and decide what is offered to customers. This is all the more evident in this small and quaint bookseller that exudes charm and a personal touch in every shelve. Arguably one of the littlest bookstores you will encounter but it definitely has a big scope as well as having an owner with a wide range of books read. Definitely something that reverberates with all book lovers is this feeling of community and affinity with the joy of reading. Hope to see this store last through the years.

You know that feeling when you stumble upon a place that just gets you? That’s Wild Plum Books in Napa Valley. I wasn’t expecting to find a bookstore that felt like home in the middle of wine country, but here we are. The moment I walked in, I could tell this wasn’t just any bookstore. It’s the kind of place where you don’t just grab a book and leave—you linger. The shelves are stocked with everything from philosophy to poetry to some really great books on wine (because, of course, it’s Napa). But what really sets it apart is the energy. It’s warm, inviting, and just the right mix of cozy and inspiring. So if you’re ever in Napa, don’t just hop from one winery to the next (though, by all means, enjoy the wine!). Take a detour to Wild Plum Books. Strike up a conversation with Andrew as I did, pick up something unexpected, and let yourself get lost in the magic of a really good bookstore. Absolutely worth a visit.

This is my most favorite bookstore ever, and I love many! It’s small and mighty. The personalized service cannot be beat. I always find something I can’t live without or the perfect gift. When I need a book recommendation, Elyse is always spot on. What a joyful place.

Amazing selection of fantastic options in the coziest space. If I owned a bookstore, this is the vibe I would aim for.

I love that this bookstore exists in our small town. Elyse is so good at what she does! Her book recommendations for me are always spot on. You’ll never have to use a book review app while shopping, I think she’s read every book there and she can tell you about all of them :)

What a lovingly curated collection of books for all styles of readers. The owner, Ms. Chambers has a wealth of knowledge and makes great recommendations. Wish I lived closer because I would be at this store weekly!

Absolutely adorable & unique and petite book shop (kinda has magical Diagon Alley vibes) and an incredibly helpful and friendly owner, Elyse! Plus her substack is incredibly clever and fun and has led me to a handful of amazing reads.

Wonderfully cute bookstore owned by a very local couple. Excellent selection of multicultural kids books in both English and Spanish. I typically look for books about other countries or languages, and they had one called Say My Name that was names in 6 different languages. I ended up buying a book about little people (like the Borrowers), and talking critters. Super helpful! I asked for a cookbook by a local author or restaurant, and they immediately pointed me to one that was just located down the street. 5+ star for adorableness, local vibes, and of course, books 📚

Love the intimacy of this book shop. The owner is so knowledgeable about everything. Helped me pick out a new young reader book that my granddaughter loves. You just want to curl up and read in there with a cup of something. Love this place.

Having finished my book, we popped in here so I could get something for the flight home. I was impressed with both the selection available in such a small space, as well as the way it was all presented. The woman working, who I think was maybe just filling in for her mom, was very helpful and polite. She recommended a few things to me, but I wasn't doing a very good job articulating what I was hoping to find. I am taking down a star because it was at least 80 degrees in there. It was so hot, we couldn't stay in there any longer. I don't know how or why it was so hot, but even after peeling off jackets and sweaters, we had to make our purchases and get on outta there.

Main Street Books is a quirky local institution. It gets crowded easily, there are books on the floor, an assortment of new&used books. Surprisingly, they have a good selection of books on Russian history, considering that http://www.fortross.org is a lone Czarist outpost overlooking the Pacific, and that there's a replica of the Cyrillic plaque atop nearby Mt. St. Helena left by a Russian expedition. They have great prices, friendly service, it just gets a little cramped. "Nobody gonna break my stride"-Matthew Wilder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY41o-iZStI

this is a fantastic mom and pop shop that is somehow able to stay in business. it's great to see it able to compete with the big guy chains as well as the surrounding shops. unfortunately you don't see many of these great places anymore because of the upscale shops on a street like this. you never really know what you will find in a used book store but most of the time you can find a precious gem. when i walked in right away i was shocked to see a collection of books that i had growing up. they were raggedy ann and andy books and yes i admit i liked having them read to me. they were actually passed on from my mom since she had them as a little girl. since they are pretty darn old i was surprise to see them in really good condition and under $5 for each book. i still have my collection somewhere at my parents house so i didn't buy any but it sure took me back many years. the only thing i don't like in a place like this is it's so small and i always feel like i'm always being watched. it's really no big deal and the owner is very friendly and luckily there are no books that might get me arrested for looking at for too long. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/HRdCJfeVyvvgzeCBx1BAyg?select=dVyocYtM_pQjKCM75IfCMQ

Main Street Books is a fun little cubby of a bookstore with an emphasis on used books and a well selected offering of new books on the top portion of the center shelves. The proprietress is well informed on authors and her offerings, and seems always to be the one staffing the counter. One of the amazing things about this place is the great selection for the size in the kids corner. Our kid friends can easily be enticed to window shop in downtown SH if a stop at Main Street Books is on the route and the shop comes in handy on that rare occasion, like 2 days before Xmas, when the SH Library is closed. Unlike the adult books in the store, most of the kid books are new. As a popular spot, and with it's small size, it feels quickly crowded by just a few book shoppers.

While walking around Downtown St. Helena this past weekend, I accidentally stumbled in here, and discovered the most unassuming, charming used bookstore. Knowing me, I went straight for the cooking section and found some fun cookbooks I haven't seen at major retail bookstores, including some older titles. All used books are half off, and yes, they accept credit cards. This place can easily keep me entertained for hours. Next time I'm in the area, I will definitely make a point to stop by.

Loved this little book store. Great prices and the lady was super nice. Stopped in when were were visiting wineries in the area. Was great to find a used bookstore out there!

Love the personal service. Awesome selection of books for adults and children alike! Great resale value as well! We are so lucky to have Liza here in our town.

This is a delightful and TINY bookstore on St. Helena's Main Street. With a small space, the collection has to be carefully curated, and it is. How do they pack so much of such great quality into such a small space? I don't know, but I'm so glad they do. If you're strolling St. Helena's Main Street, head for this shop and spread a little love (and money) here - then take your purchase to the coffee shop nearby, and enjoy! On our "journeywise.wordpress.com" cross-country trip, now 78 days long - I've stopped at many an independent bookstore, and I always leave with something! How many years will St. Helena enjoy its lovely little bookstore? Longer and longer if you stop in!

Such a wonderful and charming place, with really nice people who look after you when you pop in.

The quaintness of the little store is only exceeded by the graciousness and knowledge of the owner. Given the space the new and used selections are surprisingly extensive. And, ordering over the phone is a breeze. Jim K. Groveland, California

My favorite bookstore. I spend $30 and walk out with four or five books in good condition; have even found a few rarities! Its a very tiny store, but is perfect to pop into on a rainy day. I could spend several hours! A must for any bibliophile!

This is hands down my favorite book store. I've spent so many hours pouring over their used cookbook, fiction, etc collections over the past 12 years. Liza, the owner, always remembers my Steinbeck passion and almost every time I visit has set something aside for me. All used books are half off and the collection is well thought out and current (considering its TINY size). There's a small display of new books--but they can also order any new book and have it to you in a day or two. Main St. Books has been a great part of the community in St. Helena for a long time--always full of locals coming in to say hello and share stories with Liza.

I have lived in St. Helena for 30 years - there are two indisputable gems on Main Street that should never be missed or lost from all of us. The Cameo Theater - one of only a few 'one screen movie houses' left in our country and Main Street Books... this is how it works at Main Street Books, in the modern age, we read about new or old titles, we search the Internet for the ISBN, we write it done on a little yellow stickum tab.. we walk in and hand that tab to Liza - we either walk out with a value used edition or have to wait a day, not often two, apply your returned book credit and pay for your book - you might be dazzled into buying another of something, just because the selection is so tantalizing. If we as a nation allow a business like Main Street Books to perish - we deserve the desserts of perpetual ignorance & mediocrity!

Lovely little bookstore in downtown Saint Helena. Full of long thin bookcases with loads of books. Great place to get your fiction fix. Lots of new and used books in this cute bookshop. Worth a visit to pick up the latest and greatest read. Nice owner too!

Echoing the other reviews, Liza is awesome. I surf for books and then go and place an order with her. This little book store is a treasure.

This is one of those rare bookstores that has a quaint and reminiscent vibe the second you walk in. It's beyond welcoming a has a plethora of variety of books from cooking to Harry Potter to Fitzgerald. I've been coming to this bookstore all of my life and I never realized how much it meant to me until I went away to college and my home, and books, burned in the Napa Fire. I went back to the bookstore today to start and replace my massive collection and the owner was kind enough to let me take them home despite me begging to pay. This bookstore is the epitome of the wonderful Napa community. We Napkins keep our purchases local for a reason because you won't find anything like it anywhere else.

This is such an amazing place. It is filled with used book treasures and new books. I try to stop as often as possible to chat with Liza the owner and I always come away with an interesting book. This is the best shop in St. Helena

Main Street books is The Local Serving Community Book Shop of St. Helena, California. It's the literary brain-trust of the community. It's a family-oriented bookstore in the best sense of the word: An old-style book shop (no wireless networked, computerizing, coffee swilling lounge geeks in this establishment.) Just the best new titles available, and a comprehensive collection of the best used volumes that have passed through the community of St. Helena itself. And the best part about this establishment is that Liza and her staff actually have read most of the titles in their collection. Not only that, they are sincerely interested in their reading patrons. If you are in the neighborhood, you should always stop in to Main Street Books. Tell them what your reading habits are like and ask them for ideas or suggestions. Imagine, asking a book seller for ideas! But that's the way it works at Main Street Books. And it works! Got an amazing book that you've read, but are thinking it's time to find it a new home? Liza has a unique book-credit program, in which she will give you credit for trading in selected books that you read and would like to share (and books that she believes would be salable again): Credit that you can later apply towards the purchase of your next title. What's amazing is that, in a very brief time, the book store evolves to reflect your reading habits, along with the reading habits of other interesting people in St. Helena. That's what makes Main Street Books especially interesting: It is a living, breathing, evolving institution that now reflects the reading habits of the community in which it functions. Check it out! We've been coming to Main Street Books for years. And these days, when we walk in, we can say "I'm looking for a book for Bob or Carol or Jill or Justin. Any ideas?" and they usually do, because they know all their patrons - and often by first name. I would not recommend this store for the book browser who is looking for book gadgets, sundry items, novelties, etc. But if you love good titles, and want to see (and read) the heart of this small town in the middle of the Napa Valley, Main Street Books is a gem! It's not just a book store: It's a collection that will always give you something interesting to read.

What a great little asset for St. Helena. I am a new local author and when I went in to see if Liza would carry my book she was very supportive and friendly. Of course I have been a customer for years, but still. Independent bookstores are wonderful and keep a whole part of our society alive.

We are so lucky to have this gem of a bookstore in the Napa Valley. Perfect for new/used books and a great selection in the kid's corner as well.

Liza is the kind of book store owner you want - she is well read and super knowledgeable. And she wants to know what you like. She is great with kid readers, too - she is curious about what they are reading and why. If she needs to order a book for you it is a really fast turnaround time. This is my favorite store in St. Helena because of Liza and the tone she sets when you enter her lair of books decorated with globes and maps.