By Grace Chaves / The Point / Oct 23, 2024
Tucked away on the corner of Rosecrans Street is La Playa Books, a locally owned independent bookstore that sells new and used books, located only a mile and a half away from Point Loma Nazarene University. It’s not as big as Warwicks in La Jolla or as flashy as Bookstar in Loma Portal, but it’s a haven for writers, bibliophiles and college students.
After undergoing a major renovation in the spring, La Playa Books is back with a modern look.
Before the renovation, the bookstore had hardly seen any updates since its opening in 1990. The same brown carpet lay over the creaky flooring, and ceiling-length shelves packed with books lined the store in narrow passageways. Amy Hesselink, manager of La Playa Books, said they wanted to make the store feel more modern.
“Our goal was to make [the bookstore] more airy,” Hesselink said. “We wanted it to be open so you can see all the fiction, and so we could have a nice kids area … and we wanted the space more open for our events.”