Most first-timers stop at the ground-floor shelves, take in the marble and bank-vault setting, then leave thinking they have seen the place. The better move is to go upstairs first. The mezzanine holds the Labyrinth, including the recognisable tunnel of books, while its back room contains about 100,000 books priced at $1 each. Those bargain books are not inside the former bank vaults, which are used for shelves of new and used books. Once that distinction is clear, the visit becomes less about wandering a large shop and more about knowing which odd corner to reach before the others.
The hours split at Sunday: the venue's current listing omits it, while a separate listing gives 11AM-8PM. Ask Karpo what opening time is showing right now before setting off.
The ground floor is only the beginning
The Last Bookstore occupies more than 22,000 square feet inside the Spring Arts Tower at 453 S Spring St. It began in 2005 in a Downtown Los Angeles loft, founded by Josh Spencer, and Josh and Jenna Spencer are listed as the current owners. The scale is immediately apparent: the store says it holds more than 500,000 books and records, alongside collectibles, galleries, hidden spaces and curiosities. That is a lot to absorb from the entrance, particularly if the aim is the book tunnel rather than a general browse.
The address places the shop in the Historic Core, not the Arts District, at the corner around 5th and Spring. Pershing Square Metro station is a nearby landmark, with the store described as a block from the station. For a first visit, this makes the upstairs route the sensible starting point. It removes the need to search the ground floor for the tunnel and leaves time afterwards for the records, graphic novels and gallery shops sharing the building.
The tunnel leads into a proper bargain room
The book tunnel sits upstairs on the mezzanine, inside the Labyrinth. Its appeal is visual but its usefulness is practical: it gives the upper level a clear route through a large collection rather than presenting another long run of anonymous shelving. Walk through it, then continue into the Labyrinth's back room, where about 100,000 books are priced at $1 each. The back room is the place to browse with patience, especially for inexpensive additions rather than a particular new release.
The distinction between the tunnel, the back room and the vaults matters. The one-dollar books are in the upstairs Labyrinth back room. They are not stored in a dollar vault. The former bank vaults contain books, but they are separate spaces, fitted with shelves for vintage, new and used stock. Treating these as three different parts of the visit makes the layout easier to follow and prevents the bargain section becoming a treasure hunt for the wrong room.
The old bank gives the shelves their shape
The building was originally a 1914 bank, and its marble columns still provide the setting. Several former vaults have been fitted with shelves for new and used books, turning what might have been a purely decorative detail into part of the shop's working layout. The result is not a themed display assembled around a few props. Books occupy the building's existing rooms, including spaces designed for storage and security.
That architectural arrangement is why a quick circuit can feel incomplete. The vaults are worth seeing for their unusual proportions, but they are not a substitute for the mezzanine. The recognisable tunnel is upstairs, and the $1 books are farther into the Labyrinth's back room. Start with those two destinations, then return to the lower level and the bank rooms with a better sense of how the collection is divided.
Arrive with a route, not a haul
For ordinary browsing, arrive with the upstairs route in mind: mezzanine, tunnel, Labyrinth back room, then the former vaults and the wider shop. There is no seating or ordering routine to plan around here; the useful timing decision is simply when to give the collection enough attention. The longer opening window on Wednesday through Saturday makes those days easier for a slow visit, while the shorter Monday and Tuesday schedule suits a focused pass through the main rooms.
Selling is a different kind of visit. Book and record purchases are currently by appointment only, and sellers are asked to email a list and photographs before arriving. Do not turn up with an unscheduled haul. If the purchase is approved and cash is wanted, identification is required. Cash offers are typically 20%-50% of resale value, while trade offers are 50% more, so deciding between money and store credit is part of the preparation.
Leave room for the rest of the collection
The tunnel is the obvious organising point, but it is not the whole reason to spend time here. The store buys, sells and trades books and records, and the wider space includes vinyl, graphic novels, gallery shops and the Spring Arts Collective. That mix gives the visit several possible endings: a $1 book from the Labyrinth, a record browse, a gallery stop or a return to the shelves in the old bank rooms.
The sensible expectation is variety rather than a tightly edited specialist shop. More than 500,000 books and records means the worthwhile find may depend on unplanned browsing, but the upstairs sequence keeps the first visit from becoming aimless. Go directly to the tunnel, allow time for the back room, then use the rest of the building for discoveries. That order makes the most distinctive spaces harder to miss.
Practical notes
The address is 453 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013, in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles. The venue currently lists Monday-Tuesday 11AM-8PM and Wednesday-Saturday 10AM-11PM; Sunday is not listed. A separate listing gives daily 11AM-8PM, so check Sunday before travelling. Pershing Square Metro station is nearby, and the store is described as a block away; walk towards 5th and Spring, where the shop is at the corner. Street meters and paid parking lots are available, but parking is not validated. Go upstairs for the book tunnel and the Labyrinth back room of about 100,000 $1 books. The dollar section is separate from the former bank vaults, which contain books. Book, vinyl, CD and DVD buying is by appointment only, with an emailed list and photographs requested first.
Tags: #thingstodonearme #thelastbookstore #booktunnel #labyrinthbooks #dollarbooks #historiccore #downtownla #losangeles #freethings #bookstores #usedbooks #vinylrecords #springstreet #pershingsquare
Sources consulted: lastbookstorela.com · lastbookstorela.com/about · lastbookstorela.com/sell-donate · downtownla.com · pbssocal.org
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Ask Karpo first
The hard detail here is the Sunday opening split: the venue's current hours omit Sunday, while another listing gives 11AM-8PM. Ask Karpo for the hours showing right now, the best time to reach the upstairs tunnel and Labyrinth back room, and what else nearby is worth the walk from Pershing Square.
