
By DONNA GILLESPIE
Book lovers discouraged by the proliferation of chain stores and websites deserve a leisurely afternoon at Browser Books.
Itβs an old-fashioned bookstore that emanates warmth β wood paneling and music greet you as you enter, and there are lamp-lit nooks that beckon patrons to sit and read. Carefully chosen classics line the shelves, but better-quality popular books can be found here as well. If a staffer recommends a book, itβs likely some forgotten gem, not something everybodyβs already reading.
At 2195 Fillmore, next door to Peetβs Coffee, Browser is a bright, inviting spot that offers a cozy respite hours after the other shops on the street have gone dark.
βWe have more books per square inch than anyone around,β says owner Stephen Damon. Just donβt come in asking for a romance novel or a western β Browser doesnβt carry them. βWeβre very selective, very literary,β says Damon. βI keep important books.β
Browserβs story is interwoven with the colorful history of the neighborhood. The store was founded in 1976 a block north of its present location, just beside the Clay Theater, where Carlos Santanaβs band also recorded, Beat poets read their poems and a head shop once flourished.
βThis is a great neighborhood for a literary bookstore,β Damon says. βWe have a loyal clientele.β Damon treasures an in-person review he received from local author Alice Adams. βThank God for Browser Books,β she told him. βI didnβt think bookstores like this still existed.β
Browser is open every day until 10 p.m. β even if itβs New Yearβs Day. The store closes only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.