Sadly, the great Wahrenbrocks with renowned Chuck Valverde (& Jan) at the helm is no more. Chuck passed away in 2008 & the store closed in summer 2009, with a final liquidation sale in early 2010 (which I passed on...too sad). Along with the closure of Acres of Books in Long Beach, southern CA has lost two giants inthe used book world that people used to come from from across the country & the world to visit. San Diego is much poorer for the loss of this legend. The only close second is Maxwell's in La Mesa (not coincidentally? operated by the grandson of the original Wahrenbrocks.

This is a fabulous book store, with the most helpful book experts. They have a huge selection of hard-to-find books-- a two-story collection of eclectic treasure.

Wahrenbrocks Book House claims that they are San Diegos Premiere Bookstore. It is a decent sized store that you will definitely want to visit if you are a reading enthusiast. You can spend awhile browsing through both the used and new books that they sell in this book store. They have one of the largest selections of California history books, as well as Mexicos history. Not only do they sell current hit list books, but they also sell a small selection of books that would be considered antiques. Its a fun store to browse, and its located in Downtown, San Diego. If you work in the downtown area, its a great place to spend your lunch hour. The prices are fair, not inexpensive, but definitely not high end book store prices either. I would consider it a book store for everyday book enthusiasts, all though die hard readers will find something that interests them within the walls of this store as well. The employees are probably the best part about this book store, their knowledge of the stores collection of literature will help you find a book, even if you do not know the title, author, or ISBN number. They will also help you find the perfect gift for every book lover on your gift list.