Welcome
A New Bookshop Space in the Heart of Long Beach's Retro Row!
Welcome to Bel Canto Books, a proudly woman- and POC- owned independent bookstore based in Long Beach, California!
Founded by Jhoanna Belfer, a Filipina-American poet and former hospitality executive, Bel Canto Books offers a curated selection of fiction, nonfiction and children's books, organized around a theme of the month, in particular celebrating books by women and people of color.
Please visit our Events & Classes page to learn about author events, workshops, Storytime and more!
Learn about our store- and community-led Book Clubs, including our Book Of The Month Club based on the theme of the month!
We offer a book concierge program called Books Go Mobile for personalized book recommendations,
as well as book ordering through our partners at Bookshop.org and Libro.fm. And please make sure you're signed up for our newsletter which has the latest on upcoming events, what we're reading and other fun book news.
If you'd like to be considered for an author event, either in-person or virtually, at Bel Canto Books, please complete our Event Inquiry Form.
We hope you stay safe and let's keep reading!
XXOO Jhoanna, Avowed Booknerd & Owner/Manager
Est. 2018
Bel Canto Books started as a monthly pop-up book club in 2018 and moved into a brick-and-mortar space inside The Hangout (2122 E 4th Street in Long Beach) in November 2019.
We also host a pop-up bookstore inside Steel Cup Cafe (2201 N Lakewood Blvd in Long Beach) with our monthly bookclub picks and our featured books of the month.
See what's in stock for local pickup by clicking the link below.
In the news
Spreading the Book Love + Standing Up for our Community
Thank you to all our media partners for uplifting our indie bookstore and mission!
LitHub: "An Illustrated Tour of Some of North America’s Beloved, Diverse Indie Bookstores"
Vox: "3 lessons on building more than a business"
Forbes: "Asian-American Authors, Instagram Users And Bookseller Launch Stand Up For AAPI Campaign"
Publishers Weekly: "AAPI Authors, Bookstagrammers Organize Support Campaign"
Good Housekeeping: "40+ Asian-Owned Businesses to Support Right Now"
BookRiot: "11 AAPI-OWNED BOOKSTORES AND THE BOOKS THEY RECOMMEND"
Los Angeles Review of Books: "Bel Canto Books in Long Beach, CA"
Medium: Boxed Out: 4 Bookstores in L.A. During COVID-19
Spectrum News: "Small Business Owner Prays and Prepares for Holiday Rush"
VoyageLA: "Meet Jhoanna Belfer of Bel Canto Books in Long Beach"
Long Beach Post: "Book whisperer Jhoanna Belfer knows what you should read next; just ask"
Shelf Awareness: "Bel Canto Books Opens in Long Beach, Calif."
our mission
Joy. Creativity. Curiosity.
Spreading the Love of Reading
Spreading the Love of Reading
It all starts with a story…how a great book captivates and enlivens us, how the fairytales our families share spark our sense of wonder and love of creativity, how we first learn to explore and dream and fly in the pages of our favorite books.
Spreading the Love of Reading
Spreading the Love of Reading
Spreading the Love of Reading
Our mission at Bel Canto Books is to foster joy, creativity and curiosity, one book, one connection at a time. As a BIPOC-owned bookstore, we take special pride in uplifting the work of historically marginalized authors and artists.
Follow Our Journey
Spreading the Love of Reading
Follow Our Journey
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on upcoming events, what we're reading now,
and our journey as a small business owner!
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Welcome to Bel Canto Books!
To stay informed about book clubs, author events, store news,
and more, please sign up for our newsletter.