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Welcome

A Thriving Filipina-led Indie Bookstore in Long Beach CA!

Welcome to Bel Canto Books, a proudly woman- and BIPOC- 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 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, Head 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 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.

In February 2023, we opened our newest location inside KUBO LB, a Filipinx-led collaborative collective workspace (3976 Atlantic Ave in Long Beach).

See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by clicking the button below.

FAQs

Visit us in person

See You at the Bookstore!

Visit our 4th Street location inside The Hangout (2122 E 4th St, Long Beach CA)

Open Tuesday - Sunday 11am to 7pm

Here’s a few tips to help make your visit to our 4th Street location a success:

We are in a busy shopping district, so come early if you’re nervous about parking or crowds.
Paid street parking available on 4th St (use Passport app for easy meter payment).
Paid parking lot available at Cherry and 4th.

Make a day of your Bel Canto Books outing!

Recommended eateries w/in walking distance: Alder & Sage (coffee shop + restaurant), Gusto (bakery), Wide Eyes Open Palms (bakery/cafe), The Socialist (American), Little Coyote (pizza), and Oh La Vache (cheese shop/sandwiches).
Some of our favorite 4th St shops: Page Against The Machine (activist bookstore), Native Sol (vintage/lifestyle), Alien Artifacts (vintage/gifts), Pigeon's (roller skate shop), Songbird (gifts/novelty), and Casa De Luxe (vintage).

Visit our Bixby Knolls location inside KUBO LB (3976 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach CA)

Monday/Tuesday - CLOSED

Wednesday - 11am to 5pm

Thursday - 11am to 5pm

Friday - 12pm to 8pm

Saturday 12pm to 8pm

Sunday - 11am to 4pm

Recommended eateries within walking distance: Ding Tea (boba), Sala Coffee + Wine, Cassidy's Corner Cafe (bagels), HiroNori (ramen), and Ambitious Ales (beer + popup food vendors).

Visit our Bellflower location inside Steel Cup Cafe (2201 N Lakewood Blvd, Long Beach CA)

Open Tuesday - Sunday 7am to 4pm

Free parking in lot

Exterior of Bel Canto Books located inside The Hangout in Long Beach CA

Bel Canto Books at The Hangout in Retro Row on 4th Street in Long Beach

our mission

Joy. Creativity. Curiosity.

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

Our mission at Bel Canto Books is to foster joy, creativity and curiosity, one book, one connection at a time. As a woman- and BIPOC-owned bookstore, we take special pride in uplifting the work of historically marginalized authors and artists.