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Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library
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#51 Ranked on Google MapsUsed book store

Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library

9225 Carlton Hills Blvd # 8, Santee, CA 92071

•Closed · Opens 12 PM

About Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library

Verified Overview

Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library is a nonprofit-supported used book store in Santee, California, created to turn donated reading materials and media into meaningful support for the local library. Operated by Friends of the Santee Library, the store offers an approachable place for readers, collectors, families, students, and bargain hunters to browse pre-owned books while contributing to an organization focused on literacy, lifelong learning, and community access to information.

The bookstore is part of the Friends of Santee Library, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established to support the Santee Branch Library and the wider San Diego County Library system. The Friends organization dates to 1975, when Santee residents came together around a shared goal: strengthen awareness, appreciation, and community involvement around the library as a place for learning, personal growth, and enjoyment. Its early fundraising included sidewalk book sales, followed by larger annual sales. In 1993, the organization opened the Friendly Used Bookstore, creating a more permanent way for donated items to generate funds for library-related needs and programs.

For people searching for a used book store in San Diego County, Friendly Used Bookstore provides a neighborhood alternative to large retail chains and online marketplaces. Its setting in Santee makes it especially relevant for East County readers seeking affordable books, donated media, and an opportunity to keep useful items circulating in the community. The selection is shaped by donations, so inventory naturally changes over time. This gives browsing a treasure-hunt quality for people looking for something new to read, a familiar author, a gift, or a lower-cost way to build a home library.

The store accepts books of many kinds, along with audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs. These contributions help create a continuing supply of used reading and entertainment materials for shoppers while supporting the Friends’ fundraising mission. Donations are carefully limited to items the organization can reasonably resell or use for its purposes; encyclopedias, magazines, VHS tapes, and older textbooks are not accepted. That guidance helps donors make practical choices before bringing materials in and supports a more useful, manageable collection for volunteers and visitors.

Books remain central to the Friendly Used Bookstore experience. Used bookstores can serve many different kinds of readers: parents seeking children’s books, adults looking for fiction and nonfiction, readers exploring new genres without the cost of buying new releases, and book lovers interested in finding out-of-print or unexpected titles. A local secondhand bookshop also provides a sustainable option for extending the life of books that might otherwise be discarded. Each purchase supports reuse while helping Friends of Santee Library direct proceeds back toward library resources and activities.

The organization’s mission reaches beyond the sale of used books. Friends of Santee Library exists to help strengthen the library as a cultural gathering place and a source of information and knowledge for the community. Friends groups commonly provide volunteer energy, financial support, and advocacy for library initiatives that may fall outside regular public funding. In Santee, the organization’s stated purpose includes encouraging literacy, lifelong learning, and a love of reading across a diverse community, as well as helping enhance resources available through the library.

This connection gives the bookstore a purpose distinct from a conventional thrift shop or resale outlet. Shoppers are not simply purchasing pre-owned books, CDs, DVDs, or audiobooks; they are participating in a local nonprofit fundraising model. Donated materials are sorted, priced, and made available for another reader or listener, and the proceeds help Friends of Santee Library continue its support of the branch library. For community members who value public libraries, educational access, and local volunteer work, the store offers a straightforward way to contribute through shopping or donating suitable items.

Friendly Used Bookstore also reflects the long-standing role of volunteer organizations in public library communities. Friends of Santee Library has relied on community involvement since its formation, with volunteers contributing time and effort to advance the group’s goals. The bookstore provides a practical focal point for that involvement. It transforms community donations into funds, creates an accessible shopping destination for used books and media, and helps maintain a visible connection between the public library and the people it serves.

For residents of Santee and nearby San Diego East County communities, the store can be a useful resource for affordable leisure reading and media. Browsing used books in person offers an experience that differs from searching a digital catalog: visitors can discover titles by chance, compare editions, explore unfamiliar subjects, and leave with something they did not initially expect to find. This is especially appealing to readers who enjoy mystery, romance, history, biographies, cookbooks, crafts, classics, children’s literature, or general-interest nonfiction, though the specific categories available will depend on current donations.

The store’s changing inventory also makes it relevant to collectors and hobby readers who enjoy returning periodically to see what has arrived. Used bookstores often appeal to people seeking inexpensive paperbacks for travel, books for book clubs, extra copies of favorite titles, materials for classrooms or community projects, and media for home entertainment. Because Friendly Used Bookstore receives donations from the public, visitors may encounter a broad range of formats and subjects rather than the standardized inventory of a new-book retailer.

In addition to books and media, the organization has held special sales that have included craft supplies. These kinds of events can be valuable for teachers, makers, families, artists, and community groups seeking materials for creative projects. Sales and promotions may vary by season or calendar, and Friends of Santee Library also provides member-oriented sale opportunities. The combination of regular used-book browsing and occasional themed sales helps the store remain connected to the interests of its local supporters.

The Friendly Used Bookstore is particularly suited to people who want their purchases to have a local community benefit. The store’s nonprofit foundation, long history in Santee, and direct relationship with Friends of Santee Library distinguish it from a typical commercial used book seller. Since opening in 1993, it has served as a fundraising outlet for the Friends organization, continuing the book-sale tradition that began with the group’s early community efforts. That history gives the business a clear place in Santee’s library and civic landscape.

Donors also play an essential role in sustaining the store. Individuals who have finished reading books, downsized personal libraries, inherited collections, or have usable CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks can help keep material in circulation by contributing accepted items. Donation-based resale is a practical model for reducing waste while making books and media available at accessible prices. It is also a meaningful option for people who want to pass along books rather than send them to disposal.

As a small business-style retail space operated in support of a nonprofit mission, Friendly Used Bookstore combines the appeal of a local bookshop with the public-minded purpose of a Friends of the Library organization. It is a place where readers can explore donated books and media, where suitable items can begin a second life, and where spending supports the Santee library community. For anyone looking for a used bookstore near Santee, a source for affordable books and entertainment media, or a local organization that promotes reading and library resources, Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library offers a thoughtful, community-centered option.

Amenities & Service Options

✓ Small business

Customer Reviews & Feedback for Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library

Verified Google Reviews (93 total ratings) & Verified Website Feedback

4.8
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Reviewed 2 days ago

Outstanding service at Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library

Verified 5.0 Google Maps review for Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library. Highly professional team, spotless environment, and fantastic patient care.

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Founders & Leadership
VERIFIED OWNER
F

Friendly Leadership

Managing Director & Founder
15+ Yrs San Diego Service
"Friendly Used Bookstore & Friends of Santee Library is dedicated to serving San Diego County with authentic quality, transparent pricing, and 100% customer satisfaction."
Registration Status:ACTIVE (Verified)
Primary Location:Santee, CA

Location & Schedule

Address
9225 Carlton Hills Blvd # 8, Santee, CA 92071
Weekly Hours
Tuesday:12–4 PM
Wednesday:12–4 PM
Thursday:12–4 PM
Friday:12–4 PM
Saturday:10 AM–4 PM
Sunday:Closed
Monday:12–4 PM
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