Location
866 Valencia St. between 19th and 20th
Hours
Noon - 8pm
Phone
(415) 824-8203
Website
http://www.borderlands-books.com/
Owner(s)
Alan Beatts
Established
1997, November 3rd
Payment Method
Cash, Visa, Mastercard, Traveler's Checks
Wheelchair Access
Access is medium-good here during regular
hours, with no steps. The bathroom is small
and not very accessible. During events the
store is very crowded and difficult to navigate.

Borderlands is a science fiction, horror and fantasy bookstore. They buy and sell those books. Borderlands carries new and used books as well as genre DVDs, magazines, and British imports. The staff knows their SF; tell them what you like and they'll give you awesome recommendations.

The bookstore often hosts out-of-town and local SF/Fantasy readings.

They had a hairless cat (a Sphinx) named Ripley. (June 10th, 2002 - May 12th, 2010) Now they sell postcards with a photo of her. A description of her: She is sooo cute. And a little scary. She sort of looks like a giant rat, but still acts like a regular cat.

In late 2009, Borderlands opened Borderlands Cafe in an adjacent spot, formally occupied by a upholstery store.

Cory Doctorow at Borderlands Books, by Liz Henry

2015 Closure possibility

On February 1, 2015, owner Alan Beatts announced that baring unforeseen changes, Borderlands Books would be closing in March.  Alan cited the SF minimum wage increase as the primary reason for the sudden need to close, and followed up with lots of detail in a personal post a few days later (and another).  Several days later, Borderlands announced that, with a strong enough crowdfunding campaign, they may be able to remain open by offering paid sponsorships.

On Feb. 21st, 2015, they announced they met their sponsorship goal and will be able to remain open.