Bart's Books

A view of the shop from the street.

A sign with instructions for paying for books after hours.

Bart's Books in Ojai, California is a bookstore founded by Richard Bartinsdale in 1964. It is a (mostly) outdoors bookstore, and some books are available for sale at all hours. Shelves of books face the street, and patrons are asked to drop coins into the door's coinbox to pay for any books they take whenever the store is closed.

Bart's has been featured in documentaries, television news programs, newspaper and magazine articles, and Hollywood movies. One television documentary had a hidden camera in a van parked across the street to study the honesty of people: how many people actually put money in the coinbox after hours to pay for books they took when no one was around. The store was also featured in Easy A, a 2010 movie.

External links

"About" on the Bart's Books website
"The Honor System Works All Night Long at Bart's Books: Real estate agents cite the store as an example of the city's small-town style", December 16, 1990, Los Angeles Times
"Ojai, Calif.: The Anti-L.A", October 16, 2005, Washington Post
"California's Tranquil Ojai Valley", November 6, 1988, New York Times

Coordinates: 34°26′55″N 119°14′59″W / 34.4486°N 119.2497°W / 34.4486; -119.2497

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