Italian-Language Bookseller 'Libreria Pino' Pops Up In North Beach

Italian-Language Bookseller 'Libreria Pino' Pops Up In North BeachJoseph Carboni. | Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline Tipline
Nathan Falstreau
Published on July 21, 2017

North Beach is synonymous with all things Italian, but residents and visitors can dive even deeper into the culture at Libreria Pino, a pop-up Italian language bookseller. 

“We are so excited to have this opportunity to have a physical presence in the neighborhood,” owner Joseph Carboni told Hoodline. “We are looking forward to meeting our neighbors, letting people browse our products, and speaking Italian with our customers.”

Libreria Pino began as an online bookstore in 2011 with a limited selection of Italian bestsellers and popular children's books.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to build the business in order to support a physical retail store,” Carboni said. “I have looked at spaces throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area. Of course, the only neighborhood for an Italian bookstore was always North Beach."

Photo: Joseph Carboni 

Carboni signed a short-term lease at 1412 Grant Ave. this last month, but told us that he’s already receiving positive reviews from customers and passersby.

“Everyone that has been to our store has been so excited to see an Italian bookstore in North Beach,” he said. “We have received lots of compliments on how beautiful the new store looks…They all stop to see the Dr. Seuss titles in the window.” 

Carboni decided to start his own business when his son was at San Francisco's La Scuola International School, and realized how difficult it was to find Italian language books in the United States. Even after visiting bookstores throughout the country, he was surprised at the limited selection available.

"Given the increasing popularity of the Italian language and the thousands of Italian speakers living in in the States, there should be enough customer demand to support a specialized bookstore,” Carboni said.

Photo: Joseph Carboni

As demand for his books grew, customers began to request he carry certain titles and genres they couldn’t find outside of Italy. "We now have a broad selection from easy-readers to Dante; from Elena Ferrante to Luigi Pirandello; and from Francesco Tullio Altan to Gianni Rodari," he told us. 

Over time, Libreria Pino's collection has expanded to include a variety of Italian music and film as well, featuring artists such as Lucio Battisti and Mina, Jovanotti, Malika Ayane, and Noemi. Carboni has also added a broad selection of films for children like Barbapapà, Geronimo Stilton, and Winx Club, as well as films for adults ranging from classics to popular new releases.

“Our goal is to promote Italian culture and language through books, music and film,” he said. “We aim to provide easy access to Italian literature and entertainment with a customer-centric approach.”

While Libreria Pino’s brick-and-mortar location will only be open until December, Carboni said he hopes to stay, even if it’s at another space. 

“Of course we hope to stay in the neighborhood after our pop-up. But you will always be able to find us online.”