About Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative · San Francisco
Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative is a volunteer-run, worker-owned bookstore, art gallery, and live performance venue in San Francisco's Mission District, founded in 1989 by Andrew McKinley. After facing an unaffordable rent hike at its original 16th Street location, supporters reorganized the shop as a cooperative in 2012-2013 and reopened at 3130 24th Street, where it continues to operate as a community hub. The store is known for affordable used books, the Adobe Backroom Gallery, hundreds of free public events each year, and its ties to the Mission School art movement of the 1990s and 2000s.
Affectionately called 'The Living Room of the Mission,' Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative, Inc. was founded in 1989 by Andrew McKinley at 3166 16th Street in San Francisco. The store became a bohemian nexus for artists, musicians, writers, readers, and neighborhood regulars, hosting musicians such as Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Sonny Smith, and Thee Oh Sees, and serving as a literary home for authors like Rebecca Solnit, Tongo Eisen-Martin, and former San Francisco Poet Laureate Kim Shuck. In 2001, curator Amanda Eicher transformed the back storage room into the Adobe Books Backroom Gallery, which became a defining space for Mission School artists including Chris Johanson, Barry McGee, Alicia McCarthy, Ruby Neri, and many others. In 2004, artist Chris Cobb organized the entire 20,000-volume inventory by color in a nationally covered piece titled 'There is Nothing Wrong in This Whole Wide World.' When the original lease became untenable in 2012, a coalition of supporters — including Jeff Ray of Rainbow Grocery and author Paul LaFarge — raised $60,000 via crowdfunding and relocated the store to 3130 24th Street, forming a worker cooperative. In 2018 the shop received a grant through Mayor Ed Lee's Bookstore SF Program; in 2019 it partnered with Calle 24 to obtain Limited Entertainment Licenses for its event programming; in 2020 it was added to the San Francisco Legacy Business Registry; and in 2024 Adobe Books officially became a nonprofit organization. Today the shop is almost entirely volunteer-run and serves as a gathering place for the Mission community, hosting free literary events, live music, drag queen story hours, self-defense classes, and rotating art exhibitions, with an inventory focused on English and Spanish titles and some French, German, and Italian books.
- In business
- Founded 1989 (36 years); reorganized as a cooperative and relocated to 24th Street in 2013
- Owner
- Founded by Andrew McKinley in 1989; since 2013 owned and operated as a volunteer worker-owned cooperative (Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative, Inc.); 2024 became a registered nonprofit. Cooperative reorganization spearheaded by Jeff Ray (Rainbow Grocery), author Paul LaFarge, Kyle Knobel, and others.
- Serves
- San Francisco, primarily the Mission District; draws visitors from across the Bay Area and beyond
- Rating
- 4.0 stars on Yelp (30 reviews, as of July 2024)
History of Adobe Books
Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative, Inc. was founded in 1989 by Andrew McKinley at 3166 16th Street in San Francisco's Mission District. From the start it functioned less like a typical store and more like a community living room — a bohemian nexus for artists, musicians, writers, readers, and neighborhood regulars. The shop hosted intimate in-stores, late-night conversations, and the occasional overnight guest on the bookstore couches. In 2001, curator Amanda Eicher converted the back storage room into what is now the Adobe Books Backroom Gallery, an alternative space that became closely associated with the Mission School art movement of the 1990s and 2000s.
- Founded 1989 by Andrew McKinley at 3166 16th Street
- Known affectionately as 'The Living Room of the Mission'
- Adobe Books Backroom Gallery established 2001 by Amanda Eicher
- Tied to Mission School artists including Chris Johanson, Barry McGee, Alicia McCarthy, Ruby Neri, Sean McFarland, Kirk Maxson, and others
The 2012 Relocation and Birth of the Cooperative
When Andrew McKinley's lease came up in 2012, his landlord raised the rent dramatically (reports of a jump from roughly $4,500 to as much as $8,000 per month), threatening the store's survival. A coalition of supporters — including Jeff Ray of Rainbow Grocery, author Paul LaFarge, Kyle Knobel, and Mission School artists like Rebecca Solnit and Chris Johanson — organized a campaign to save Adobe. They raised $60,000 through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, plus $20,000 more via an art auction, formed a cooperative corporation, and found a new storefront at 3130 24th Street, joining what became an informal 'bookstore row' in the Mission. The new Adobe Books & Arts Cooperative reopened in 2013.
- 2012: faced unaffordable rent hike at 16th Street
- $60,000 raised via Indiegogo crowdfunding + $20,000 art auction
- Reopened as a cooperative at 3130 24th Street in 2013
- Organizing coalition included Jeff Ray, Paul LaFarge, Kyle Knobel, Rebecca Solnit, Chris Johanson
Backroom Gallery and the Mission School
The Adobe Books Backroom Gallery has been a defining feature of the store since 2001, providing an alternative exhibition space where emerging and established artists can experiment freely. Adobe is widely cited as one of the institutions associated with the rise of the Mission School, an art movement centered in the Mission District in the 1990s and 2000s. The gallery is currently run by volunteers who handle installation, artist assistance, social media, and gallery sitting hours.
- Curated by Amanda Eicher beginning in 2001
- Hundreds of exhibitions hosted since 2001
- Associated artists and collectives: Chris Johanson, CTRL + SHFT, KEEPEYES, Kirk Maxson, Alicia McCarthy, Sean McFarland, Barry McGee, MCXT, Ruby Neri, Kyle Ranson, Christine Shields, Cate White, Yoshi Yubai
Music, Literature, and Live Events
Live events have been central to Adobe Books' identity since its founding. The store hosts hundreds of free public events each year — including live music, literary readings, spoken word, drag queen story hours, and self-defense classes. Notable musicians who played regularly in the shop include Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Sonny Smith, and Thee Oh Sees. Regular authors, collaborators, and event hosts have included Rebecca Solnit, Tamsin Smith, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Michael Bernard Loggins, Diamond Dave Whitaker, and former San Francisco Poet Laureate Kim Shuck.
- Hundreds of free public events annually
- Featured musicians: Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Sonny Smith, Thee Oh Sees
- Featured writers: Rebecca Solnit, Kim Shuck, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Michael Bernard Loggins, Tamsin Smith, Diamond Dave Whitaker
- Programming includes music, poetry, drag queen story hour, self-defense classes
The 2004 Color-Organized Inventory
In 2004, the shop made national news when artist Chris Cobb organized Adobe's entire 20,000-volume inventory by color rather than by author, title, or subject. The conceptual artwork, titled 'There is Nothing Wrong in This Whole Wide World,' turned the shop into a rainbow-ordered reading experience and was covered widely in the press.
- Artist: Chris Cobb
- Piece title: 'There is Nothing Wrong in This Whole Wide World'
- Coverage in San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, New York Times and more
Cooperate Structure, Volunteers, and Membership
Adobe Books has functioned as a volunteer worker-owned cooperative since the 2013 reopening and officially became a registered nonprofit organization in 2024. The store is 'almost entirely volunteer-run,' managed by a large crew who do the work because they believe in the mission. There are three tracks for getting involved: shop volunteering, gallery volunteering, and cooperative membership. Co-op members gain store ownership, a 20% discount on purchases, and voting rights.
- Worker-owned cooperative since 2013
- Officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2024
- Member benefits: store ownership, 20% off purchases, voting rights
- Three volunteer tracks: Shop volunteer, Gallery volunteer, Co-op Member
Books, Languages, and Inventory
Adobe's primary focus is books in English, with a significant collection of Spanish titles and some French, German, and Italian books in the mix. The store serves both Mission residents and visitors from around the Bay Area and the world — on any given day, staff report that as many as 10 different languages may be spoken in the store. Adobe donates books to a prison literacy project coordinated by local activist Nancy Frank.
- Primary focus: English-language books
- Significant Spanish-language collection
- Select French, German, and Italian titles
- Books donated to Nancy Frank's prison literacy project
Community Partnerships and Memberships
Adobe Books is an active member of multiple Mission District and Bay Area arts and cooperative networks. In 2019, the store partnered with Calle 24 Latino Cultural District on a grant initiative that helped community venues on 24th Street obtain Limited Entertainment Licenses so they could legitimately host music and literary events. Adobe offers its space free of charge to neighborhood organizations for meetings, book readings, music, performance, and spoken word.
- Calle 24 Latino Cultural District
- Paseo Artistico
- MAPP (Mission Arts & Performance Plan)
- Litquake
- Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives
Recognition and Legacy Status
In 2018, Adobe Books received a $9,000 grant from the City and County of San Francisco as part of the late Mayor Ed Lee's Bookstore SF Program. In 2020, the San Francisco Small Business Commission added Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative to the San Francisco Legacy Business Registry, recognizing more than 30 years of continuous operation (1989 at 3166 16th Street, 2013 to present at 3130 24th Street) and its contributions to the cultural identity of the Mission neighborhood.
- 2018: $9,000 grant, Mayor Ed Lee's Bookstore SF Program
- 2019: partnered with Calle 24 for Limited Entertainment Licenses
- 2020: added to SF Registry of Legacy Businesses
- 2024: officially became a nonprofit organization
Visit, Contact, and Get Involved
Adobe Books is open daily from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM at 3130 24th Street in the Mission District (between Folsom and Shotwell), San Francisco, CA 94110. The phone number is (415) 864-3936. Walk-ins are welcome. Those interested in getting involved can apply to volunteer on the shop floor, in the gallery, or work toward becoming a full cooperative member with ownership stake, discount, and voting rights.
- Address: 3130 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
- Phone: (415) 864-3936
- Hours: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM daily
- Walk-ins welcome