Bank of Books, Oxnard

Ever since his parents opened a bookstore in 1954, Clarey Rudd's life has revolved around the written word. Clarey owned and managed 24 bookstores between 1974 and 1996 before depositing a life’s worth of knowledge into Bank of Books, where the next generation of Rudds joins in the family business by sorting and shipping more than 200,000 new, used, and rare titles dating back to the 1600s. A veritable potpourri of genres greets visitors at the two-level store, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The Rudd clan restocks the shelves daily, sending excess titles to a warehouse where more than 2 million additional books reside.

The Rudds have no problem helping interested parties hunt down everything from new releases to ancient manuals. They keep Bank of Books filled with works from local authors and national bestsellers, even saving some space for local artists to exhibit and sell their work.