Founded in October 1976, The Booksmith is an independent bookstore located in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. When first opened, the store was located at 1746 Haight Street, below the former I-Beam nightclub. In 1985, the store moved to its current location at 1644 Haight Street, about a block and a half from the intersection of Haight and Ashbury.
The Booksmith caters to neighborhood residents as well as tourists seeking the counter-cultural ambience of Haight Street. The Booksmith is general interest bookshop and is a member of both the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) and the American Booksellers Association (ABA).