- Joe O'Connor
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
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Josh Spencer looked at the world and saw chaos. Lots of it.
As a former Hawaiian resident living in LA, the constant noise and commotion of the city was overwhelming.
So, when the opportunity came to build a brick-and-mortar bookstore, Josh was determined to make it a place of refuge for book lovers looking to escape the city’s madness. That’s when, in 2009, he opened The Last Bookstore.
“I really wanted to create a place that was out of time and that was all times, too,” says Josh. “That's what books represent to me. They span thousands of years of people telling stories. I wanted to create a place people could step into—a portal into another dimension that was safe, secure and restful that had all this knowledge.”
Today, the 22,000-square-foot store in downtown LA is California's largest new and used book and record store. The story of how Josh and his wife Jenna built it is the stuff of bestsellers.
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A life-changing event
Josh was an active and outdoorsy kid growing up in Hawaii. But his world was turned upside down at 21, when a road accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.
After several years navigating life in a wheelchair and struggling to find a job, he moved to LA. There, he began trading books online, sparked by his grandmother's idea to sell her old cookbooks.
“I sold them on Amazon, made good money and was like, ‘I could do this,’” recalls Josh. “I started going to thrift stores and garage sales, finding books that I could sell and repurpose—and I was off to the races.”
Through his new hustle, Josh rediscovered his love for books and found creative ways to buy and sell them. He made a living from it for almost a decade until a “man about town” named Brady Westwater approached him about opening a bookstore.
“He was like, ‘We need a bookstore downtown and I hear you’re the book guy,’” says Josh.
Brady had a knack for bringing the coolest traders into downtown LA and could see the potential in having an independent bookstore there. “So he convinced me,” adds Josh, noting how Brady drew him out of his shell. “I was shy and introverted.”
Before long, Josh was sizing up a historic bank building. Its landlord had initially planned to lease it to Urban Outfitters, but once he heard Josh’s vision for a used bookstore, he changed his mind.
The Last Bookstore had its first home.
Capturing LA’s imagination
Before setting up the store, Josh took some time to sit in the empty space and visualize how it all might look. As a long-time wheelchair user, he was hyper-aware of the physical space around him, so he had a distinct vision for its layout.
“There are so many great bookstores I can't go to in a wheelchair because they're too crammed,” says Josh. “I love that visual aspect, but it's not something I can engage with. So, I wanted to make it wide enough and spacious enough for anyone to feel free to roam.”
Josh also thought most bookstores were cookie-cutter. Instead of straight, predictable aisles, he envisioned a place where people could wander, get lost and discover the unexpected. Drawing on his love of the steampunk genre, he infused the store with an otherworldly feel, pulling inspiration from films as varied as Hellboy, V for Vendetta, Indiana Jones and Alexander the Great.
The finished space resembled an art museum more than a bookstore, with its high-soaring ceilings, mosaic floors, antique vaults and marble pillars juxtaposed with playful designs like book sculpture installations, a book tunnel and themed rooms.
It captured the imagination of people in downtown LA.
“[People] came in, and for them, there was an immediate lowering of temperature compared with the commotion outside,” says Josh. “There were so many smiles and wide eyes. I still love sitting there and just watching people’s faces when they come in. That's when the wandering starts.”
Throughout the years, The Last Bookstore has become so much more than a retailer; it’s an institution where people congregate, browse, read, relax, attend events and explore. It has even inspired spin-off sister stores in two other locations across California, and one in Hawaii. Some Saturdays, there can be as many as 1,000 customers in the store. It has gained international recognition too, becoming the world’s most Instagrammed bookstore.
“There's definitely a sense of belonging with a lot of customers,” says Josh. “Some people I’ve seen regularly for 15 years. Some are now elderly and have long since retired. Then there are younger people who tell me they’ve been coming with their parents for years and love it. So, it's part of people's stories. Our story is their story. It's amazing to have that.”
Going back to where it started—online
Josh’s bold move from online to physical retail made The Last Bookstore a massive hit, but it meant its digital side got less attention. That’s where Josh’s wife Jenna came in.
“At the time, Jenna was looking for a change, and so, she wanted to join me in the Last Bookstore and see how we could elevate it beyond what I was able to do,” says Josh. “With her creative eye and experience, she's very good at making things beautiful.”
They’d long planned to grow online, but a single Instagram post promoting their book bundles pushed them into action.
"It ignited a viral chain reaction, leading to thousands of orders,” recalls Jenna. “We needed an online store—fast—and Wix gave us the agility to adapt.”
The post not only prompted the couple to start selling these book collections online, but also to give the website a full makeover. They had a strong vision for their new site: modern-looking, easy to navigate and built for growth, with a nostalgic feel that captured the large-scale indie spirit of the physical store.
“Most bookstore sites are very standard and boring to me,” says Josh. “There's no imagination. I didn’t want our website to be just a brochure—I wanted it to be art.”
A virtual love letter to literature
Starting with a mood board, Josh and Jenna drafted the general look and layout of their site. They worked for weeks to ensure the user experience was clean and intuitive and that its look and feel were on-brand, drawing inspiration from unique websites, retro poster design and classic art.
After a few iterations, the couple launched a website that goes far beyond basic functionality. It immerses visitors in the world of The Last Bookstore—promoting events, selling gift cards, merchandise and curated book bundles, while also expanding the store’s reach and deepening its connection with customers.
Stylistically, the couple nailed the bookstore’s distinctive character, too. Sweeping drone shots and quick-cut videos draw visitors in immediately, while high-res imagery keeps things visually rich. For the color palette, black and white dominate the pages as golden-mustard accents highlight interactive elements. Bold sans-serif fonts make a statement, particularly in the hero section header, declaring: “WE ARE THE LAST BOOKSTORE.”
Then there’s the dark, scratched background that adds a worn-in, indie vibe across much of the site—a subtle nod to second-hand culture. Quirky, interactive stickers represent different product categories with a playful, retro touch.
Finally, the About page shares the Last Bookstore’s unique story and links to press features from different media, while sharp, concise content is broken up by standout headers like “A LIVING LOVE LETTER TO LITERATURE.”
“With Wix, we have total creative control,” says Josh. “You know, I layered photography, put drone footage and interactive elements so that even on-screen, you can feel our steampunk fantasy spirit.”
“Our website goes beyond just functionality,” adds Jenna. “It’s a virtual extension of The Last Bookstore, where visitors can experience the warmth of our community.”
A punk-rock DIY attitude to the future
When you’re operating in a traditional market that competes with retailing behemoths, you can never stand still. Josh and Jenna are always exploring novel (pun intended) ways to make sure The Last Bookstore doesn’t fulfil the prophecy of its name.
The store already hosts literary events, live music and even photography shoots, but the couple plans to bring more creative dimensions to the business—like podcasting, making documentaries on the bookstore industry and spotlighting authors and artists in-store. And all these can be managed or hosted from their website.
“We want to create things that tell the story of books and bookstores, authors and writers in new and different ways,” says Josh.
After all, Josh considers himself much more of a creator than a businessperson. “I'm able to tap into the business side,” he says. “I have to, but it's not what I want to be thinking about. And it's not the motivation for me. I'm not in this to make tons of money. I'm in it to make something that will change people's lives and allow them to be inspired to also be creative.”
“We could easily switch our model and go all-in on new books, but that's not interesting to us,” adds Jenna. “I think people want to support us and hopefully help us continue to do what we're doing.”
Whatever they do next, Josh won’t be deterred by a fear of failure. As he notes, he’s lost things in life that are much more traumatic than losing a business. He’s also kept that punk attitude, telling him anything is possible.
“I come from a punk rock sort of background," he says. “So I'm very much DIY, do it yourself, figure it out yourself. And so, in my mind, I can do whatever I want to do.”
7 business lessons from Josh and Jenna
If you’re thinking about how to start a business or diving into entrepreneurship, Josh and Jenna’s story is packed with lessons on creativity, resilience and building a business that truly inspires.
01. Storytelling fuels growth
The Last Bookstore gained notoriety through word-of-mouth, travel guides, media and social sharing.
Josh: “We’re on all the most beautiful bookstores in the world lists… lots of people have seen us in all different kinds of places.”
Lesson: A compelling brand story and organic PR can drive global recognition.
02. Build a community, not just customers
Regular customers treat the store as a part of their lives, even across generations.
Josh: “Some of these people are now elderly… Some say, ‘I’ve been coming here since I was five.’ Our story is their story.”
Lesson: Strong communities ensure longevity and loyalty beyond transactions.
03. Embrace imperfection and authenticity
Unlike most large book retailers, The Last Bookstore doesn’t have a store map, making discovery harder. But that has become part of its charm.
Josh: “Even though it might not be good business sense necessarily, people have really responded to it.”
Lesson: Differentiation sometimes means breaking conventional best practices.
04. Keep a consistent vibe across physical and digital
Josh consciously designed the physical space with cinematic, neo-Victorian, labyrinth-like aesthetics—a feeling he also wanted to shine through on the website.
Josh: “I wanted the store to feel expansive… almost a book temple, from some other time. Likewise, I wanted our site to be cinematic, have a photographic element to it and to feel big.”
Lesson: The physical environment of a brick-and-mortar business should seamlessly carry through to its digital presence.
05. Adapt quickly to change
During the pandemic, the store launched curated book bundles overnight, which exploded in popularity.
Jenna: “The same day that our door shut, that idea just happened to take off through a comment on Instagram.”
Lesson: Stay flexible—listen to customers and pivot when the environment shifts.
06. Diversify beyond core operations
The Last Bookstore is expanding into podcasts, live events, streaming and media content.
Josh: “We want to create things that tell the story of books and bookstores, authors and writers in new and different ways.”
Lesson: Explore new formats to keep the brand fresh and relevant—don’t stay locked into one business model.
07. Choose a business name that captures a cultural moment
The Last Bookstore name tapped into fears about the “death of bookstores” in 2009.
Josh: “Everyone thought bookstores were going to disappear… I wanted to be here at the end.”
Lesson: A brand name with symbolism and storytelling power can carry the business far.
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