It's No Mystery: Why the Mysterious Galaxy is in Clairemont

 5943 Balboa Avenue, Suite #100, San Diego, CA 92111 

Many of us who chose Clairemont as a place to live did so in part because it’s centrally located.

That’s exactly why Maryelizabeth Hart and Terry Gillman opened their first bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy, in Clairemont Square way back in 1993. “We felt that Clairemont served as a great central location for readers from all over San Diego,” co-founder Maryelizabeth Hart said. “We still do.”

When Mysterious Galaxy's Partners in Crime and Imagination outgrew their last location in McGrath Center on Clairemont Mesa Blvd., the independent booksellers were thrilled to find a larger location on Balboa Avenue. (They now have nearly double the space for inventory and in-store events.)

 “Mysterious Galaxy is fortunate to have a nice body of readership in Clairemont—many readers are within walking distance of our new location, and even more are lured by our neighbor businesses, including See's Candy and the Balboa International Market,” Hart said. “They are supportive of our author events, and also know that not only can they find new books in our genres on our shelves every week, but also they can depend on us as a resource for many books outside our specialty focus.”

Local Author Event Flyer
Lee Silber, March 21, 2015

Not only does the community support the store, the store supports the community by partnering with various organizations and individuals to help libraries, schools, and local authors. One such author is Lee Silber. Silber grew up in Clairemont and has now written 21 books and won a dozen awards for literary excellence. He will be appearing at Mysterious Galaxy (5943 Balboa Avenue) on Saturday, March 21, 2015 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM to celebrate the release of his new novel, The Homeless Hero. It was the only logical place he could hold an event of this kind.

 “Like many writers, I’m an avid reader and I love this book store. As a regular customer, it’s a thrill to be the one featured for a day,” Silber said. “Although we can all buy books online, there is still nothing like browsing around a bookstore—and this is one is one of the best around and it’s in our own backyard.”

When asked about the state of the book business (which has undergone major changes since the first Mysterious Galaxy opened its doors in 1993) Maryelizabeth Hart said, “Fortunately, independent bookstores like us are positioned to be flexible and nimble and responsive to change. Readers are smart and informed and aware of the value of creators and curators, and Mysterious Galaxy's passionate booksellers actively work to provide great resources for discovering new books and authors in the 21st Century and beyond.”

Stop by the new Balboa Avenue location of Mysterious Galaxy and see why we are lucky to have a gem like this not only centrally located in San Diego, but right in the middle of Clairemont as well.