Good Life - Chris Capizzi & Jenny Yang of A Good Used Book

If there is a story about perseverance, a story about living in the moment and daring to go on an adventure, then it must be told by Chris and Jenny of A Good Used Book. Browsing their breezy, sunlit brick & mortar on Glendale Boulevard, you might not realize their livelihood grew out of a roving pop-up that operated between ever-changing venues, a packed apartment, storage facilities, and an intrepid Chevy Astro with an interior that would make a Russian doll blush. But really, their story begins with each other, an elopement, and an eight-month road-trip that took them from their home in Baltimore through the south until they planted a flag in a peculiar town called K. And after stints in locations like the Silverlake outpost of our friends at Brain Dead, they finally nestled into their first permanent location a few doors down from Clark Street Bakery on the edge of Echo Park & Historic Filipinotown (Hi-Fi). But regardless of their haunt, the one thing that has always set A Good Used Book apart is their human touch. Their ever growing collection of used books is a TREASURE-trove to be sure, but there is an acutely distinct way they do what they do—which is one book, one person at a time. The result is a vibrant community of ultra supportive fans & patrons that grows by the day.

If there was a manual on how to ace being the quintessential neighborhood shop even though you’ve only just moved in, Chris and Jenny are writing it, and it’s mostly just because of who they naturally are. We were so pleased to shoot the beautiful couple in their new workplace and ask them a few questions as Good Life continues:

Pat Liu: You have a button. When you press it, it does something - What does yours do?

Start and stop time. We can always use more time to process, curate and get organized.

What's the most dangerous thing you've ever done?

Meet each other.

Where do you call home and how did you get to where you are today?

Los Angeles, for sure. There'll always be a part of us that identify as suburban Maryland kids, but we love LA and can't see ourselves living or working anywhere else... for now.

How did you come from entertainment and start a small business focused on books?

Los Angeles is a crazy place. It has definitely challenged us again and again. We didn't come here intending to run a bookstore, but after 10 years, that's what the city had planned for us.

Tell us about three restaurants/bars in Ktown that your go-to's for good times or your favorite way to finish a long week.

Our go-to's are typically the HMS Bounty on the ground floor of the Gaylord Hotel. Wiseman Special is a can of Tecate and your choice of rail whisky or tequila, for $6. Decent food too. TehranRo Grill on Western Ave is another low key favorite of ours, legit Persian food and they serve soju! And last but not least, The Prince on Catalina Ave. It's an old Hollywood bar that's been preserved since its heyday but now with Korean Fried Chicken and pitchers of beer. Made famous by Mad Men, Season 1 and The New Girl.

What is the biggest thing you learned road-tripping across the United States without a specific agenda?

To stay open to whatever the road brings you. We met so many interesting people, we called them road angels, who shared their stories and helped us along the way. We still keep in touch with some of them, and for others, we cherish the memories of the moments we had with them.

Name three books that describe who you are as a person and why?

Breast and Eggs by Meiko Kawakami. A contemporary perspective on femininity and gender we love. Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Essential reading for anyone interested in storytelling of all kinds. Scientific Progress Goes Boink by Bill Waterson (Calvin & Hobbes) to remind us to not take ourselves too seriously.

What's your question for the next person?

What book have you read that changed the way you looked at your life or the world around you? 

Photographer: Calvin Nguyen

First Image: Jenny wears the My Dawg Tee & Florider Trouser, Chris wears the Coaches Jacket, Four Seasons Tee, and Gilman Denim Pant Diamond Stitch

Third Image: Jenny wears the Alden Blazer,  My Dawg Tee & Florider Trouser

Fourth Image: Chris wears the  Four Seasons Tee

Seventh Image: Chris wears the Four Seasons Tee and Junction Trouser, Jenny wears the Coaches Jacket

Eighth Image: Chris wears the Sleeve Logo Tee and Florider Trouser Herringbone

Ninth Image: Jenny wears the Sleeve Logo Tee and Junction Trouser

"Good Life" is an ongoing conversation with special people in our community. We've always understood that we are the sum of the people around us, and you can find out more about Goodfight by learning more about THEM.


Each Good Life interview is ended with subjects leaving a question for the next person without knowing who they will be--this creates an unbroken line of communication between people who are mostly complete strangers, ironically unaware of how they are unwittingly connected through various relationships in our world.