Named after Ernest Hemingway's 1933 short story, A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books was founded in 1975 in Cupertino by Neal Sofman and co-owner John Wiechman. In 1978, they expanded into Marin County with a waterfront location at Larkspur Landing, followed in 1982 by their large cultural flagship in San Francisco's newly constructed Opera Plaza. Celebrated for its bright, open design, extensive inventory, late evening hours, and nationally recognized author reading series, the store served as an anchor for the Bay Area literary community. In the late 1990s, changing suburban lease conditions led to the closure of both the Cupertino and Larkspur stores, consolidating all operations to Van Ness Avenue. Confronted with rising operational costs, high parking meter rates deterring Civic Center foot traffic, and corporate chain competition, the Opera Plaza flagship liquidated and closed in July 2006. Sofman went on to co-found Bookshop West Portal later that year.