Founded in 1959, it is considered by many news outlets to be one of San Francisco Bay Area's historic and culturally significant bookstores.

[7] The same year, on March 9, Moe's Books staff unionized and joined the Industrial Workers of the World due to concerns over safety protocols.

[8][9] Having failed to unionize a decade before, the staff received helpful input and guidance from fellow booksellers at Elliott Bay Book Company and Bookshop Santa Cruz.

[13] Due to e-commerce, as well as urban decay on Telegraph Avenue, Moe's Books remains one of the few bookstores near University of California, Berkeley, still open.

Due to its collection of books, totaling over 200,000, and its number of staff, with around 25 employees, it is considered the biggest bookstore in the San Francisco Bay Area.