Reminisce about shuttered bookstores

Does anyone fondly recall any bookstores which are sadly no longer around? Shouldn't be difficult to think of some since many have gone out of business due to the large mega-chains and Amazon.

One I miss is The Book Stall which was located in a small Outlet Center on Route 34 in Old Bridge/Matawan NJ. Back in the early 90's I spent much time here browsing, buying and chatting with the owner, Russ. It was a tiny store, long and narrow, with shelves lined with mass-market paperbacks and hardcovers. I don't recall too many trade paperbacks even being carried at that time.

The other was a used bookstore, Paperback Readers Exchange, on Main St in Spotswood NJ. It was rows of shelves full of mass market paperbacks in various states of use, from near new to well worn. When you traded in your paperbacks (which I never did), you earned 25% of the cover price in credit and when you purchased, the books cost 50% of the cover prices. They also had new paperbacks at 10% off the cover price.

Anyone else miss any bookstores?

Oh, we used to love to go to Miranda Books in Oberlin, Ohio. They started out above the hardware store or something on Main St., then moved across the street into their own little store. We always found the most interesting books there. I don't remember the owner's name anymore, but her son Geoffrey (I believe that was how she spelled it) practically grew up in that store.

A couple of years ago, we lost Ex Libris Theological Books. You would think that in a neighborhood with five, count 'em, five theological seminaries, it could have survived as a bricks-and-mortar store. But they exist now only as an online presence. I really liked browsing there.

I also miss People Like Us, a gay/lesbian bookstore. Part of the reason for its loss is, I suppose, the good fact that gay and lesbian books are now readily available not just at general independent bookstores, but also at the chains. Nevertheless, B&N and Border's just don't have the same ambience!

The Chinook Bookshop in Colorado Springs. Gradually expanded with meandering spaces to browse and a children's play area.

Shorey's in Seattle. Old-style bookstore that at one time claimed to be the world's largest antiquarian bookstore. They weren't terribly organized, but browsing was always an adventure.

The store closed in 2000, and John W. Todd Jr., who built Shorey's from a magazine/cigar stand, died in March 2007 at age 92.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/books/306192_toddobit06.html

Ruminator Books of St. Paul, MN owned by David Unowsky. Wow, what a store, academic, literary, historical, fiction, poetry, current events, etc. I once saw Garrison Keillor there buying up a stack of 16th-17th British century poetry, perhaps to use on his writer's almanac broadcast.

McDermot Books, Madison, WI. Great used and rare titles there in this university town. I think he still sells some online.

I also have fond memories of the Chinook Bookshop in Colorado Springs. It was a place of refuge during my time at the Air Force Academy. The Noyes (owners) were wonderful people and the store introduced me to western american lit which I fell in love with. When I was a teen in rural southern Michigan I used to ride my bike 14 miles to downtown Battle Creek and buy scifi paperbacks with lurid covers at the Readmor Bookstore. Alas, in the words of Poe's raven the Readmor is nevermore.

Duttons in North Hollywood, CA. It was a wonderful place to browse, crammed full of out-of-print, hard-to-find books, as well as literature, poetry, reference, historical, current fiction, etc. It's gone now, but not forgotten.

There was a wonderful book store in Charlotte, NC called Poplar Street books in an old Victorian house located of course on Poplar Street. There were mounds of books everywhere, occasionally poetry readings all overseen by a wonderful, chain-smoking old lady. Unfortunately, it was closed after she passed away. I understand people still drive by looking for it.

I miss Books, Inc.'s outlet store in the SoMa district in San Francisco. Years before I ended up working in one of Books, Inc.'s regular stores as a clerk, I used to shop at their outlet. Weird remaindered titles, unhelpful staff, total lack of ambience. I know, there are plenty of these remainder stores around, but that one seemed special somehow.

#1 I remember that store! My mom took me when I was little. I miss it.

I miss Shorey's in Seattle too. I also miss Second Story Books, Montana Books and a used book store on N 45th (forgot the name, obviously). I just plain miss having lots of small, unique businesses in cities all over the country. When I go to City X their store is way different from City Y. You know what I mean. Same goes for restaurants.

#12 maggie1944: I agree wholeheartedly. The malling of America is one of the many aspects of modern society which I deplore. Every town begins to look exactly the same. My wife and I enjoy taking day trips to small towns and villages that still have vibrant downtown business districts where family owned businesses offer better service and unique products and atmosphere. When all that's left are Borders and Barnes & Noble, Target and Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe's, the country will be a sad place.

I have noticed my local chain grocery store has started labelling food from local sources and I hope this is a bit of a crack in the franchising of the world trend. I am encouraged by your comment to, once again, try to patronize any place that is not a big name store/restaurant/business, even if it does mean not getting the "best" price.

Cody's on Telegraph in Berkeley.

Also, the only independent bookstore in Tuscaloosa, AL -- owned by a woman and closed in the 90s.

Lots of other women's bookstores closed down over the last decade or so ...

This is a notice about a soon to be closed bookstore in Toronto, Canada.
David Mirvish Books on Art will close at the end of Feb.2009. This bookstore always had the best selection on art theory, history and magazines as well as current fiction and the best art book remainders. I will be sorry to see it go!

... honestly every week I hear about another. Too many to count, by now! ... I started a group, bookstores RIP, to celebrate bookstores. I'm going to start another thread now, for Stacey's in San Francisco.

I miss The Couth Buzzard in Seattle. It was an old time used book store, so full of books you could spend hours just reading the shelves. And the proprietors were colorful, too. But you knew we all loved books.

Lein's Bookstore in Minneapolis. Not huge in quantity, but huge in quality.

Black Oak Books in Berkeley and San Francisco is also closed. I was just in the Bay Area and was surprised to find them shuttered, though when I was there in January they were reducing stock in their Berkeley store.

Oh man I'm sad to hear about Black Oaks.