Death of a Neighborhood Bookstore

The New York Times printed this article today on the closing of Kepler's Bookstore, a bookstore in Menlo Park not far from Stanford University. Though I lived nearby for five years, I only went to Kepler's a handful of times and I now feel guilty for how little time and money I spent there. As much as I love local bookstores, I am very much a culprit in their demise and I feel guilty knowing that I almost always order the books I need from amazon before checking out BookSoup or any other great local establishment. While whenever I'm in a local independent bookstore, I never leave empty-handed (that would be criminal!), they deserve more of my patronage and support than they get.

The article is fascinating, highlighting Kepler's place in the 1960s counterculture, about which I had no idea. This place where the few times I went I spent hours wandering through the books finding strange and unusual recommendations was at one time hangout to Jerry Garcia and Joan Baez (or at least her mentor). When I went there, it was such a lovely place to spend a weekend afternoon on the rare occasion that I would have one free. I would get an extremely yummy coffee milkshake at Cafe Barrone next door and wander through the bookshelves for hours. It was one of those great local bookshops that needs to exist, and I really hope something comes through to save it. Hopefully Kepler's will be there for me to stop by next time I'm in the area; it would be terrible if I have learned to appreciate it too late.

The good news is that there's still hope, as LAist reports. If you're in the area, attend a rally Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 5pm. Otherwise, visit the Save Kepler's website. And support your local independent bookstore while you still can.