On The Shelf at Berkeley's Independent Bookstores
Exploring the history of Berkeley’s Independent Bookstores, and the mystery behind how they continue to be so successful.
Lucas Buckman grew up in Pegasus Books. His earliest memories include wandering among the aisles of the store, peering up at the inaccessible top shelves and wondering what stories awaited him. He would find ways to entertain himself for hours, until his mother, Amy Thomas, closed down the shop for the night. Reluctantly, he would watch her lock the double doors, before climbing into the back of their family station wagon and heading home.
Now in his early 30s, Lucas has been working for Pegasus Books in a formal capacity for 12 years.
“Working for a family business can be kind of limiting, but you just kind of grow into it and realize that it’s a cool opportunity,” said Lucas. “I love reading, and I love books.”
Despite having worked at Pegasus Books for over a decade, Lucas is still one of the less tenured bookstore employees. Some of his co-workers have been with Pegasus for 20 or even 30 years. Finding and holding on to truly passionate employees is one of the keys to success of the Pegasus business model.
The history of Pegasus Books is a serpentine path. Opened in 1969 under the name Pellucidar Fine Books, it went through several iterations in name and location before being sold to Amy Thomas in 1995. She is a founding board member of Buy Local Berkeley, a communal independent business alliance that promotes the cultural, environmental, community and economic benefits of shopping at locally owned and operated businesses. Under Thomas’ leadership, Pegasus moved to its current location at 2349 Shattuck Avenue and continued to grow and thrive.
Berkeley has perhaps the richest tradition of independent bookstores in the country. Beginning in the 1950s, small mom-and-pop shops began to sprout up all throughout the city. In 1959, Moe’s Books was among the first such stores to open its doors, and continues to be operated by Doris Moskowitz, the original owner’s daughter. Pegasus came a decade later, eventually expanding to three storefronts that cover the town from Solano Avenue to Shattuck. Builder’s Booksource joined the ranks in 1982, followed shortly after by Revolution Books in 1988. Sleepy Cat Books became the newest addition to Berkeley’s independent bookstore scene when it opened its doors in 2018.
In all, Berkeley is currently home to 11 independent bookstores. Berkeley has become synonymous with books.
Despite the success of Pegasus and its bookselling counterparts, the city has been forced to bid adieu to several of its beloved “booksheds” (think “watersheds,” but for books). Cody’s Books, the landmark store on Telegraph beloved by Berkeley students since its opening in the 1950s, closed its doors in 2006. Shambhala Booksellers, a member of Berkeley’s bookselling community specializing in spiritual and esoteric literature, went out of business in late 2003. Shakespeare & Co., which opened in 1964 on Telegraph Avenue, sealed its doors for good in summer 2015.
Berkeley’s Independent Bookstore: A Timeline
The fact that Cody’s, Shambhala, and Shakespeare & Co. all closed within roughly a decade after years of success is no coincidence. The rise of online booksellers, particularly Amazon, have slowly siphoned sales from brick-and-mortar stores, causing dwindling sales as customers look online to view or purchase their reading materials. During the decade between 2008 and 2018, printed book sales revenue was cut in half, from $16,000,000 to $8,000,000. The sales revenue for eBooks, on the other hand surged from roughly $250,000 to about $9,000,000 during the same time period.
Big box retailers, like Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million, have further constricted the independent bookstore business.
What allows Berkeley’s current roster of independent booksellers to thrive? A combination of factors, including customer loyalty, alternative income ideas, and community involvement, contribute to their ongoing success.
Pegasus, for example, has relied on a dedicated core of repeat customer and the ingenuity of its owner, Amy Thomas, to stay in business.
“We’ve stuffed [Pegasus] full of things that we think are awesome,” said Buckman. “People come in and they tell us that they’re coming to Pegasus instead of Amazon.”
“My mother kept the money in the right places,” he added. “She didn’t try to turn the store into something it wasn’t. She relied on smart staff that really cared about the store.”
A variety of people who visited Moe’s Books value the personal interactions in a brick-and-mortar space that cannot be recreated online.
“[Bookstores] create a conversation between people,” said Austin, a 23 year old school teacher from San Francisco. “I like a new discovery, and you can’t really do that online.”
Ryan, a school teacher from Los Angeles, likes to check out new independent bookstores and always makes a few purchases. “Really I see it as an opportunity to support something that builds the community,” he said.
At Sleepy Cat books, a married couple was on a tour of Berkeley’s independent bookstores for their third anniversary. “For me,” Jessica explained, “I want to touch a book before I buy it. The feel of the book speaks to me and helps me know which one I want.”
For the residents of Berkeley, and for those book aficionados who simply pass through, independent bookstores are a vital source of inspiration, entertainment, and human interaction. Despite increasing competition from eBooks and print book superstores, Berkeley’s independent bookstores continue to attract both local buyers and inquisitive newcomers. Regardless of what new developments might occur in the world of books in the coming years, the combination of loyal customers and a community dedicated to the ongoing success of its bookstores will keep shops like Pegasus, Moe’s, and Sleepy Cat open for years to come.
Credits:
Video — Hiro Fu & Jade Fong
Audio — Hiro Fu & Ryan Geller
Photography — Brenley Goertzen
Infographics — Ryan Geller
Story — David Grinsfelder
