The litter in littérateur. Ricky Opaterny on Books, Music, Art, and Sports

9/10/2005

Bookselling This Week: Community Support Gives Kepler’s Hope of Reopening

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 9:07 am

Bookselling This Week has posted an article about the possibility of Kepler’s reopening. The article cites an email from Clark Kepler in which he says, “I am optimistic that we can reopen.” Likewise, Clark’s note to readers on Keplers.com is now more hopeful than it was last weekend.

Call for Qualified Investors

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 5:06 am

The group with whom Clark Kepler is engaged in talks to save the bookstore is reportedly seeking Qualified Investors capable of making very large contributions. If you fit the bill or think you can help, please email us for further info.

Sunday Evening Note: Posts are not necessarily in chronological order because I am trying to keep more relevant and urgent information near the top of the page. Start scrolling and commence clicking as there is some new content this evening.

9/9/2005

Palo Alto Weekly: Come together for Kepler’s

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 9:07 pm

Today’s edition of the Palo Alto Weekly has another article about Tuesday’s rally:

Rachel Bolten, a Castilleja School senior, said she and her friends would work at Kepler’s for free.

Jan Altman, from the company DrivAd, and Richard Cline offered advertising and public relations help.

And an 11-year-old Hillview Middle School student said he’d hold a school fundraiser.

Those were among the numerous grass-roots offers of support for Kepler’s Books — which abruptly closed last week — that were publicly expressed during a special Menlo Park City Council meeting Tuesday.

Click here for the full article.

9/8/2005

A Message from Dawn Kepler

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 8:39 pm

Dear Book Lovers,

I want to thank everyone on behalf of my brother, Clark, and our family, for the outpouring of affection and support for Kepler’s. I stood in the plaza and remembered the very first store, saw folks from my father’s time, and just cried to hear the kind words spoken. My brother has given everything he could to the store. He has continued our dad’s vision. My dad didn’t just start a store; he started an idea. He wanted to stop war and he needed an occupation that would support his family while he pursued peace. A book lover himself, he decided that selling books — making all ideas available to everyone — was a way to support himself and, oddly enough, he believed that greater knowledge might bring greater peace!

Someone said if the store reopens it will, of necessity, be different. Folks, the store has been reinvented many times, more than you imagine. But that is what living things do, they change. Kepler’s isn’t just the building, it’s ideas, community, conversation, learning. I think it morphed from being just a family business years ago and became what the readers, the authors, the detractors and the supporters made of it.

First, we have to believe we can change things. Then we will.

Dawn Kepler

9/7/2005

Local Coverage of Tuesday’s Rally

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 5:58 am

The local coverage of Tuesday’s rally is starting to roll in. Click on article headlines below for links to full text. First, however, here are a couple photos courtesy of Eric Hegwer Photography. Click on the images for larger versions.

Rally For Kepler'sRally For Kepler's

San Jose Mercury News: Noted Book Dealer Backed:

People stepped up at a rally and city council work session Tuesday and pledged their talents, dollars and support to re-open Kepler’s, the beloved corner bookstore in Menlo Park.

“I’m going to try to say this without breaking down,” Clark Kepler said to the cheering crowd outside his shuttered shop. “We’re not dead yet.”
….
Outside the city council meeting, Daniel Mendez, co-founder of Visto, a Bay Area high-tech company, said about 10 to 15 potential investors have already stepped forward. They’re all book lovers

San Mateo County Times: Hundreds rally to support Kepler’s:

The crowd was hopeful and hundreds thick at a city-organized rally Tuesday to support keeping their beloved Kepler’s open, this city’s independent bookstore that abruptly closed its doors last week when the money ran out.

Ranging from children to seniors and politicians to patrons, their cheers were extra loud when they heard Clark Kepler, the store’s owner, proclaim from the plaza outside his locked and darkened store, “We are not dead yet.”

San Francisco Examiner: Hundreds turn out for Kepler’s rally:

Hundreds of community members showed support for their favorite independent bookstore Tuesday, rallying in the plaza outside Kepler’s Bookstore and then congregating in City Hall, where the City Council hosted an idea-gathering meeting aimed at saving the store from bankruptcy.

Kepler’s closed its doors suddenly last week after 50 years of selling books on the Peninsula. The closure has sparked a wave of support from elected officials, former politicians, lawyers and literary agents, all pledging to help owner Clark Kepler reopen the store at its current El Camino Real location.

“I want to do this fast,” Kepler said. “I am optimistic [that it can happen].”

Also, in the San Mateo Daily Journal: Rally to save Kepler’s.

And on CBS 5: Menlo Park residents rally to save bookstore

Radical Reeves has a post on his blog about the rally and gives a good summary of the meeting afterwards.

Here are some photos by MaryLynn on Flickr.

9/6/2005

Palo Alto Weekly: Nearly 450 rally to help save Kepler’s

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 7:42 pm

Palo Alto Online has posted a story about today’s rally complete with pictures:

Nearly 450 residents of the Menlo Park/Palo Alto area rallied in support of re-opening Kepler’s Bookstore in downtown Menlo Park late Tuesday afternoon — while a steady stream of passing drivers on El Camino Real honked supportive horns.
….
At one point, the crowd was asked how many were Menlo Park residents, and about 30 to 40 percent raised their hands — they were outnumbered by people from other communities.

One family — former Menlo Park resident Chris Jacob and her son Alan — had just arrived from Dublin, Ireland, two hours earlier and came straight to the rally to meet her older son, Stephen, of San Jose.

Stephen recalled going to Kepler’s at age 3 1/2, and Chris said she still has boxes of children’s books that were purchased at Kepler’s. The sons are now in their 20s.

Rally For Kepler’s Today, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 5 pm

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 6:02 am

There will be a rally today, Tuesday, September 6, at 5 pm outside the bookstore. The rally will be followed at approximately 6 pm by a work session at Menlo Park City Hall (701 Laurel St., Menlo Park) to marshal community resources in support of this beloved local institution. The work session should be attended by all who want to help or learn how to help the bookstore. That goes double for potential investors and those with business, legal, or other expertise that may relate to bookstore operations. People with ideas and suggestions, this is the event for you. People who want to hear ideas and suggestions, this is also the event for you. Clark Kepler will be there.

When: Tuesday, September 6, beginning at 5 pm (Space in the garage under Kepler’s is limited, so plan to allow extra time for parking.)
Where: Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025
What to bring: Your support for Kepler’s and its owner, Clark Kepler. Perhaps a sign.

For more information, click here to download the press release for the event. For even more information, please contact Michael Closson or Rick Opaterny.

Here’s the flyer posted at Kepler’s. Click on the image for a larger version. You can also download the flyer and help spread the word by posting it around town.

Rally Flyer

9/4/2005

Memories of Kepler’s and Weekend Photos

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 5:00 pm

People from all over have been sending in their memories of Kepler’s. Click here to read some of them.

Here are some photos from this weekend. Click on images for larger versions.

Kepler'sKepler's
Kepler'sKepler'sKepler's

A message to the person who put up the large savekeplers.com sign on the front of the store: Thank you. We give you a big, sloppy hug.

San Francisco Examiner: Rally planned to help save Kepler’s Books

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 5:22 am

The Examiner ran a brief story about the rally scheduled for Tuesday.

Bibliophiles throughout the Peninsula are gearing up to try to save Kepler’s Books, a nationally acclaimed bookstore that suddenly announced impending bankruptcy and closure last week.

This Tuesday, a rally in support of the 50-year-old bookstore will be held at 5 p.m. in front of its shuttered doors at 1010 El Camino Real. A work session follows at Menlo Park City Hall to discuss plans to save the shop. Those with business, bankruptcy law, real estate, investment and other expertise are especially encouraged to attend.

Click here for the full article.

San Jose Mercury: Burst of community support after Kepler’s closing could spur its return

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 3:46 am

HongDao Nguyen has an article in today’s San Jose Mercury News.

Days after Kepler’s, the landmark bookstore in Menlo Park, shuttered its doors amid financial woes, owner Clark Kepler said Saturday there’s still hope of reviving the business.

Kepler said he has received an outpouring of community support since the store’s abrupt closure Wednesday. And the Tan Group, owners of the building that housed the store on El Camino Real, approached Kepler last week to see if they could work something out, he said.

Another meeting is scheduled Tuesday. Representatives of the Tan Group could not be reached for comment Saturday.

If those talks go well, Kepler said, “I think we have a real good chance of returning.” A handful of potential financial investors have also contacted Kepler to offer help, Kepler said, though he declined to identify them.
….
Clark said Saturday that the love he has gotten since Wednesday has been like a “fairy tale.” People have even asked to volunteer their time working at the store, if that would help.

But he said, “What it really needs is substantial financial support.”

See the full article here. (Free subscription required.) Also in the Mercury today, Tom Parker remembers Kepler’s: “Cozy bookstore was a social hub for generations.”

9/3/2005

Message from Menlo Park Mayor, Mickie Winkler

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 4:56 pm

This just arrived in my inbox:

From: mickie650 @aol.com
Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 20:37:38 EDT
To: help @savekeplers.com
Subject: Kepler’s Update from Menlo Park Mayor

Dear Menlo Park and Local Residents,

We have all been saddened, even alarmed, by the closing of Kepler’s so soon after we celebrated the store’s 50th. The actual decision to lock the doors was shocking, and apparently a secret closely kept.

The closure generated immediate action. Here’s some of what has been happening:.

Dave Johnson, the city’s economic manager, has been facilitating meetings between Clark Kepler and his landlord, the Tan group, for several months. These are ongoing.

Johnson is contacting national and local independent booksellers to find a replacement for Kepler’s, should attempts to restore Kepler’s fail. (It is not yet clear what actions Kepler himself has taken in this respect.)

A group of investors has formed. Further financial action will of necessity involve creditors, the terms of the Chapter 7 bankruptcy itself, and the ability to introduce cost-saving and marketing measures that allows an independent bookseller to sustain itself long-term.

How to help? Shop Menlo. If there is something that we as citizens can do to make that long-term difference with respect to keeping Kepler’s open, you can be sure I will let you know.

And if you have ideas, let me know, please.

Mickie

Mickie Winkler, Mayor, Menlo Park
MickieWinkler@aol.com

9/2/2005

New York Times Coverage

Filed under: Books,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 9:55 pm

John Markoff has an article about the closing of Kepler’s in Saturday’s New York Times. Most of the piece recounts the bookstore’s history, but it ends like this:

The reaction of Steven Fields, a longtime customer, was typical on Wednesday. After having lunch at Cafe Borrone next door, he told his 11-year-old daughter, Hanna, that Kepler’s was closed. She immediately burst into tears.

“What am I going to do?” she said. “Where am I going to go? It was the best place.”

The Almanac: Can this bookstore be saved?

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 7:28 pm

Andrea Gemmet has a story on the Almanac’s site about the possibility of saving the bookstore.

There’s a chance — a chance — that Kepler’s Books & Magazines in downtown Menlo Park may not be as dead as everyone feared.

The sudden demise of the popular independent bookstore following Clark Kepler’s short, emotional announcement at a 9 a.m. all-staff meeting held Wednesday, August 31, reverberated up and down the Peninsula, as the store’s many devotees reacted with shock, sorrow and disbelief. Almost as soon as word got around that the bookstore was shuttered and locked, there was talk of saving Kepler’s.
….
Mr. Kepler said he was still preparing to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last week, but he had not yet done so.

“I’m running 100 miles an hour in opposite directions,” he said of his discussions with potential investors and the bankruptcy proceedings. “It’s very draining. At the end of the day, my head is spinning and I’m asking myself, ‘What am I doing?’ But I get up in the morning and keep doing it.”

See the full article here.

The Almanac/Palo Alto Weekly: A ‘miracle’ ray of hope for Kepler’s?

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 6:26 pm

Clark Kepler told the Almanac today that serious investors have come forward and expressed interest in saving the bookstore:

A ray of hope has emerged that Kepler’s Bookstore in Menlo Park could be resurrected.

Owner Clark Kepler told the Almanac weekly newspaper (sister paper of the Palo Alto Weekly) Friday that three “qualified investors” have come forward who might help save the 50-year-old store — a Peninsula landmark and cultural hub.

“Miracles started happening,” after the investors contacted him, Kepler said in the interview. “I’m entertaining qualified investors who are looking at saving Kepler’s.” He declined to name them or give details about the magnitude of the bookstore’s financial troubles.

“Daily and hourly, things are happening. Yesterday morning I first started getting these possibilities coming forward,” he said Friday. “I think something is going to happen in the next few days or in the next week that will tell me what direction we’re going in.

In addition, the Palo Alto-based Tan Group, owner of the Menlo Center complex where Kepler’s has been located since 1989, issued a short press release declaring it wants to keep Kepler’s there and saying it met with Kepler Friday “to determine how we might work together to make this happen.”

The release said the group was “stunned to hear … that Kepler’s books had closed their doors. Contrary to the impression given by the media, on several occasions in the past we have worked closely with Clark Kepler in successfully navigating financial challenges.”

“We consider Kepler’s a unique asset to, and irreplaceable part of Menlo Center” and “very much want to retain them,” the release stated. “We were encouraged by today’s meeting and will continue our efforts to help the Kepler’s legacy endure.”

See the rest of the story on Palo Alto Online.

Help Save Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 6:44 am

People, people—

After having spent last night mourning at Borrone’s, I am ready to see what we, the people of the community, might be able to do to save my favorite bookstore. Until we learn more from Clark Kepler about his plans, I’m not sure what, if anything will be possible. However, I am interested in gathering some people who have an interest in preserving the bookstore to discuss what we might do. I have been in touch with people in the bookselling community who know Clark, and hope to have some updates posted here soon. In the meantime, if you are interested in helping, please send me an email so I can add you to the list.

Best,
Rick Opaterny

Friday Update: As mentioned in the above post, it appears that some potential investors interested in saving the store have surfaced and are in discussions with Clark Kepler. If you have any additional details, please send them in.

Friday’s Pictures

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 6:35 am

People have added more messages outside the store. Click on images for larger versions.

Kepler'sKepler'sMy Sign

9/1/2005

Like a vigil

Filed under: Books,General,Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 7:54 pm

Here’s what the area near the main entrance to Kepler’s looked like this evening around 7 pm. Click on images for larger versions.


Kepler's
Kepler'sKepler'sKepler's

Bloggers mourn the loss of Kepler’s

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 10:58 am

Neil Gaiman noted the cancellation of his tour stop at Kepler’s on his blog.

Dara, a former Kepler’s employee, in LA encourages us to all support our local independents.

Another former longtime employee posts here.

This blogger sighs and compares the closing of Kepler’s to that of Wordsworth in Harvard Square last year.

This blogger is in shock, while another is devastated.

The Mercury suggested that competition from Amazon killed Kepler’s. Here is a response at Seven Generational Ruminations.

Geoff Goodfellow likens the closing to “a death in the family.”

How Kepler’s Changed the World

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 10:47 am

Palo Alto Online posted a history of Kepler’s by Michael Doyle that was originally sold at the bookstore as a small paperback booklet to commerate its 50th anniversary earlier this year. Palo Alto Online is also looking for Kepler’s-related comments and memories, which can be sent to editor@paweekly.com.

Soccer magazines from England

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 10:43 am

The final paragraphs of the article that appeared in the Mercury today:

The steady stream of visitors who approached the locked doors on Wednesday included Menlo Park public librarian Cathy Smith. “It breaks my heart,” she said. She and the other city librarians came to Kepler’s on their lunch break. And, of course, it’s where she bought books. “I don’t know where to go,” she said. “I can’t imagine where to go.”

Kepler’s celebrated its 50th anniversary in May with great fanfare and a huge community turnout.

“My dad had a vision of what a bookseller’s role in society was,” Clark Kepler said in a 2004 interview. Roy Kepler determined that his bookstore would be a community place where readers could find a book on any topic.

Karan Das-Grande, 10, was just his kind of customer. The boy’s hands went up to cover his face when he read the closing sign. “What? What! My soccer magazines! From England!” he said. “This is the only place I could get them.”

What did you buy at Kepler’s? Leave a comment or send an email.

Clark Kepler Filing for Chapter 7

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 10:41 am

Both the Palo Alto Online and the Palo Alto Daily News reported todat that Clark Kepler is filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This from the Palo Alto Online:

Kepler’s Bookstore owner Clark Kepler reportedly is telling employees to cash their checks immediately because he is filing for bankruptcy today, according to two-year employee Chelsea McNeel.

Does the community have a chance to save Kepler’s?

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 10:30 am

It seems to me that it would if it did. After all, the Kepler’s location is adjacent to one of the wealthiest (and most expensive) zip codes in the country.

Local coverage of Kepler’s closing

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 10:23 am

Here are the local headlines with links to articles:

Palo Alto Online: Kepler’s Bookstore goes out of business

San Francisco Chronicle: Read it and weep: Kepler’s closes

San Jose Mercury News: Closing the Book on Kepler’s

San Mateo County Times: Kepler’s closes doors with no warning

CBS 5: Longtime Menlo Park Bookstore Abruptly Shuts Down

The San Francisco Examiner: Much-loved independent bookseller Kepler’s calls it quits

San Mateo Daily Journal: Independent bookstore closes

San Jose Mercury News Blogs: Memories of Kepler’s Books & Magazines in Palo Alto

And some non-local coverage:

Publishers Weekly: A California Institution Shuts Its Doors

Palo Alto Online: “Rent Helped Kill Kepler’s”

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 10:19 am

An article on Palo Alto Online adds support for my suspicion that Kepler’s was stuck in a long, expensive, inflexible lease that was priced during the bubble days of 2000 or so.

An “inordinately high ‘pre-bubble’ rent structure” contributed to the financial crisis that forced Kepler’s Bookstore to close, David Johnson, Menlo Park’s business development officer, told City Council members in a late-morning e-mail today.

He said he is starting today on an “effort to find a suitable replacement business” for the central location on El Camino Real in downtown Menlo Park.

….

He said the city “worked with Clark Kepler to help him in seeking relief from an inordinately high ‘pre-bubble’ rent structure. No relief was granted.”

It seems like a group may have to form to buy both the bookstore and a retail space. I’m not sure whether it is even possible for an independent bookstore to survive in the current location on El Camino and Santa Cruz, which is owned by the Tan Group. The Tan Group refused to comment to the reporter from Palo Alto Online about the structure of its lease with Kepler. Here is the address and phone number for the Tan Group: 3630 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306, 650.493.6500.

FRIDAY UPDATE: The Tan Group’s website appears to be down today. I wonder why.

Kepler’s Closed

Filed under: Save Kepler's — Ricky @ 9:08 am

Last night a friend and I arrived at Kepler’s to find it closed–for good. That I may never again call someone and say, “Meet me along the fiction back wall at Kafka!” makes me feel sick. I will be posting links to coverage of this story and other Kepler’s information, memories, etc. If anyone is interested in joining a discussion about what we can do to keep an excellent independent bookseller in the area, please email me.

Here is the text of the letter posted by Clark Kepler on the bookstore’s door and online at keplers.com:

Dear Friend of Kepler’s,

After 50 years of bookselling in Menlo Park, Kepler’s is going out of business. The decision to close our doors has been one of the most difficult in my life. As much as we love what we do and would like to continue another 50 years, we simply cannot. The economic downturn since 2001 has proven to be more than we can rebound from.

I want to share my sorrow with this ending. Kepler’s has enjoyed the support of this community from our inception in the 1950s, through both turbulent and joyful times. I feel blessed to have personally served as this community’s bookseller for 26 of those years.

In today’s political and social climate I would like to be there with you and for you, providing books and writers with varied ideas and provocative opinions, but the constancy of change will not allow it. So, I want to express my heart felt gratitude and appreciation for your support over the years. It has been wonderful.

Sincerely,

Clark Kepler

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