Printers Inc. Bookstore Explained

Printers Inc. Bookstore
Type:Private subsidiary
Fate:Out of Business
Foundation:[1]
Founder:Jerry Shurtleff (co-founder)
Location:310 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA
301 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA[2]
Locations:2
Area Served:Palo Alto, Stanford, Mountain View, Menlo Park, California, United States
Key People:Susan MacDonald and Gerry Masteller (to 1999)
Matthew Duran (to 2001)
Homepage:pibooks.com (Historic)

Printers Inc. Bookstore (1978 - 2001) was an independent bookstore in Palo Alto and Mountain View, California, that closed in 2001. Printers Inc is referenced in sonnets 8.13-8.16 of Vikram Seth's 1986 novel, The Golden Gate.[3] [4] [5]

History

In 1978,[1] five Kepler's Books alumni (including Jeffrey Shurtleff and Anne Leathers) founded Printers Inc. Bookstore. The original Palo Alto store at 310 California Avenue occupied a former thrift store location.[6] [7] [8] A second store was located at 301 Castro Street in Mountain View, California. Printers Inc. Bookstore was also a popular destination for Stanford University students.[9] The Printers Inc. Cafe originally shared space in the California Avenue branch in Palo Alto[10] and subsequently moved next door. American author Frances Mayes describes this history in her 2006 memoir, A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller:

In the early 1990s, chain bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble began to compete with independent bookstores such as Printers Inc.[1] [11] The rise of Amazon.com also affected Printers Inc. and other independent bookstores.[12] Thus, in December 1998, Printers Inc. announced that it would be closing.[13] [9] [14] The local community protested the closing, however, as the owners began to search for a new partner.[15] In March 1999 Printers Inc. was resurrected under new management.[16] [17] This management lasted until 2001 when Printers Inc. Bookstore closed for good.[18] [19] [20] [21] The Printers Inc. Cafe, however, did not close as it is under different management.[13] [18] [22]

Documentary

The 2006 documentary Indies Under Fire tells the story of Printers Inc. and other independent bookstores affected by the new economy.[23] Director Jacob Bricca stated that he made the documentary after Printers Inc. closed: "I took the [store's closing] very personally ... I grew up in Palo Alto and spent many hours reading and hanging out at Printers Inc. I saw the strong connection the community had to the bookstore and, like others in the film, was very distressed at its closing."[24]

Photographs

See also

External links

37.4274°N -122.1444°W

Notes and References

  1. News: BUSINESS: Borders opens today downtown. 2015-10-29. Kazak. Don. 1996-06-05. Palo Alto Weekly.
  2. News: A WORD TO READERS. 2015-10-29. 1999-09-23. San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. Seth, Vikram. The Golden Gate, (New York, Vintage, 1991): 179-180
  4. Vikram Seth: Literary sensation. 2015-10-29. Bobb. Dilip. 1986-06-15. India Today.
  5. Web site: Happy birthday, Bell's Books!. 2015-10-29. Haven. Cynthia. 2010-11-23. Stanford University.
  6. News: Sweet home, California. 2015-10-29. Harrington. Jim. 1997-09-10. Palo Alto Weekly.
  7. News: Battle of the bookstores:New documentary follows the struggles of small California booksellers. 2015-10-29. Margolies. Elliot. 2006-09-22. Palo Alto Weekly.
  8. News: How Kepler's changed the world. 2015-10-29. Doyle. Michael. 2005-10-31. Palo Alto Weekly.
  9. Web site: Bad News for Book Lovers. 2015-08-10. 1999. Stanford University.
  10. Web site: BOOKSTORES. 2015-12-27. Brown. Kim. 1980. The Stanford Daily, Volume 178, Issue 50, 10 December 1980 .
  11. News: The novel approach. 2015-08-10. Hayde. Monica. 1994-12-11. Palo Alto Weekly.
  12. News: Our Town: Amazon.com'd. 2015-08-10. Kazak. Don. 1998-12-16. Palo Alto Weekly.
  13. News: COMMUNITY: Printers Inc. will shut down in March. 2015-10-29. Breitrose. Charlie. 1998-12-11. Palo Alto Weekly.
  14. News: Internet Smashing Small Bookstores / Printers Inc. in Palo Alto to close. 2015-10-29. Zinko. Carolyne. 1998-12-26. San Francisco Chronicle.
  15. News: BUSINESS: Printers Inc. owners still looking for partner. 2015-10-29. Kazak. Don. 1999-02-03. Palo Alto Weekly.
  16. News: BUSINESS: Palo Alto Printers Inc. to remain open. 2015-10-29. Kazak. Don. 1999-03-26. Palo Alto Weekly.
  17. Web site: For Printers Inc., a Surprise Ending. 2015-10-29. 1999. Stanford University.
  18. News: MOUNTAIN VIEW / Books Inc. takes over Printers Inc. location. 2015-10-29. 2001-06-18. San Francisco Chronicle.
  19. News: Time running out for Printers Inc.. 2015-10-29. Bloss. Jaime. 2001-04-20. Palo Alto Weekly.
  20. News: Palo Alto Printers Inc. to close. 2015-10-29. Bloss. Jaime. 2001-04-27. Palo Alto Weekly.
  21. News: Saving a bookstore: When Printers Inc. in Palo Alto shut down about a month ago, it felt like a connection with an earlier time had been severed.. 2015-10-29. Kazak. Done. 2001-07-04. Palo Alto Weekly.
  22. Web site: Obituary: Borders Books and Music. 2015-12-27. Harris. Malcolm. 2011-09-23. The New Inquiry.
  23. Web site: Bookstores to Offer Screenings of Indies Under Fire - . 2015-10-29. Schwartz. Nomi. 2006-10-17. American Booksellers Association.
  24. Web site: Indies Under Fire: Bookstore Battles on Film. 2015-10-29. Schwartz. Nomi. 2006-08-23. American Booksellers Association.

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