Writing Shotgun

SCENES FROM THE ACRES OF BOOKS SALE

Theo DouglasTue. April 22
 

The Smith family’s sale of its soon-to-be 75-year-old bookstore Acres of Books to the city was accomplished a few weeks ago. Yesterday’s Redevelopment Agency meeting merely made it official, putting an exact price and terms on the deal: $2,854,000–which includes closing costs, relocation costs and cost costs.

We kid; there are no cost costs. But as Karen Robes writes in this morning’s Press-Telegram, the Smiths will get a year’s free parking and a year’s free rent after the close of escrow–which should happen “on or before” May 1.

“I wanted to thank the board staff–Craig [Beck] and Carl Morgan–for the way they treated us with … very professionally and made kind of a rough situation for us work out very well,” said store owner Philip Smith at the meeting. His grandfather Bertrand Smith started Acres of Books here in 1934. “We have a lot of freedom in what we can do and we’ll be looking at our options very shortly. I’m sure the block is going to turn out very well.”

Redevelopment Agency board member John Thomas reminded the small audience that the city isn’t pushing out Acres of Books.

“There is this flavor out there in the community that the city has led to push the business away. The agency doesn’t have anything to do with the decision of the business owner to relocate their business–that’s the business owner’s thing,” Thomas said. In fact, he said the face of Long Beach redevelopment is changing.

“There’s a new day in the RDA, to be more sensitive and look at reuses for the building,” he continued. “There are great models. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena is one [which shows] you can proceed with great developments … without taking down every building that may have historic significance.”

Like Acres of Books, where the store’s facade is a Long Beach historic landmark and will be preserved for future generations. The rest of it–essentially everything except the stucco front–will be razed.

Under terms of the sale, the store and its thousands of books in hundreds of fruit crates may remain for up to one year after escrow closes–at which point it will have to ankle its longtime 1924 Streamline Moderne home at 240 Long Beach Blvd. for … where, exactly? Good question.

Smith, who wore a Hawaiian shirt and sat in the very back row of Council Chambers, said he’s actively looking for a 12,000-square-foot space to replace the store’s existing acreage–but finding one is proving difficult.

“It won’t be the same,” Smith said, noting that he’s expanded his search outside Long Beach. “It may be a smaller store.”

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COMMENTS

  1. 1

    A “new day” for the RDA because there aren’t any more historic structures in the way of their plans. And how nice to note they weren’t “forced out”, as a $2.8 million dollar payment (that’s our money, people) makes things so tidy. But if the owners’ had gotten uppity, the RDA can always eminent domain their ass and they’d get whatever they RDA thinks is reasonable.

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    Posted By Andy on April 22nd, 2008 at 5:01 pm

     

  2. 2

    They could move to 1236 S. Magnolia, Anaheim where there is a big empty store…no, wait, that’s where the Book Baron used to be until ridiculously high real estate bubble prices prompted a greedy developer to jack the rent up to astronomical levels a bookstore could never afford. Oh, well. I’m sure that whatever is arranged (anyone know?) for the site now will be a big improvement. How about a new Fitness Center? Maybe a new Police Neighborhood Center? What about a park? Someone will surely think of something real neat…can’t wait.

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    Posted By Joseph Blough on April 22nd, 2008 at 5:06 pm

     

  3. 3

    It doesn’t matter where he moves. With the majority of mexican immigrant children dropping out of high school at 7th grade reading levels and worse, in another 10 years, independent bookstores will be a curiosity at best.
    Best to open video game rental kiosks. That’s where the new immigrant money is going.

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    Posted By Dave on April 25th, 2008 at 7:46 pm

     

  4. 4

    Huh? Please don’t bake-n-blog. Now put down the keyboard. Harold and Kumar are calling.

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    Posted By Andy on April 25th, 2008 at 10:49 pm

     

  5. 5

    David, glad that you feel better about yourself by blaming “mexican immigrant children” as the cause for the demise of Acres. The truth of the matter, blaming one specific nation’s immigrants is kind of ignorant on your behalf.. other than not capitalizing a proper noun… its Mexican not mexican you dumb f*ck. The demise of Acres is more economic, access, and branding rather than the nation’s immigrants coming to this country. Have you thought about the Nicaraguans, Guatemalans, El Salvadorians or Brazilians? Do they contribute to the demise of Acres or is it just the Mexican’s? You obviously have greater issues, more so than any self help book at Acres can provide. My suggestion to you is to pull your pants down and shove your thumb up your ass and them smell it until you fall asleep.

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    Posted By sassy sue on April 28th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

     

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