Local Bookstores Deserve to Get Our Support

My husband Michael's been out of town for a few days. He went skiing. Tahoe, clear skies, sunny days. Full moon. Fresh snow. And I was left behind. Bitter. Jealous. Small and whiny. Not nearly the person I should be. But this is not the first time I've looked in the mirror and seen a sour, green reflection. I am experienced at this. Some may question rewarding bad behavior. After all, you don't give a cranky toddler a new Beanie Baby when they bite your next door neighbor's perfect child, so why reward a cranky woman ready to bite her husband? Well, because it works. Michael left town and I knew just what would cheer me up. A trip to the bookstore. Maybe even two or three trips.

When I was a kid and my father would come visit for a Saturday afternoon, nothing pleased me more than a few hours with him in our local bookstore. I would spend hours searching for just the right stories to take home. I would fill my arms with books. Fill my imagination with images of wild horses. Southe5rn belles. Teen-age girls who were smart enough to solve the mystery of the clock tower. Not only were these books a source of comfort and encouragement to me, but the bookstore was as well. I recognized the faces of the clerks and they in turn knew me. I felt safe there. Like home.

Michael had not been gone an hour and I was pulling into a parking space in King's Plaza. A minute later I was browsing the tables at the Capitola Book Café. I was feeling better already. I am shallow. I can be bought. The store was busy. The café humming. Booksellers smiling. I made my choices and after a non-fat, decaf latte, took my books home and curled up on the couch for the afternoon. Did not make the bed. Did not plan dinner. Did not envy Michael.

The next morning I felt my good mood waning. I needed some more vitamin B (as in books). A visit to Bookshop Santa Cruz was in order. They have terrific sale tables. And good pastries. And on a Monday morning it probably wouldn't be very busy. I could get there and back and still get some work done. And if I didn't stay happy and cheerful, my writing would stink. So I owed it to myself.

I was home, sitting at my computer an hour and a half later. Two new books in a bag on my desk. And they had been on sale.

We live here in Santa Cruz County for many reasons. We pay high rents, deal with nasty commutes and welcome crowds of tourists whenever the sun comes out. But in exchange we get to raise our kids in an unique environment. In a community filled with one-of-a-kind businesses, not the least of which are our independent bookstores.

But our bookstores are in danger. Especially Capitola Book Café. The new chain bookstore looming on the horizon could kill it, as well as Bookworks in Aptos, Seeds of Change in Capitola, Gateways in Santa Cruz and even Bookshop Santa Cruz. All of our independent booksellers will be threatened by this approaching giant. And we wouldn't gain a thing. We would only lose a bit of who we are. A bit of why we live here instead of "over the hill."

California is known for protecting endangered species.. We realize once something is gone, you can't get it back. Our lives then shift. A sameness descends.

I can't imagine going for a walk on the beach and not seeing the sandpipers walking along on their spindly legs, poking in the wet sand. I find it unacceptable to think of never seeing dolphins leap-frogging out in the bay as the sun is beginning to set. I cringe at the thought of our bookstores disappearing. It all needs to be protected.

This is not a stand against chain stores in general. But when a plan is put into place to bring in a large store which could seriously damage if not destroy local businesses we need to look at it. We need to examine just what would be lost. What would be gained. And is it a healthy trade-off.

I admire the four women who own the Capitola Book Café. I love going in their store and watching them busy at work. Clicking their computer keys. Helping customers find small books written by lesser known authors. (Books which would not be found in the large, chain store.) I appreciate how they discount the best-seller list books. I like their choice of cookies in the café.

And I would miss them fiercely if they were to disappear.

Claudia Sternbach is a Sentinel correspondent. Write P.O. Box 638, Santa Cruz, CA 95061; fax 661-0608.

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