Inner Sunset a mecca for book lovers

Cluster of shops survive, thrives in competition with megastores

By Anastasia Hendrix

As soon as Brian Bilby learned that a clothing shop across the street from his used bookstore was closing, he picked up the telephone and started lobbying for his dream replacement--another shop that specializes in selling second-hand titles.

He called his buddy, bibliophile Herb Bivins, one of three co-owners of Black Oak Books in Berkeley, and asked him to consider branching out at the soon-to-be vacant location.

Bivins came, saw and was convinced.

To some, it might sound strange for a small, independent bookseller to boldly encourage such competition.

But Bilby, who has owned Chelsea Books on Irving Street since 1995, said he expects both businesses to thrive in each other’s company.

"With Black Oak moving in, this is now the used book capital of San Francisco," Bilby said of the neighborhood hub at Ninth Avenue and Irving Street where the stores are located amid trendy restaurants, cafes and boutiques.

The Mission District used to have those bragging rights, but Bilby said he’s convinced there are more commercial bookshelves in the Inner Sunset than anywhere else in The City.

There’s Ninth Avenue Books, a satellite of the celebrated Green Apple Books on Clement Street, which is the largest used bookseller in The City.

Just a few feet away sits Archangel Books, a shop of Russian and Greek Orthodox books, icons and other religions items. Discount Medical Books and Supplies is nearby on Judah Street, and across the street is Elsewhere Books, which sells only mystery, horror and rare science fiction books like the "Star Fleet Medical Reference," which costs $100.

Farther down Irving Street is Arkadyan Books, which specializes in antiquarian volumes, primarily of Victorian poetry.

The newest Black Oak Books has been open for only a few weeks, but in an age when independent booksellers seem to be disappearing into oblivion because of the Internet and increasing competition from national chain megastores, it represents something far more profound Bilby said.

"We are operating under time-tested belief that really good bookstores, when put together, will attract more buyers to the area," said Bilby, who even posted a welcome sign outside his own store weeks before the other opened. "It becomes a kind of used book center.

"There is a literate enough population in this neighborhood and a solid enough foot traffic that they can buck the trend of other retail shops," said Bilby.

Bivins said he, too, believes there is a "synergistic effect" being created by having such a diverse selection of shops within walking distance of each other.

"We all have very different stocks, so there’s really something for everyone," he said. Black Oak Books will continue to share a name with the mother store in Berkeley, which is one of the East Bay’s best-known outlets for new and used titles.

Competition not a problem

Stephen Kowalski, manager of Ninth Avenue Books, said, "We’re not too worried" about the possibility of stifling competition because of too many bookstores moving into the area.

"I think (our selection) is probably broader and includes more popular fiction and a lot of mass-market stuff," he said, adding that he has not yet visited Black Oak Books to investigate further.

"I guess I suffer from a lack of curiosity," he said.

"The strange thing is that since they (Black Oak Books) have been open, our volume has increased a lot," said Kowalski, but added it would be premature to say the influx was directly related to Black Oak Books.

Amy Beasom, who has owned Elsewhere Books for 21 years, said that "it makes no difference to me who comes and goes" in the neighborhood because her customers know where to find her, and most of them reach her via the Internet. Most days, Beasom can be found sitting at a desk in her one-room shop, typing responses to customer inquiries as classical music plays on the radio while an occasional passerby shuffles through the selection.

At Black Oak Books, the smells of the freshly laid oak flooring and new paint greet curious onlookers and regulars alike. A plastic banner billows outside announcing its arrival.

Inside, the book tables and new wooden shelves carry a wide selection of new and used books. Current best-sellers share floor space with an eclectic, academic selection of subjects like medieval studies, history and religion. Titles range from Sanskrit criticism to Dr. Seuss to classic like "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire."

Opening a store in San Francisco was a longtime--but elusive--goal because of the skyrocketing rent prices for retail space, Bivins said. But the owners were able to negotiate a "reasonable and fair" rate for the space, he said, which made it possible to open at a second location that is about half the size of the Berkeley store.

A grand-pening reception is scheduled for May 20, complete with wine and cheese, but some say it might be too early to start really celebrating.

Gerald Webb, owner of Arkadyan Books, said he is not entirely convinced a bookstore renaissance is under way.

The Internet, superstores and megacorporations are taking their toll, threatening the very survival of independent bookstores like his.

"The book business in the United States is dying," he said. "The fact that they (Black Oak Books) are opening a bookstore is flying in the face of reality. But whatever chance they would have to survive, this is it. This is the final frontier."

So far business at the new store has been good, Bivins said, and the neighborhood reaction positive, so he is hopeful about his chances.

Customers are final arbiters

But it will be the customers who have the final say.

"I really like Chelsea Books, so at first I was a little concerned it might hurt them, but they are different enough from each other I think it will be OK," said Theresa Chan, 32, a medical student at UC San Francisco who was browsing in the aisles one recent morning.

"I buy books everywhere but I try to support local, independent bookstores," she said, clutching a $10 hardcover of "Selected Robinson Jeffers Poems." "This is great because I’ve been looking for this book, and I haven’t had the best of luck finding it at the bigger stores or online."

From the SF Examiner


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