Congratulations to Small World Books, Venice, Calif., which will celebrate its 40th anniversary tomorrow. The Argonaut reported that when "she moved her independent bookstore from Marina del Rey to the Venice Boardwalk in 1976, Mary Goodfader had no idea how long it would last," but the shop "found its niche on Ocean Front Walk at a time when the boardwalk was 'exploding' with a new kind of tourist scene and a new zeitgeist.... The literary community in Venice was thriving and Goodfader soon had a steady, dedicated clientele."
"It was great timing. Everyone was coming to Venice Beach to see all the skaters and the jugglers. It was a fun time and the mood was always upbeat," she said. "Because we're a small independent bookstore, I ask my customers to pay retail. But they support us because I'm part of a community that loves books. I think there has been a resurgence with independent bookstores, but it's hard to compete with sites like Amazon--which has only one goal in mind, and that's to close all independent bookstores.... I have a quality bookstore with high-quality employees and high-quality customers. My passion is books, and I'll do this as long as I'm able."