 |
|
| Evans, Reid and Johnson signing the paperwork to make the store's transition official. | |
Last night, John Evans and Alison Reid formally turned over ownership of DIESEL in Oakland, Calif., to Brad Johnson, longtime manager of the store, which is now East Bay Booksellers. They posted this note to customers.
Dear Reader,
This is our last note to you from #1 DIESEL, in Oakland. At midnight tonight DIESEL in Oakland becomes East Bay Booksellers, with Brad at the helm.
It has been indescribably wonderful being your local booksellers for the last 28 years. The community you've welcomed us into and that we've created and maintained together has been so important to us, and still is! (We will continue to live in the neighborhood, so we will still see you around--but no longer behind the counter, or shelving books.)
Thanks so much for all of our conversations; for the events that we've shared; for the love of books and recommendations we've exchanged; and for keeping reading, and writing, and all of our imaginations alive in times that have challenged our humanity and our conviviality.
As we have often written: 'Thank you for supporting the fragile ecology of free speech which independent bookstores help to sustain.' Thank you, again, for this too.
As many of you know, DIESEL can be found in Larkspur, and in Southern California, in Brentwood. We look forward to seeing you there. But for those of you who stay close to home and live in or near Rockridge--enjoy the new East Bay Booksellers, with the same wonderful booksellers who have been working for DIESEL the last few years. They will carry on that most-wonderful of East Bay literary traditions: the fine art of independent bookselling.
We will be having a joint party on Saturday September 23rd. Please come by to share stories and toast the past, present and future. Hope to see you there.
With Gratitude,
Alison & John